Bletia patula Hook.

  • Authority

    Ackerman, James D. 1995. An orchid flora of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 73: 1-203.

  • Family

    Orchidaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Bletia patula Hook.

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants robust, caespitose. Roots numerous, villous, 1.5-3 mm diam. from rhizome and base of pseudobulb. Pseudobulbs large, clustered, subglobose, composed of several internodes, diameter to 5 cm. Leaves deciduous often before flowering, several, linear lanceolate, long-acuminate, to 50 cm long, 3 cm wide. Inflorescences scapose, lateral from side of pseudobulb, erect, to 1 m tall, racemose, but sometimes branched, few to many flowers pro duced sequentially. Flowers showy, rose-purple, resupinate. Dorsal sepal elliptic-oblanceolate, acute to acuminate, 3.5-4 cm long, 6-8 mm wide; lateral sepals similar but falcate. Petals thinner than sepals, entire, oblong-elliptic, obtuse, 3-3.5 cm long, 5-6 cm wide. Lip trilobed, unguiculate, attached to the base of the column, ca. 3.5 cm long; lateral lobes entire forming a broad throat by arching over the column; middle lobe flabellate, margin crispate-undulate; disc with ca. 5 lamellae extending about the length of the lip, some white. Column to 2.5 cm long. Fruits green, pendulous, cylindrical, 3-4.5 cm long, ca. 1 cm diam.

  • Discussion

    1. Bletia patula Graham, Edinburgh New Philos. J. 21: 155. 1836. Type. Dr. Fischer, from Haiti, flowere in cultivation at Edinburgh Botanical Garden (FI-W, photocopy seen). Phenology & Pollination. Plants bloom thoughout the year but mostly from January to June. The flowers offer no pollinator reward. They last about 4 days, and usually 2-4 or more are open at one time. Flowers are produced sequentially so that an inflorescence may continue to produce flowers for months. Pollinators are unknown but are presumably large bees, either Centris or Xylocopa. Fruit set was 2 8 % at one locality south of Arecibo, but some capsules suffered heavy seed predation. A white-flowered variant, Bletia patula var. alba A. D. Hawkes, is rare.

  • Distribution

    General Distribution. Cuba, Florida (U.S.A.), Guadeloupe, Hispaniola, Martinique, and Puerto Rico.

    Cuba South America| United States of America North America| Guadeloupe South America| Haiti South America| Dominican Republic South America| Martinique South America| Puerto Rico South America|