Laelia aurea

Laelia aurea A.V.Navarro, Orquidea (Mexico City) 12: 42 (-43), figs (1990).

Laelia aurea A.V.Navarro, Photo by Lourens Grobler

its native range is Mexico (Durango, Sinaloa, Nayarit). 

Latin Name: 

Laelia aurea A.V.Navarro 

Family: 

Orchidaceae Juss.

Synonym:

Encabarcenia aurea (A.V.Navarro) Archila & Szlach.

Laelia rubescens var. aurea (A.V.Navarro) M.Wolff & O.Gruss

Schomburgkia aurea (A.V.Navarro) Peraza & Carnevali

English Name:

The Golden Laelia.

Description: 

With clustereed, reclining, partially one above the other, one internode, compressed, sub-orbicular, ovate to elliptic, green often suffused with purple, smooth becoming rugose with age pseudobulbs carrying a single, apical, articulate, coriaceous, rigid, oblong-elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, lightly carinate dorsally, the apex bilobed with a small central mucro, basally conduplicate leaf that blooms in the fall on a terminal, racemose, pedunculate, to 30 cm long, slightly compressed, basally with 2 conduplicate, imbricate bracts, 6 to 9 noded above, each node enveloped by a tubular, acute, appressed bract, 10 to 40 cm long overall, rachis compact, sub-umbelliform, successively 4 to 16 flowered inflorescence with extended, triangular ovate, obtuse to infrequently acute to acuminate, lightly concave, scarious floral bracts and carrying eventually simultaneous, resupinate, fragrant flowers.

Distribution:

Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southwest.

Ecological:

At elevations around 200 meters as a small to medium sized, hot growing epiphyte.

Flowering times:

Bloome in the fall.

Flower size:

5.0 mm

Cultivation:

Plants should be grown in medium fir bark with partial to full sun. Plant is warm growing orchid species. Water approximately once a week. Plant can also be mounted. Note that in nature this plant is a lithophyte that grows in partial-full sun.  Only if you have great ventillation should you grow in direct sun. Perhaps reduce water during cool dry season.

Typus:

Type Information

Collector Team:

E.Hágsater 4050

Type Herbaria:

holotype AMO

Distribution Of Types:

Nayarit (Mexico, Northern America)

Type Specimen Note:

IT: K

Apr 24, 1990 Hágsater [4050], Nayarit K000584024 isotype

Reference: 

- theplantlist.org

- https://www.ipni.org/n/279284-2

- http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:279284-2

- http://www.orchidspecies.com/catforbesii.htm. 

- https://orchids.fandom.com/wiki/Laelia_aurea