Bletia campanulata La Llave & Lex. 1825

Flower Closeup Photo by © Edouard Faria

THROUGH

Common Name The Bell-Shaped Bletia

Flower Size 3/4" [2 cm]

It grows mainly in rocky (volcanic) grassy hillsides in open oak forest in Nayarit, Jalisco and Michoacan from 1500 m to 2100 m. This one was photographed in situ in the lava flow above Uruapan, Michoacan. Blooming in August. The plant has subterranean corms that give rise to erect, plicate, lanceolate leaves and blooms on an erect, racemose to 20" [to 50 cm] long, few to several flowered inflorescence carrying large, campanulate flowers. Found from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru? and western Argentina in pine forests on steep hills as a medium sized, hot to warm growing terrestrial or lithophyte.

Synonyms Bletia altilamellata Garay 1953; Bletia anomala Rich & Gal. 1845; Bletia edwardsii Ames 1932; Bletia landsbergii Rchb.f. 1859; Bletia lankesteri (Ames & C.Schweinf.) Ames, F.T.Hubb. & C.Schweinf. 1934; Bletia mandonii Schltr. 1922; Bletia wageneri Rchb.f. 1854; Bletia wageneri var. cobra Garay & Dunst. 1976; Limodorum campanulatum (La Llave & Lex.) Ames & C. Schweinf. 1930; Limodorum lankesteri Ames & C.Schweinf. 1930; Serapias diphylla Sessé & Moç. 1890

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Bonplandia Rchb.f 1854 as B wageneri; Bonplandia Rchb.f 1854; Bonplandia Rchb.f 1856; Xenia Orchidaceae Vol 3 Reichenbach 1878 as B wagneri; Otia Botanica Hamburgensia Rchb.f 1878 as B wagneri; Die Orchideen der Sudamerikanischen Kordillerenstaaten V Bolivia Schlechter 1922 as B mandonii; Venezuelan Orchids Vol 2 Dunsterville & Garay 1961 as B lansbergii spell? drawing good; Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 3 1970 as Bletia wagneri drawing good; Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 1 Dunsterville and Garay 1979 as B wageneri var cobra drawing good; Las Orquedias De El Salvador Vol 1 Hamer 1974 as B edwardsii drawing no/photo not; Venezuela; Paraiso de Orquideas Romero 1997 photo not = B purpurea; Orchids of Venezuela, An Illustrated Field Guide Vol 1 Dunsterville & Garay 1979 as Bletia lansbergii drawing not; Las Orquideas De El Salvador Vol 3 Hamer 1981 drawing/photo fide; Las Orquideas De El Salvador Vol 3 Hamer 1981 B edwardsii drawing not; Orquedias Michoacanas Lapiner ; The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids Pridgeon 1982; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 615 Hamer 1982 drawing ok; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 616 Hamer 1982 as B edwardsii drawing hmm; Las Orquedias De El Salvador vol 3 Hamer 1983; Flora Novo-Galaciana Vol 16 McVaugh 1985; Manual of Orchids Stewart 1993; Field Guide to the Orchids of Costa Rica and Panama Dressler 1993; Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 1 Ramiro and Carnevali 2000 as B wageneri var cobra drawing fide;

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