Smithsonian Gardens

Common name: Gould's Laelia, Flor de Muerto, Monjitas

Family: Orchidaceae subfam. Epidendroideae (Orchid)

Distribution: Mexico (Hidalgo)

Habitat: deep ravines on mesquite trees; 4920-6600ft (1500-2000m)

Life form: Epiphytic

Bloom Time (northern hemisphere): October to February

Bloom characteristics: Erect to arching inflorescence is 12-30" (30-76 cm) long with 2-10 purple-pink flowers. Flowers are 3" (8 cm) across.

Fragrance: Fragrant (mild)

Plant size: 25-40" x 12-20" (64-102 x 30-51 cm), excluding inflorescence

Pollination syndrome: Likely bee (Bombus)

Ethnobotanical uses: Like several other Mexican orchids which bloom in October, this orchid is commonly collected to decorate graves for the Day of the Dead.

Description: Considered one of the best of the Mexican Laelias, this orchid was last recorded in the wild in 1998, and now likely exists only in cultivation. People in a small region of Hidalgo, Mexico, where the orchid was native to, still cultivate it on trees and stone fences in their backyards. However, the fruits of these plants and those in collections around the world are sterile, and cannot reproduce. All Laelia × gouldiana are also very genetically similar, making it likely that all known plants could come from the same original source.