The characteristic differences of the flower, the place of its natural growth, recommendations for caring for laelia, reproduction, pests and diseases, facts, species. Lelia (Laelia) belongs to the genus of perennials, which in nature have epiphytic (grow on other plants) or lithophytic (settle on rock surfaces) properties. All of them are distinguished by a herbaceous form of growth and are part of the Orchid family (Orhidaceae). If we take information from the end of the last century, then in total there were about 50–70 varieties in the genus, but after the systematization work was carried out, this figure dropped to 23.
The native area of distribution falls on the territory of South America and the West Indies, where a subtropical and temperate climate prevails. Plants like to settle at altitudes from 0 to 3000 meters above sea level. Moreover, the conditions of natural growth are quite wide, they include lowland rain forests, woodlands in mountainous areas, open areas with a high level of sunlight. However, most of all varieties of their homeland revere the regions of Brazil and Mexico.
The family owes its name to John Lindley, who gave him this name in 1831. Thus, they decided to use the feminine name of Zeus's sister - Lelia. She was one of the six virgin vestals who guarded the sacred fire of the goddess Vesta - the patroness of the family hearth and sacrificial fire in ancient Rome.
These orchids range in size from 1–2 cm (Laelia liliputiana) to 30–60 cm for Laelia purpurata. Lelias are sympodial plants that have many growing shoots located in a horizontal plane (pseudobulb) and they are connected to each other by a rhizome called rhizome. Such orchids also have more than a single point of growth, and their development proceeds from the formed new sprouts. Over time, each such young sprout turns into a pseudobulb - they become thickened stems of orchids. Pseudobulbs have fusiform outlines, but they can also take both ovoid and cylindrical shapes, inside they are hollow, bearing one or two leaf plates. While the pseudobulb is young, its surface is smooth, shimmery, painted in a green or grayish-green color scheme, but with age they become wrinkled and acquire a matte tone.
Leaf plates with a rigid surface, thick, having a belt-like or elongated-oval shape, there is a sharpening at the apex, the base is vaginal. The leaf is slightly folded along the central vein. The flowering stem originates from the base of the leaf, it is quite long, it can be a wrapped cover or grow without it.
The advantage of this plant is precisely its flowers, which are collected in the apical racemose inflorescence. Occasionally, it can take on paniculate outlines. In such an inflorescence, the number of buds can vary from one to several pieces. The size of large flowers is 15–25 cm in diameter. The color of their petals is quite bright, there are white, yellow, orange, pinkish or purple tones. There are species in which flowers have a pleasant aroma.
Sepals grow freely and sprawling, they are straight or wavy. The lip also grows both straight and adhered to the base of the column, the reproductive organ of the orchid. At the base, its outlines are tubular, and the shape is solid or with three lobes. The column itself is long, at its top there are processes in the form of denticles or fringes. Pollinia - four pairs, their contours are ovoid or flattened, waxy.
Tips for growing laelia at home
- Lighting and choosing the location of the flower. This type of orchid prefers to thrive in bright light. In the morning and evening, the pot should be under streams of sunlight or fluorescent lamps of equal brightness, and it is recommended to shelter the lily from harmful, scorching sunlight only at midday hours. In this case, the duration of daylight hours should be up to 10 hours. Bright lighting will be the key to the ripening of pseudobulbs, flower buds and long flowering. A pot with a plant is placed on the east and west windows.
- Content temperature. This type of orchid belongs to plants of moderately cold content, which require a strong temperature difference (day and night) during the day. In the summer period, heat indicators of 18-25 degrees are most suitable for Laelia during the daytime, and at night it is necessary to open the window, lowering the thermometer to 13-19 degrees - the difference between day and night indicators is up to 5 units. From mid-May, when the threat of morning frosts has passed, it is recommended to take the pot with the orchid to the garden or balcony in the open air, where the plant can be kept until mid-September. At the same time, natural ventilation is created by the movement of air masses and the lelia will transfer the indicators to 32 degrees of heat, the necessary temperature difference will also be created in the open air. With the onset of the dormant period, the orchid should be placed in a room with a good level of lighting and cool temperatures: in the daytime up to 15 degrees, and at night - 10 units of heat. Such a transition to the time of autumn-winter in Laelia is not strict. A sign of it will be the development of a new pseudobulb and when the new leaf blade grows by half. The orchid's resting time will end when the flower-bearing stem appears.
- Air humidity when growing an orchid, laelia should be in the range of 50-85%. It is not possible to achieve such indicators with the help of simple spraying of foliage, therefore it is necessary to use air humidifiers or steam generators. Also, some contain the plant in orchidariums, where the necessary conditions are set. If the air becomes very dry, the growth of the orchid will slow down.
- Watering the orchid. The mode of hydration of laelia directly depends on the way it is grown. When kept in a pot, the plant is watered when the bark in the container is completely dry - this can be perfectly tracked through the transparent wall of the flowerpot. If the orchid grows in a block, then they moisten it daily in summer, and with the arrival of cold weather - only once every two days. Water for humidification is used only soft, it is recommended to filter it or use filtered, river or melted snow, which is heated to room temperature (20-24 degrees). However, since in urban conditions the use of such water does not guarantee its purity, you can take distilled water. For additional softening, you can pour in a couple of drops of vinegar or a small amount of citric acid, if you try water, then the acid should not be felt. One of the most common watering methods is to immerse the flower pot in a bowl of water at room temperature for 20 minutes. You can even bury it together with the leaves - as a whole.
- Fertilizers for laelia used during the onset of vegetative activity. You can use complex formulations for orchids in the most minimal concentration. The regularity of adding the drug once every 14–21 days. It is recommended to alternate the root and foliar method: the agent is added to the water for irrigation or for spraying.
- Transfer and selection of soil. Do not repot your orchid too often. Usually this operation is carried out once every 2-3 years, if it is evident that the substrate has lost its useful properties, has become too compacted, or when the lelia has outgrown the size of the pot. It is best to select the time when the plant is forming new root shoots. A new pot should be selected from a transparent material, there are now many of these intended for growing orchids in flower shops. These containers not only transmit light to the roots, but also have increased air permeability due to large holes on their surface. Also, instead of a regular flowerpot, you can use a large piece of pine bark, which is pre-treated to remove dirt and resin residues. On such a bush, the roots of the plant must be carefully fixed and wrapped with a small layer of sphagnum moss. But with such a cultivation, it is recommended to monitor that the moss is constantly moistened, not allowing it to dry out, so that the root system does not dry out. The substrate for transplantation can be used ready-made, suitable for growing representatives of orchids. Or a soil mixture is made from peat, pine bark, pieces of coal and chopped sphagnum moss. You can mix in shredded foam - it will improve ventilation of the roots.
How to propagate a Lelia orchid on your own?
When an orchid is grown indoors, a young plant can only be obtained vegetatively - by dividing the overgrown rhizome (rhizome) in such a way that each delenka has three or more pseudobulbs. It is better to combine the reproduction process with a transplant. In this case, the orchid is removed from the pot, the substrate, if possible, is gently shaken off from the roots, then division is carried out using a disinfected knife. Places of cuts should be treated with ash or activated (charcoal) crushed into powder. Then the delenki are planted individually in pre-prepared pots with a suitable substrate. After that, you should wait a couple of days, and only then provide abundant watering and spraying of the leaf plates, waiting for the lelia to start up young shoots or leaves, which will serve as a signal for successful rooting.
In conditions of industrial cultivation of laelias, the meristem (by propagation using microscopic cuttings) or seed propagation method is used.
Difficulties in growing laelia
It is noteworthy that harmful insects are rarely interested in this orchid, but even viral diseases are quite rare. However, if scabies or spider mites appear on the leaves of laelia, it is recommended to carry out treatment with insecticidal preparations.
All troubles happen only when the conditions for keeping the flower are violated:
- With a lack of lighting, excessive watering or moisture, as well as when there is a large amount of nitrogen in the dressings, it is possible that Laelia can be affected by fungal diseases. In this case, it is recommended to treat the plant with antifungal drugs.
- Failure to comply with the temperature or watering regime, bright lighting or its strong lack, watering with hard and cold water, damage to fragile roots during the transplant process can weaken the orchid.
- At high humidity, sheet plates can become moldy.
- The lack of flowering is the result of insufficient or excessive lighting levels or a lack of a dormant period.
- Buds can fall off if the substrate and pseudobulbs are too dry.
- Orchid growth slows down if the humidity level is too low.
Notes about Laelia
Genetically, Lelia is most closely related to the Cattleya genus, however, they differ in the number of pollinia - formations of compact size with a powdery, waxy or horny consistency. Such formation occurs when all the pollen sticks together or when it completely or partially merges in the anther nest. The laelias of such pollinia have four pairs, and the Cattleyas have two.
Types of laelia
Here are just some of the most popular orchid varieties.
Red Lelia (Laelia rubescens) is a herbaceous perennial. Also in English, the plant is called Rosy Tinted Laelia, and in Mexican "Guarita". Sizes are medium. Pseudobulbs have flattened oval outlines, the surface is shiny, with the passage of time - wrinkled, most often they bear one leaf, sometimes a couple, then they represent a dense group. The length of the leaf plate is 10–15 cm, its surface is rigid, the shape is elongated-lanceolate.
During flowering, the flower-bearing stem extends to a height of about 90 cm and is crowned with 3–7 buds. The flowers have an aroma, the color of the petals is snow-white, pale purple or pink-lilac. A dark purple color appears inside the tube, and a small spot of yellow color adorns the central part of the lip. When fully expanded, the diameter of the flower will be 4–7 cm.
In conditions of natural growth, the orchid is found in the territory from Mexico to the regions of Costa Rica and Nicaragua, including the lands of Brazil. It can be both an epiphyte and a lithophyte. It prefers to settle in deciduous forests, climbing to an altitude of 1700 m above sea level, where there is high insolation and temperature drops, in the same areas, prolonged dry periods are possible.
Lelia double-edged (Laelia anceps) is found in the forests of Guatemala, Honduras and Mexican lands. The pseudobulbs of this orchid variety have oval-oblong outlines, their surface is ribbed, often there is only one leaf, in rare cases - a pair. The leaf blade can reach 10–20 cm in length with an average width of about 4 cm. During flowering, the height of the flowering stem can approach 40–60 cm. In the center of the orchid flower, you can see a yellow spot covered with brown veins, and the edge is pinkish -violet color scheme. The main background color of the petals of the orchid is a pale purple tone. When opened, the diameter of the flower reaches 8 cm. The flowering period is extended over the winter, and can reach two months.
Due to the fact that this variety is gaining more and more popularity among fans of orchid cultivation, in the conditions of natural growth, it is endangered. All this is because the flower, like representatives of other species, was collected in huge quantities and transported for sale to other countries. The orchid has been cultivated since 1835.
Lelia Gulda (Laelia gouldiana). This plant was first discovered on the territory of Mexico in the Sierra Madre Orientale mountains, but today it is no longer found in natural conditions. She loved to settle on trees and rocky surfaces, forming dense colonies. It can tolerate a decrease in heat to zero.
It has a short rhizome and medium height. Pseudobulbs are oblong-ovoid in shape, bearing 2-3 leaf plates. The color of the foliage is grayish-green, the shape is oblong-linear. Leaf plates can reach 15-25 cm in length, growing no more than 3 cm in width.
When flowering, a flower-bearing stem is formed, reaching a height of 50–75 cm. One peduncle can be crowned with 3–10 buds. The flowers have a fragrant aroma. When opening, the bud can measure 10 cm. The shade of the flower petals is lilac or pinkish-purple in color with a dark edge. Their shape is lanceolate, with a pointed apex. Flowering occurs in December-January.
Scientists have found that all representatives are genetically identical and did not give seed. All the steps taken to cross genetically different specimens have led nowhere. It has been cultivated in culture since 1836.
