The most widely collected species of Bletilla is Bletilla striata, the Chinese Ground Orchid. Below is a description of several B. striata cultivars that are popular in the trade.

Bletilla striata (Chinese Ground Orchid) B. striata has a wide native distribution that includes Japan, Korea, Burma, and the Chinese Provinces of Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Zhejiang, where it can be found between 300′ and 10,000′ elevation in grasslands and evergreen forests. This hardy and very easy-to-grow terrestrial orchid has upright, heavily textured, iris-like 10″ long by 1″ wide green leaves and forms a slowly spreading clump. In early spring, stalks to 15″ tall of very small Cattleya-like lavender flowers are held atop the foliage. The rhizomes spread slowly and eventually form a nice mass to 2′ wide in 5 years. B. striata grows best in moist to damp soils, although it is amazingly drought tolerant. We get many reports of Zone 5 hardiness, but cannot confirm it survivability at -20F without snow cover. (Hardiness Zone 6-9)

Bletilla striata ‘Alba’ (White Chinese Ground Orchid) This is the solid white-flowered form of the hardy B. striata orchid. The two deeply veined, medium-green leaves arise in early spring, followed immediately by the narrow flower spike emerging from between the leaves. In early May in NC, the 15″ spike is clothed with 1″ pure white flowers. When grown from seed, seedlings often have a purple flush to the petals. Moist-to-waterlogged soils result in the fastest growth. Under good conditions, expect a 2′ wide patch in 5 years. (Hardiness Zone 6-9)

Bletilla striata ‘Albostriata’ (White Striped Chinese Ground Orchid) This is one of a few white-edged forms of the commonly grown ground orchid. Two opposite iris-like pleated leaves emerge from each pseudobulb in early spring. As the leaves emerge edged in a narrow band of white, the flower spike arises through the center and then opens a few inches above the foliage. The flowers are rich purple in early spring, April for us. (Hardiness Zone 6-9)

Bletilla striata ‘Big Bob’ (Big Bob Chinese Ground Orchid) This selection with William Mathias of the Wild Orchid Company has a much taller flower spike that reportedly tops 36″ tall, although our plants and those of others in the southeast never have produced flower spikes that top 18″ tall. The 2″ rose-lavender blooms with white and dark lavender highlights are produced in early to mid-spring. (Hardiness Zone 6-9)

Bletilla striata ‘First Kiss’ (First Kiss Chinese Ground Orchid)

There are a number of white-edged leaf forms of the hardy orchid, most without valid names. Our form, B. ‘First Kiss’, has the same deeply-veined, long green leaves that emerge from a central stem in late March. In late April in NC, the stems are topped with small white orchid-like flowers with a flush of purple on the lip. This vigorous grower will quickly make a colony when grown in rich, moist soil. In the South, a bit of shade is helpful, while full sun farther north makes a better floral show. (Hardiness Zone 6-9)

Bletilla striata ‘Gotemba Stripes’ (Gotemba Stripes Chinese Ground Orchid) This Japanese selection of B. striata boasts yellow striped foliage, topped in spring with typical spikes of lavender flowers. B. striata ‘Gotemba Stripes’ is a much slower grower that the other cultivars. (Hardiness Zone 6-9)

Bletilla striata ‘Junpaku’ (Junpaku Chinese Ground Orchid) More than likely, this is the correct name for the cultivar B. striata ‘Alba’, which has pure white flowers. (Hardiness Zone 6-9)

Bletilla striata ‘Kuchibeni’ (Kuchibeni Chinese Ground Orchid) This hard to find but easy-to-grow cultivar from Japan is distinguished by its two-tone flowers. The upper part of the flower is white, while the lip is a contrasting purple. The foliage and growth habit are the same as in the species. (Hardiness Zone 6-9)

Bletilla striata ‘Lips’ (Lips Chinese Ground Orchid) This unusual Japanese selection has a purple-pink flower with 3 lips per flower instead of one….still quite rare. (Hardiness Zone 6-9)

Bletilla striata ‘Murasaki Shikibu’ (Murasaki Shikibu Chinese Ground Orchid) This unique selection of B. striata has pale lavender flowers with a darker lip which appears bluish to the eye. In our experience, B. ‘Murasaki Shikibu’ is not as vigorous as the typical species. (Hardiness Zone 6-9)

Bletilla striata ‘Soryu’ (Soryu Chinese Ground Orchid) B. ‘Soryu’ is very similar to B. ‘Murasaki Shikibu’ with blue-lavender flowers. (Hardiness Zone 6-9)

Oif you are interested in starting a Hardy Orchid collection, Bletilla striata is the best species to start with because it is easy to grow and there are plenty of cultivars to choose from.