Bletia campanulata La Llave & Lex. 1825 Photo courtesy of Weyman Bussey
Side View Flower Closeup Photos courtesy of Eduoard 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 ; Venezuelan Orchids Vol 2 Dunsterville & Garay 1961 as B lansbergii spell?; Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 3 1970 as Bletia wagneri; Las Orquedias De El Salvador Hamer 1974 vol 1&2; Orquedias Michoacanas Lapiner ; The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids Pridgeon 1982; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Hamer 1982; 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
