Laelia longipes Rchb.f 1863 SUBGENUS Parviflorae SECTION Liliputinae Withner 1990
Photos by Jay Pfahl
Common Name Long-Peduncled Laelia
Flower Size 2 1/4" [5.7 cm]
Found in Brazil at elevations around 1300 to 2000 meters as a miniature sized, cool to cold growing, "rupicolous", lithophytic species closely related to L. crispata with narrowly oblong or conical pseudobulbs carrying a single, apical, erect, fleshy, rigid, elliptic-oblong, subacute, dark green leaf that blooms in the summer and fall in Brazil on a raceme that is much longer than the leaves [8 to 10"] and has from 2 to 4 flowers and sometimes more.
I found the one in the photographs on top of Pico Da Carapuça - La Caraça, Minas Gerais, Brazil at an elevation of 1955 meters in full sun and was one of two of a few thousand that we saw that happened to be in bloom. I was blessed that it waited for me to scale the mountain and photograph it. It was a 4 1/2 hour climb to get to this location.
Synonyms Bletia longipes [Rchb.f]Rchb.f 1863; Bletia lucasiana Rolfe 1893; Cattleya longipes (Rchb.f.) Van den Berg 2008; Hoffmannseggella longipes (Rchb.f.) V.P.Castro & Chiron 2002; Laelia longipes var. lucasiana (Rolfe) Schltr. 1917; Laelia lucasiana Rolfe 1893; Laelia ostermeyeri Hoehne 1937; Sophronitis longipes (Rchb. f.) C. Berg & M.W. Chase 2000
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Xenia Orchidaceae vol 2 Rchb.f 1862 as Bletia longipes; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915 as L longipes var alba; Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 drawing ok; Iconografia de Orchidaceae Do Brasil Hoehne 1949 as L ostermayerii var fourneri drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 27 No 11 1958; AOS Bulletin Vol 27 No 11 1958 as L ostermayerii; Orchidaceae Brasilienses Band I Pabst & Dungs 1975 drawing fide; Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 10 576 - 632 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1977 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 45 No 1 1981 as L lucasiana photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 47 No 6 1983 as L lucasiana photo; Orchid Digest Vol 48 No 1 1984 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 48 No 1 1984 as L lucasiana photo fide; Cattleya and Their Relatives Vol 2 Withner 1990 photo soso; Cattleya and Their Relatives Vol 2 Withner 1990 as L lucasiana fide; Cattleya and Their Relatives Vol 2 Withner 1990 as L lucasiana var alba photo fide; The Manual Of Cultivated Orchid Species Bechtel, Cribb & Launert 1992; AOS Bulletin Vol 65 No 1 1996 as L lucasiana photo fide; Lindleyana Vol 15 No 2 2000 as Sophronitis longipes; Mille et Une Mini Orchideees Roguenant 2009 as Sophronitis longipes photo ok; AOS Bulletin Vol 80 #12 2011 as Cattleya longipes photo fide; A Compendium of Miniature Orchid Species Parsons & Gerritsen 2013 as Cattleya longipes photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 # 7 2017 as Cattleya longipes photo fide;
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