Bletia Ruiz & Pav.

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Morphology General Habit

Terrestrial erect herbs growing from more or less globose corms with few fleshy, villous roots

Morphology Leaves

Leaves few, growing from top of corm, plicate, lanceolate, rather long and grass-like, usually withering at flowering time

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence scape slender, arising from side of corm, bearing small, distant scale-like bracts, the racemes or panicles with few to many, somewhat distant flowers

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers showy, resupinate, rather distant; sepals separate, the dorsal usually with a recurved apex and longer than the lateral sepals, elliptic, oblong or lanceolate; petals forming a hood over the column, sometimes partially covering the lateral lobes of the lip, similar to the sepals but slightly broader; lip trilobed, lateral lobes upturned, at least at the margins, midlobe declined, disc 3–7 lamellate, lamellae usually extending through the length of the lip, variously colored

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Column

Column elongate, arcuate, winged at apex, auriculate at base, footless

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers

Anther terminal, operculate, pollinia 8, hard or soft

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule ellipsoid, erect or nodding.

Distribution

A tropical American genus of about 35 species, some of them very common and widespread.

Ecology

Often attracting the attention of travelers because they frequently grow on roadside banks.