Does anyone grow Laelia bradei and/or Laelia lucasiana??

I purchased these plants and I'm trying to figure out how big a mature plant would be....

Thanks :)

Kim, Welcome to the Orchid Forum. Your Laelia bradei is now called a Cattley (c.) bradei. From OrchidWiz:
ORIGIN/HABITAT: Brazil. Plants were originally discovered at about 4250 ft. (1300 m) near Diamantina in the state of Minas Gerais but have since been found in the state of Espírito Santo at about 3950 ft. (1200 m). Plants grow in cracks and crevices on lichen-covered rocks.

PLANT SIZE AND TYPE: A tiny, 2–3 in. (5–8 cm) sympodial lithophyte. This is one of the smallest of the rupicolous laelias.

PSEUDOBULB: 0.8–1.6 in. (2–4 cm) long. The squat, drum-shaped pseudobulbs, which are almost as thick as they are tall, are clustered along a short rhizome. In nature, pseudobulbs may be either red or green, depending on the brightness of the light to which they are exposed.

LEAVES: 1.2–1.6 in. (3–4 cm) long by about 0.6 in. (1.4 cm) wide. A single stiff, fleshy leaf is carried at the top of each pseudobulb. It is short, relatively wide, and strongly channeled or cupped along the midrib, making it almost boat-shaped. In nature, leaves may be either red or green, depending on how much light they receive.

INFLORESCENCE: 2.0–2.4 in. (5–6 cm) long. The scape emerges at the top of the newest pseudobulb through a 0.2 in. (0.5 cm) long sheath.

FLOWERS: 1–3. Small, lemon-yellow blossoms are carried near the top of each scape. Flowers, which are about 1.3 in. (3.2 cm) across, are the smallest of the yellow rupicolous laelias. The widely spread sepals and petals are short but relatively broad, resulting flowers with a full shape. The curved, 3–lobed lip has large sidelobes that curl upward to completely enclose the column. The margins of the midlobe and the front of the sidelobes are wavy and somewhat flared or reflexed.

As for Laelia lucasiana, it remains a Laelia but has a synonym called Cattleya (c.) longipes.
ORIGIN/HABITAT: Brazil. This miniature species comes from the Serra do Cipó in the state of Minas Gerais. Unfortunately, habitat details are not reported. Consequently, habitat elevation is estimated, and growers should use the following Cultural Recommendations cautiously.

PLANT SIZE AND TYPE: A very small, 2.0–3.5 in. (5–9 cm) sympodial lithophyte.

PSEUDOBULB: 0.8–1.6 in. (2–4 cm) long. Cultivated plants grown in low light may be somewhat larger.

LEAVES: 1.2–2.0 in. (3–5 cm) long. A single erect, thick, leathery leaf is carried at the top of each pseudobulb. It is somewhat grooved as a result of being slightly folded along the midvein.

INFLORESCENCE: About 3.2 in. (8 cm) long. An erect inflorescence emerges from the top of the pseudobulb. The combined flower stem and ovary which carries each blossom is 1.6–2.0 in. (4–5 cm) long.

FLOWERS: 1–2. The somewhat cupped blossoms are about 1.6 in. (4 cm) across, which is large when compared to the size of the plant. Sepals and petals may be any shade from rose-purple to lilac, and they often have a darker-colored central area near their pointed tips. The dorsal sepal and petals are about 0.9 in. (2.3 cm) long by 0.3 in. (0.8–0.9 cm) wide. Lateral sepals are somewhat shorter and a little wider. The 3–lobed lip is about 0.6 in. (1.5 cm) long with sidelobes that curl upward to form a curved tube around the column. The ruffled midlobe has a pointed, strongly recurved tip and a frilled margin decorated with a rose-purple band. The throat and disc of the lip are white-cream.

In short, both are miniature species orchids from Brazil, growing high up on the hills (to 5,000 feet). I would call them cool growers and would certainly kill them here in Tampa. Best of luck.

Jim

If I may add to this, looking at your location -
I would pot them up into small clay pots into mostly smallish rocks mixed with small bark, for super drainage. If you can get them outside over the Summer, I would try to get them slowly used to full sun. Adjust your watering accordingly, since they will surely dry out quickly in the mix.
During your indoor season try to find a very sunny spot, intermediate temperatures/ day time 70 ish, night time 55 to 60 degr F, essentially temps you might find comfortable for yourself.
These types of Orchids might be tricky to keep happy. Personally I found no real rhyme or reason why some of these rupicolous Laelias take off, grow and bloom without a problem, while some languish along and eventually expire. Perhaps starting out with a vigorous plant is half the battle.
Nothing tried, nothing gained?
Good luck and show us soon some nice blooms!

I should add - looking at your plants with roots already growing into that mesh basket, those plants and roots look great. Perhaps just adding some smallish rocky medium is enough right there. Once you grow them in higher light, the dark green will change into a much lighter green with some reddish tint added.
Your plants are mature size.

TYVM for all the information Jim and Ursula!

I got this mix.... and I think I'm pretty pleased with it....

Inorganic(11011) Bonsai Soil is recommended for finished bonsai trees that are repotted every 4-10 years.

Ingredients: 25% 1/4 Pumice, 25% 1/4 Bonsai Block(calcined clay), 25% 1/4 Lava and 25% Monto Clay(1/4 inch Turface).



Normally I put all my orchids in clay pots or mount them but I had a couple plastic pots so I'm going to try them. Yes... the roots did look very nice! Here's a picture... sorry if it's not great... it's night and I took it with my phone :)

Kim, your mix should be perfect! They look fine!

Kim, I thought we had an old thread on Rupicolous Laelias and so I looked for it.
The thread "Rupicolous Laelias" in Orchids forum
Perhaps you might enjoy it!

Thanks again Ursula! Maybe someday I can add pictures of my blooms to the thread!!

Welcome to the forums!
These plants will drive you crazy! Trust me. The above advice you received was spot on. My success with rupiculous Laelias was limited. The minis were hard and many were harder still. My successes came with milleri, flava, cinnabarina, and briegeri. Why? I think that they come from a broader geographical area thus being able to grow with some variation in culture.
My recipe: shallow clay pots aka bulb pans, lots of crock in the bottom, I broke open the bottom of the pot and put 1/8 inch hardware cloth over the hole thus ensuring rapid drying. I used natural pea gravel as a media. (rupiculous means:growing on rocks) Plus no matter where I put them in the greenhouse, the white scale would find them! because they grow with tightly clustered bulbs, it was often hard to see the scale until "the plant had hit the skids". Sorry for the gloomy report.
I should add that upon re-potting, their root system was in a "halo" within the pot. There never was any root penetration beyond the rim of the pot. Which you might expect with rock culture. Since rapid drying is important, deep pots may be a death sentence.

Bill, you are so right about the scale!! I think that was what eventually contributed to the decline of mine. The scale hides deep down between the growth and when you manage to kill the scale, you also weaken that growth.
I still have a piece of L. alvaroana, that one was gorgeous, grew well and flowered nicely. Then one whole side of the clump died off, scale!! I hope it is recovering over the Summer.

I despise scale!

Thanks again... I have a very small collection right now so I look at my plants almost every day....I'll keep a VERY close watch on these two!!