Laelia anceps Lindley 1835 SUBGENUS Laelia SECTION Podolaelia
Photo by © Eric Hunt
Photo by Weyman Bussey.
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Common Name The Two-Edged Laelia - in Mexico El Toro
Flower Size 2.5 to 5" [6.25 to 12.5 cm]
Found in Mexico and Honduras in coffee plantations, pastures, oak and oak/pine forests with a solitary leaf in tall scattered oaks, or on rocks below them or in pastures and coffee plantations, often in full sunlight, at elevations of 500 to 1500 meters as a medium sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte with ovate-oblong, compressed, edges acute, flattened-sides, ribbed pseudobulbs carrying 1 or rarely 2, apical, oblong-lanceolate, leathery, acute leaves that blooms in the autumn to spring in on a terminal cluster, 2 to 4' [60 to 120 cm] long, alternately sheathed, 2 to 6, vanilla scented, long-lasting flowered inflorescence
This epiphytic species needs a dry winter rest.
This is a truly great hardy drought-tolerant species from easten Mexico with fantastic flowers, L. anceps is a Christmas bloomer, angular 4" bulbs with a solitary thick dark green 8" leaf, long 2 foot spikes each with clusters of 2 to 6 flowers, the very showy 2.5" to 5" blooms are pale lavender with an intense crimson lip that has a yellow/red striped center,
Very easy to grow and does very well outdoors down to 32 degrees Fahrenheight.
Synonyms Amalia anceps (Lindl.) Heynh. 1846 ; Amalias anceps [Lindley] Hoffmannsegg 1842; Bletia anceps [Lindley] Rchb.f 1863; Bletia anceps var. barkeriana (Lindl.) Rchb.f. 1862; Cattleya anceps [Lindley] Beer 1854; Laelia anceps f. alba (Rchb.f.) M.Wolff & O.Gruss 2007; Laelia anceps f. chilapensis Soto Arenas 1993; Laelia anceps f. dawsonii (J. Anderson) Soto Arenas 1993; Laelia anceps subsp. dawsonii Rolfe 1922; Laelia anceps subsp. hallydayana (O'Brien) Rolfe 1922; Laelia anceps subsp. sanderiana (Rchb.f.) Rolfe 1922; Laelia anceps subsp. schroederiana (Rchb.f.) Rolfe 1922; Laelia anceps var. alba Rchb.f.1887; Laelia anceps f. chilapensis Soto Arenas 1993; Laelia anceps var. amesiana O'Brien 1888; Laelia anceps var. ashworthiana O'Brien 1894; Laelia anceps var. ballantineana L.Linden1898; Laelia anceps var. barkeriana (Knowles & Westc.) Lindl. 1837; Laelia anceps var. blanda Rchb.f. 1885; Laelia anceps var. chamberlainiana Rolfe 1895; Laelia anceps var. crawshayana auct. 1895; Laelia anceps var. delicata B.S.Williams 1885; Laelia anceps var. grandiflora B.S.Williams 1888; Laelia anceps var. hilliana Rchb.f. 1881; Laelia anceps var. hollydayana O'Brien 1894;Laelia anceps var. holocheila Rolfe 1891; Laelia anceps var. hyeana L.Linden & Rodigas 1889; Laelia anceps var. kienastiana Rchb.f. 1886; Laelia anceps var. leucosticta Rchb.f. 1885; Laelia anceps var. lineata O'Brien 1895; Laelia anceps var. morada Rolfe 1922; Laelia anceps var. munda Rchb.f. 1886; Laelia anceps var. obscura Rchb.f. ex B.S.Williams 1894; Laelia anceps var. oweniana auct. 1892; Laelia anceps var. percivaliana Rchb.f. 1883; Laelia anceps var. protheroana O'Brien 1896; Laelia anceps var. radians Rchb.f. 1888; Laelia anceps var. roeblingeana Rolfe 1898; Laelia anceps var. sanderiana Rchb.f. 1887; Laelia anceps var. schroederiana Rchb.f. 1885; Laelia anceps var. scottiana Warner & B.S.Williams 1888; Laelia anceps var. simondsii Rolfe 1901; Laelia anceps var. stella Rchb.f. 1866; Laelia anceps var. superba Regel 1855; Laelia anceps var. vestalis Rchb.f. 1880; Laelia anceps var. virginalis auct. 1887; Laelia anceps var. waddoniensis J.Greg. 1898; Laelia anceps var. williamsii Sander ex Warner & B.S.Williams 1885; Laelia barkeriana Knowles & Westc. 1837; Laelia mottae Archila, Chiron, Szlach. & Pérez-García 2014
ReferencesW3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Bonplandia Rchb.f 1856; Xenia Orchidaceae vol 2 Rchb.f 1862 as Bletia anceps; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915 as L anceps var delicata; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915 l anceps var sanderiana; Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 26 No 2 1957 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 27 No 9 1958 drawing ok; AOS Bulletin Vol 30 No 9 1961; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965; AOS Bulletin Vol 36 #4 1967; AOS Bulletin Vol 36 #10 1967 drawing fide; Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 10 576 - 632 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1977; AOS Bulletin Vol 49 No 5 1979; Orquídea (Mexico City), n.s., 7[3]: 1979; AOS Bulletin Vol 50 No 5 1981 as L anceps stella drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 56 #5 1987 photo fide; An Introdution to the Orchids of Mexico Wiard 1987 photo fide; Cattleya and Their Relatives Vol 2 Withner 1990 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 61 No 9 1992 postage stamp fide; The Manual Of Cultivated Orchid Species Bechtel, Cribb & Launert 1992 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 62 No 2 1993 photo fide; Orquídea (Méx.) 13(1-2) 1993 drawing/photo fide; AOS Bulletin No 63 No 11 1994 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 59 No 2 1995; AOS Bulletin Vol 66 No 12 1997 photo; Guatemala Y Sus Orquideas Behar & Tinschert 1998 photo fide; Laelias In Mexico ORQUIDEA (MEX.) 15. OCTOBER 1997 photo fide; Australian Orchid Review Vol 65 No 5 2000 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 70 No 6 2001 photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 5 - 6 Orchids of Mexico Part 2 - 3 Plate 597 Hagsater & Soto 2002; Australian Orchid Review Vol 69 No 4 2004 photo; Algunas Orquideas de Oaxaca Suarez 2004 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 74 #7 2005 photo fide; Australian Orchid Review Vol 71 No 4 2006 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 75 No 4 2006 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 71 #1 2007 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 77 #7 2008 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 77 No 11 2008 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 77 No 12 2008 photo fide; AOS Bulletin vol 78 No 10 2009 photo fide; AOS Bulletin vol 78 No 11 2009 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 82 #2 2013 photo fide; Guia de Orquideas de Chiapas Carlos Rommel Beutelspacher Baigts 2013 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 84 #6 2015 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 80 #2 2016 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 # 1 2017 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 #2 2017 photo ok; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 #3 2017 photo fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 86 # 11 2017 photo fide; Orchid Genera and Species in Guatemala Archila, Szlachchetko, Chiron, Lipinska, Mystkowska and Bertolini 2018; Orchid Genera and Species in Guatemala Archila, Szlachchetko, Chiron, Lipinska, Mystkowska and Bertolini 2018 as L mottae; AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #4 2019 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #7 2019 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol #9 2019 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #2 2019 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #3 2019 photo fide;
Laelia anceps f. alba (Rchb.f.) M.Wolff & O.Gruss 2007
Photo by Wilma Braga
An albino form of the flower.
Synonyms Laelia anceps var. alba Rchb.f.1887
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915; AOS Bulletin Vol 56 No 5 1987 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 66 # 12 1997photo fide; Australian Orchid Review Vol 73 No 4 2008 photo;
Laelia anceps var. barkeriana (Knowles & Westc.) Lindl. 1837
Photo by Edwin Whitmann
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
AOS Bulletin Vol 50 No 5 1981 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 56 No 5 1987 drawing fide;
Laelia anceps var. chamberlainiana Rolfe 1895
Photo by Allen Black.
Laelia anceps Lindley 1836 var coerula 
to to
Photo by Edwin Whitmann
A blue colored form of the previous species.
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
AOS Bulletin Vol 39 No 5 1970; AOS Bulletin Vol 74 No 12 2005 photo fide;
Laelia anceps subsp. dawsonii Rolfe 1922
Photo by © Lourens Grobler
Laelia anceps has been divided into 2 major groups Laelia anceps var anceps which are found on the eastern side of Mexico and L. anceps var dawsonii which are found in the western half of Mexico.
SynonymsLaelia anceps var. dawsonii J. Anderson 1865
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
AOS Bulletin Vol 56 No 5 1987 drawing fide; Laelias In Mexico ORQUIDEA (MEX.) 15. OCTOBER 1997 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 71 No 6 2002 photo fide; Australian Orchid Review Vol 73 No 4 2008 photo; Icones Orchidacearum 5 - 6 Orchids of Mexico Part 2 - 3 Plate 597 Hagsater & Soto 2002 drwawing fide; Icones Orchidacearum fascile 10 plate 1035 Hagsater & Soto 2008 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 # 1 2017 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 87 #1 2018 photo fide;
Laelia anceps var. dawsonii J. Anderson 1865 subvar. Chialapensis
Plant in situ near the town of Chilapa, Guerrero at 5000 ft elevation, exactly.
Flowers in situ same as previous
Photos by Weyman Bussey.
This particular subvariety has been called L anceps var Guerrero
Synonyms Laelia anceps f. chilapensis Soto Arenas 1993; Laelia anceps f. dawsonii (J. Anderson) Soto Arenas 1993; Laelia anceps subsp. dawsonii Rolfe 1922; Laelia anceps subsp. sanderiana (Rchb.f.) Rolfe 1922; Laelia anceps subsp. schroederiana (Rchb.f.) Rolfe 1922; Laelia anceps var. hollydayana O'Brien 1894; Laelia anceps var. sanderiana Rchb.f. 1887; Laelia anceps var. schroederiana Rchb.f. 1885; Laelia dawsoni Crawshay 1902; Laelia sanderiana (Rchb.f.) Crawshay 1902; Laelia hollidayana (O'Brien) Crawshay 1902; Laelia schroederae Crawshay 1902; Laelia schroederiana (Rchb.f.) Crawshay 1902
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; AOS Bulletin Vol 15 # 7 1946 as L anceps var sanderiana photo fide; Laelias In Mexico ORQUIDEA (MEX.) 15. OCTOBER 1997 drawing/ photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 74 No 7 2005 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 77 No 12 2008 photo; Icones Orchidacearum fascile 10 plate 1035 Hagsater & Soto 2008 drawing fide
Laelia anceps var. hilliana Rchb.f. 1881
Photo by © Lourens Grobler
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; AOS Bulletin Vol 56 No 5 1987 drawing fide;
Laelia anceps var. lineata O'Brien 1895
Photo by © Lourens Grobler
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; AOS Bulletin Vol 38 #2 1969 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #4 2016 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #11 2016 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 # 1 2017 photo fide;
Laelia anceps var. roeblingeana Rolfe 1898
Photo by © Lourens Grobler
Another Color Variety
Laelia anceps Lindley 1836 var semi-alba
Photo by Jay Pfahl
Laelia anceps var. veitchiana Rchb. f.
Photo by Patricia Harding
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
AOS Bulletin Vol56 No 5 1987 photo fid; AOS Bulletin Vol 65 No 5 1996 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 77 No 12 2008 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 # 1 2017 photo fide;
Laelia anceps var. vestalis Rchb.f. 1880
Photo by Eric Hunt, plant grown by Sunset Orchids.
Laelia anceps var. williamsii Sander ex Warner & B.S.Williams 1885
Photo by © Lourens Grobler
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; AOS Bulletin Vol 56 No 5 1987 photo;
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