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Laelia endsfeldzii
Laelia endsfeldzii is one of the
yellow-flowered rupiculous Laelia
species with long inflorescences, which is the norm for the yellows growing around Belo Horizonte and to the south/southwest.
The species is closely related to Laelia crispata
(syn. L flava), and in fact
the flowers look like miniatures of it at about half the size (albeit usually with narrower segments). The inflorescences
of Laelia endsfeldzii can be
quite long, to more than 2' tall, and flowers are usually distributed more loosely than in L.
crispata. Flower color is essentially the same, a light to bright golden-yellow.
Laelia endsfeldzii, on the contrary
to L. crispata, has as extremely
limited distribution, and can be found in an area just a few square miles wide about a hundred miles south of Belo
Horizonte. The plants have a curious distribution pattern on these not very steep rock slopes, being found on one
hill that seems to never get direct sunlight, at least at blooming season, something very unusual for rupiculous
laelias. This probably explains why plants in the wild have such long inflorescences and fewer than expected well-separated
flowers. In cultivation under the expected high light intensity, healthy plants usually produce much more compact
inflorescences with much higher flower count (up to more than 10 on an inflorescence, something I don't remember
ever seeing in the habitat. Blooming season goes from April to June.
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Distribution Map for Laelia endsfeldzii. The distribution range is actually much more limited that the map shows, but just a couple
of pixels would be difficult to visualize.
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On 1,
we see the typical way plants of Laelia endsfeldzii
are found growing on the natural habitat. Although this slope is not subject to much (if any) direct sunlight for
at least part of the year, the plants still are found growing with roots inside crevices or cracks. This ensures
proper moisture to the root system. Plants are also most of the time found protected by small Vellozia or grasses and they are usually only easy to find when in flower (of course, assuming
one knows exactly where the plants grow).
On 2, we see a close-up of a typical
flower of Laelia endsfeldzii.
Looking at a picture like this, one could easily guess this was a flower of Laelia
crispata, although with more attention the narrower segments would be
noticed. |
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