laelia-pumila -var-semialba

A beautiful ,highly popular and sought-after miniature representative of the genus . Its pseudobulbs are never longer than 1.2 in/3 cm and bear a single ,rather tough leaf that reaches a maximum length of 4.8 in/12 cm . The flowers grow one by one (rarely in pairs) on a short flower spike and are highly variable in color . The flowers of typical specimens are mauve ,with an elongated ,tubular lip that has a dark-edged inner part . The var.semi-alba in the photo has flowers whose coloring is visibly less intensive -the mauve shade is present only on the edge of the lip . Grow the plant epiphyticlly or ,better still,potted in a coarse epiphytic substrate. It requires quite a lot of light but should be protected from getting burned by direct sunlight through the green house windows.L.pumila blooms in early summer and comes from Bahia,Brazil.