Coelia bella (Lem.) Rchb. f. 1861
Photo by © Eric Hunt
Photo by © Jay Pfahl
Photo by © David Banks Australia copyrighted ©
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Common Name or Meaning The Beautiful Coelia
Flower Size More than 2" [more than 5 cm]
This medium to large sized, warm to cool growing terrestrial and occasional epiphytic species is found in Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala in rainforests at elevations of 500 to 1500 meters with clustered, ellipsoid to ovoid, olive green pseudobulbs carrying up to 5 apical, narrowly lanceolate, acuminate, plicate, glossy green leaves that blooms in the summer on an erect, basal, 6" [15 cm] long, bracteate, racemose inflorescence with up to 6, almond to poppy scented flowers that arise from the side of a new pseudobulb.
They require moderate shade, and increasing water as the new growth arrives in the spring and a lessening in the winter months.
Synonyms Bifrenaria bella Lem. 1853; *Bothriochilus bellus Lem. 1856
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915; Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 drawing fide; Encylopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 as Bothriochilus bellus; Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 15 881 - 944 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1984 as Bothrochilus bellus photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 56 No 6 1987 photo fide; The Manual of Cultivated Orchids Bechtel, Cribb, Laurent 1992 as Bothrochilus bellus photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 68 No 1 1999 as Bothriochilus bellus photo fide; Guatemala Y Sus Orquideas Behar & Tinschert 1998 photo fide; Orchid Australia Vol 11 No 6 1999 photo; Icones Orchidacearum 5 & 6 Orchids Of Mexico Parts 2 & 3 Plate 541 Hagsater, Soto 2002 drawing fide; ASO Buletin Vol 72 No 6 2003 photo fide; Vanishing Beauty; Native Costa Rican Orchids Vol 1 Pupulin 2005 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 80 #6 2011 pollinia only photo fide; Guia de Orquideas de Chiapas Carlos Rommel Beutelspacher Baigts 2013 photo fide; Algunas Orquideas de Mexico Tomo 1 Suarez 2013 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #2 2019 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 80 #2 2016; Orchid Genera and Species in Guatemala Archila, Szlachchetko, Chiron, Lipinska, Mystkowska and Bertolini 2018; AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #2 2019 photo fide;
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