Bletillas (pronounced ble-TEE-yah) are all deciduous orchids from China and other northern areas of Asia. You usually can buy them around February and March in their dormant state, sometimes even packed loose like daffodil bulbs. their pseudobulbs grow just under the surface of the ground or maybe a few inches deep. some look like tubers, others appear to be more like small pseudobulbs. There are a few new varieties showing up in the American market. B. striata has a pink flower normally, and there is an alba form. B. ochracea is pale yellow. The flowers look like small Cattleyas. The foliage is pleated lengthwise, appearing just before flowers come in the spring, and the leaves die in the fall. You can lift them out and store them in the winter so they don't freeze, or here in Southern California you can leave them in the ground, and they will form a slightly larger clump every year. These are often called 'Chinese ground orchids' or 'Chinese hardy orchids' in catalogues.