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Common Name
Purple-stained Laelia
Flower Size
6 to 10" [15 to 25 cm]
A medium sized, hot to cool growing plant from Brazil where it is found as an epiphyte, with a single leaf, high in the canopy of wooded hillsides, with clavate pseudobulbs carrying a single, apical, oblong-ligulate, leathery, erect, rounded at the apex leaf that blooms in the late spring through fall on a stout, 12 to 15" [30 to 37.5 cm] long, raceme subtended by a large sheath with 3 to 7 long-lasting, showy, fragrant, color variable flowers with an anise scent and needs a dry winter rest and moderate year round light.
Synonyms
Amalia purpurea Heynh. 1846; Bletia casperiana Rchb. f. 1862; Bletia purpurata Rchb.f 1861; Bletia purpurata var. aurorea Rchb.f. 1862; Bletia purpurata var. pallida Rchb.f. 1862; Bletia purpurata var. praetexta (Rchb.f.) Rchb.f. 1862; Brasilaelia purpurata (Lindl. & Paxton) Campacci 2006; Cattleya brysiana Lemaire 1852; Cattleya casperiana Rchb.f; Cattleya purpurata (Lindl. & Paxton) Rollisson ex Lindl., 1855; Cattleya purpurata (Lindl. & Paxton) Van den Berg 2008; Chironiella purpurata (Lindl. & Paxton) Braem 2006; Hadrolaelia purpurata ( Lindl. & Paxton ) Chiron & V.P.Castro 2002; Hadrolaelia purpurata f. virginalis (L.C.Menezes) F.Barros & J.A.N.Bat. 2004; Laelia casperiana Rchb.f 1859; Laelia purpurata var. blenheimense R.Warner & B.S.Williams 1889; Laelia purpurata var. nelisii Lem. 1868; Laelia purpurata var. praetexta Rchb.f. 1855; Laelia purpurata var. rosea Regel 1872; Laelia purpurata var. russelliana (B.S.Williams) B.S.Williams 1887; Laelia purpurata var. virginalis L.C.Menezes 1995; Laelia russelliana B.S.Williams 1885; Laelia wyattiana Rchb.f 1883; Sophronitis purpurata (Lindl. & Paxton) C. Berg & M.W. Chase 2000
References
W3 Tropicos
,
Kew Monocot list
,
IPNI
; Bonplandia Rchb.f 1856; Xenia Orchidaceae vol 2 Rchb.f 1862 as Bletia casperiana; Xenia Orchidaceae vol 2 Rchb.f 1862; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915; Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 drawing fide; Iconografia de Orchidaceae Do Brasil Hoehne 1949 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 27 No 6 1958; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965; AOS Bulletin Vol 36 #4 1967; Orchidaceae Brasilienses Pabst & Dungs Band I 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 44 No 1 1980 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 49 No 6 1980 photo fide; AOS Bulletin vol 53 no 10 1984 photo fide; Cattleya and Their Relatives Vol 2 Withner 1990 photo fide; Orchids Travel By Air A Pictoral Safari Mulder, Mulder-Roelfsema and Schuiteman 1990 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 55 No 3 1991 photo fide; The Manual Of Cultivated Orchid Species Bechtel, Cribb & Launert 1992 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 63 No 5 1994 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 64 #9 1995 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 66 No 3 1997 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 68 No 4 1999 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 64 #2 2000 photo fide; Lindleyana Vol 15 No 2 2000 as Sophronitis purpurata; AOS Bulletin Vol 69 No 6 2000 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 66 #2 2002 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 6 2003 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 8 2003 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 2 2004 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 73 No 12 2004 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 75 No 5 2006 as Sophronitis purpurata photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 77 No 8 2008 photo as Sophronitis purpurata; AOS Bulletin Vol 77 No 11 2008 photo fide as Cattleya purpurata; AOS Bulletin Vol 78 #3 2009 photo fide; AOS Bulletin vol 78 No 11 2009 as Sophronitis purpurata photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 73 #1 2009 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 73 #2 2009 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 79 #2 2010 as Cattleya purpurata photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 79 #4 2010 as Cattleya purpurata photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 79 #12 2010 as Cattleya purpurata photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 80 #5 2011 as Cattleya purpurata photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 76 #1 2012 as Cattleya purpurata photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 83 #3 2014 photo fide; Orchids of Tropical America an introduction and guide Meisel 2014 as Cattleya purpurata photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 84 #8 2015 photo fide;AOS Bulletin Vol 84 #9 2015 as Cattleya purpuraa photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 84 #11 2015 as cATTLEYA PURPURATA photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 80 #2 2016 as Cattleya purpurata; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #1 2016 as Cattleya purpurata photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #5 2016 as Cattleya purpurata drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #6 2016 as Cattleya purpurata photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #7 2016 as Cattleya purpurata photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #8 2016 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 #5 2017 as Cattleya purpurata photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 #6 2017 as Cattleya purpurata photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 # 7 2017 as Cattleya purpurata photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 88 # 6 2019 as Cattleya purpurata photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #7 2019 as Cattleya purpurata photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #8 2019 as Cattleya purpurata photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #11 2019 as Cattleya purpurata photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 89 #11 2020 as Cattleya purpurata photo fide;
Laelia purpurata var alba "Joao Dias" 1852-3
SUBGENUS Crispae SECTION Crispae Pfitzer
Photo by © Jay Pfahl
References
W3 Tropicos
,
Kew Monocot list
,
IPNI
; Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 10 576 - 632 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1977; AOS Bulletin Vol 52 No 10 1983 photo fide;
Laelia purpurata var carnea Lindley 1852-3
SUBGENUS Crispae SECTION Crispae Pfitzer
Lip Detail
Photos by © Jay Pfahl
Flower Closeup
Photo by Wilma Braga.
This is a light pink variety
References
W3 Tropicos
,
Kew Monocot list
,
IPNI
; AOS Bulletin Vol 31 No 11 1962 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 32 No 4 1963 photo; Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 10 576 - 632 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1977; AOS Bulletin Vol 49 # 5 1980 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 49 # 6 1980 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 54 No 1 1985 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 56 No 3 1987 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 61 #3 1997 as L purpurata var saguinea sic photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 6 2003 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 75 No 5 2006 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #10 2019 AS cATTLEYA PURPURATA VAR CARNEAphoto fide;
Laelia purpurata var coerula Lindley 1852-3
SUBGENUS Crispae SECTION Crispae Pfitzer
Photo by © Jay Pfahl
References
W3 Tropicos
,
Kew Monocot list
,
IPNI
; AOS Bulletin Vol 39 No 5 1970; AOS Bulletin Vol 49 No 6 1980 photo;
Laelia purpurata var roxo-violeta Lindley 1852-3
SUBGENUS Crispae SECTION Crispae Pfitzer
Photo by Dalton Holland Baptista
References
W3 Tropicos
,
Kew Monocot list
,
IPNI
; AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 6 2003 photo fide;
Laelia purpurata var rubra Lindley 1852-3
SUBGENUS Crispae SECTION Crispae Pfitzer
Photo by Patricia Harding
Laelia purpurata var russelliana (B.S.Williams) B.S.Williams 1887
SUBGENUS Crispae SECTION Crispae Pfitzer
Photo by Ernest Hetherington
References
W3 Tropicos
,
Kew Monocot list
,
IPNI
; Orchid Digest Vol 61 #3 1997 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 6 2003 photo fide
Laelia purpurata var striata Lindley 1852-3
SUBGENUS Crispae SECTION Crispae Pfitzer
Photo by Dalton Holland Baptista
References
W3 Tropicos
,
Kew Monocot list
,
IPNI
; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 #5 2017 as Cattleya purpurata f striata photo fide;
Laelia purpurata var vagnota Lindley 1852-3
SUBGENUS Crispae SECTION Crispae Pfitzer
Photo by Patricia Harding.
Laelia purpurata var werkhauseri Lindley 1852-3
SUBGENUS Crispae SECTION Crispae Pfitzer
Photo by Wilma Braga
References
W3 Tropicos
,
Kew Monocot list
,
IPNI
; Orchid Digest Vol 36 No 6 1972 photo fide; Orquideologia Vol 13 No 3 1979; AOS Bulletin Vol 49 No 6 1980 as L purpurata f werkhauseri var supurba photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 51 No 7 1982 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 54 No 5 1985 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 61 #3 1997 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 71 No 3 2002 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 6 2003 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 75 No 5 2006 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 89 #11 2020 photo fide;
