Bletia

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

Bletia >

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Read about Bletia in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Bletia (named for Louis Blet, a Spanish botanist). Orchidaceae. Terrestrial orchids with globose or depressed pseudobulbs, from the apex of which arises a leafy. st.; mostly hothouse plants. Leaves plicate-veined: fls. borne on a lateral leafless st.; sepals and petals spreading, similar, or the latter broader; lip attached to the base of the column, 3-lobed, the lateral lobes erect, the middle lobe spreading, the disk with several entire or denticulate-crisped ridges; pollinia 8.—A genus of about 20 species in Trop. Amer. B. camponulata, La Llave & Lex. Fls. bell-shaped, purple, with white center. Mex.—B. hyacinthina, R. Br.-Bletia.—B. patula, Hook. Fls. up to 2 in. across, deep pink. Said to be a native of Haiti. B. M. 3518.—B. Tankervilleae, R. Br.-Phaius. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

? Bletia
Plant Info
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Liliopsida Order: Asparagales Family: Orchidaceae Subfamily: Epidendroideae Tribe: Arethuseae Subtribe: Bletiinae Genus: Bletia Ruiz & Pav., 1794
Species
*Bletia altilamellata Bletia catenulata Bletia ensiformis Bletia parkinsonii Bletia patula Bletia purpurea Bletia reflexa Bletia striata Bletia uniflora etc.

Bletia is a genus of about 30 species of orchids (family Orchidaceae), almost of all of which are terrestrial, some are occasionally lithophytic or epiphytic. It is named after Spanish botanist and pharmacist Don Luis Blet. The genus is distributed from Florida south to Brazil.

The following genera: Anthogyas Raf., Bletiana Raf., Crybe Lindl., Gyas Salisb., Regnellia Barb. Rodr. and Thiebautia Colla have been brought into synonymy with Bletia.