View source for Bletilla

{{SPlantbox
|familia=Orchidaceae
|genus=Bletilla
|habit=orchid
|Temp Metric=°F
|jumpin=If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!
|image=Bletilla striata 1.jpg
|image_width=180
}}
[[Image:Bletilla striata2.jpg|left|thumb|''Bletilla striata'' flower]]
[[Image:Bletilla ochracea 3.jpg|right|thumb|''Bletilla ochracea'' flower]]
'''''Bletilla''''' is a [[temperate]], [[terrestrial plant|terrestrial]] [[genus]] of [[orchid]]s containing 9 [[species]] distributed through [[China]], [[Japan]] and [[Taiwan]] and [[Vietnam]]. The name is actually a diminutive of ''[[Bletia]]'' because of the resemblance between the two genera even though Bletia is a New World genus. The genera '''''Jimensia''''' <small>[[Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz|Raf.]]</small> and '''''Polytoma''''' <small>[[Lour.]] ex [[Gomes]]</small> are generally included into ''Bletilla''. This genus is abbreviated '''Ble''' in trade journals.

The [[pseudobulb]]s resemble spreading [[corm]]s which usually sit at ground level. Each pseudobulb generally bears several pleated [[leaves]] around 40cm long. The [[raceme]]s of flowers emerge from the center of the years new growth before it is mature, during spring and early summer. The [[flowers]] vary in colour from white to purple, and all species have four [[pollinia]].
The tubers resemble a horn or claw. They are grayish-white or yellowish-white in appearance, with concentric rings and brown rootlets. They have a hard texture and do not break easily. 

'''Bletilla''' species are generally [[hardy]], though some need protection from severe frost. It is better to keep them in pots of well drained media so that water does not sit around the [[root]]s during winter when the plants are not actively growing. They should also be watered sparingly at the start of the growing season as the new shoots emerge, as new roots often do not follow for around four weeks afterwards.

'''Bletilla striata''' is the most common form found in the nursery trade and is often labeled simply as 'Hardy Orchid' or 'Chinese Ground Orchid' and is quite inexpensive.

{{Inc|
Bletilla (diminutive of Bletia). Orchidaceae. Terrestrial orchids with pseudobulbs, and a leafy at. with a terminal infl.: sepals and petals nearly alike, somewhat spreading; lip 3-lobed, furnished with lamellae, the lateral lobes surrounding the slender column; pollinia 8.—Outdoor orchids.
}}

==Cultivation==


===Propagation===


===Pests and diseases===


==Species==
List of species:
*''[[Bletilla chartacea]]''
*''[[Bletilla cotoensis]]''
*''[[Bletilla foliosa]]'' 
*''[[Bletilla japonica]]''
*''[[Bletilla morrisonicola]]''
*''[[Bletilla ochracea]]''
*''[[Bletilla scopulorum]]''
*''[[Bletilla sinensis]]''
*''[[Bletilla striata]]''
*''[[Bletilla szetschuanica]]''
*''[[Bletilla yunnanensis]]''

==Gallery==

<gallery perrow=5>
Image:Bletilla striata var alba.JPG
Image:Upload.png| photo 1
Image:Upload.png| photo 2
Image:Upload.png| photo 3
</gallery>

==References==
<references/>
*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->

==External links==
*{{wplink}}

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