Cattleya
(pronounced: KAT-lee-ah)
Classification
Epidendreae subtribe Laeliinae. Withner (1988) divides Cattleya into nine subgenera. The unifoliate species are mostly placed in subgenus Cattleya with 18 species.
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Overview
Epiphytes or lithophytes. Rhizome prostrate, stout, woody. Pseudobulbs usually elongate, cylindric to club-shaped. Leaves 1--4, terminal on the pseudobulb, subopposite when not solitary, generally oblong-elliptic, coriaceous, often rigid. Inflorescences terminal racemes, +/- subtended by a conduplicate sheath. Flowers usually large and showy, membranous, commonly fragrant, the sepals and petals free, spreading, the petals often wider than the sepals. Lip unlobed to strongly three-lobed, usually tubular at the base, sessile, free, without callus but sometimes with longtudinal keels. Column stout, fleshy, usually club-shaped, often strongly winged; pollinia four, with caudicles.
Etymology
Dedicated to William Cattley, an early collector of exotic orchids in England.
Distribution
A genus of 48 species ranging from Mexico to Bolivia and Trinidad.
Care and Culture Card
See basic growing conditions and care information below.
Grow cattleyas under intermediate to warm temperatures with bright light, but not in direct sun. In general, the bifoliate species will tolerate warmer conditions with less pronounced alternations of night and day temperatures. The exceptions are high elevation species such as C. mooreana which should be given intermediate to cool-intermediate temperatures. Trailing species such as C. aclandiae should be accommodated on slabs, in shallow bulb pans, or in shallow baskets. Pot the non-trailing species in a medium to coarse mix in pots or baskets. Allow the roots to dry out between watering. Repot when the new growths have just started to produce a new flush of roots. Many species of Cattleya produce a sheath at the top of the pseudobulb which encloses the future inflorescence. Of these, some species flower as the new growth matures when the sheaths are still green. While others “rest” for several months before the inflorescence emerges through the brown, dry sheath. This is normal. Provided that a plant is healthy, the most common reason for its not flowering is insufficient light. Most species should be grown under a light level that produces light green leaves. The presence of dark green leaves usually indicates too low a light level.
Literature
Armstrong, M. 1997. Selected Cattleya species, Cattleya labiata. Orchid Rev. 105(1213):31-32. Armstrong, M. 1997. Selected Cattleya species, Cattleya bicolor. Orchid Rev. 105(1214):92-94. Armstrong, M. 1997. Selected Cattleya species, Cattleya mossiae. Orchid Rev. 105(1215):176-178. Armstrong, M. 1997. Selected Cattleya species, Cattleya loddigesii. Orchid Rev. 105(1217):307-308. Armstrong, M. 1998. Selected Cattleya species, Cattleya warscewiczii. Orchid Rev. 106(1221):163-165. Armstrong, M. 1998. Selected Cattleya species, Cattleya violacea. Orchid Rev. 106(1224):353-356. Armstrong, M. 1999. Selected Cattleya species, Cattleya gaskelliana and C. jenmanii. Orchid Rev. 107(1225):43-46. Armstrong, M. 1999. Selected Cattleya species, Cattleya skinneri and C. guatemalensis. Orchid Rev. 107(1226):100-103. Armstrong, M. 1999. Selected Cattleya species, C. luteola and C. mooreana. Orchid Rev. 107(1228):220-222. Armstrong, M. 2000. Selected Cattleya species, Cattleya intermedia. Orchid Rev. 108(1231):59-63. Armstrong, M. 2000. Selected Cattleya species, Cattleya schroederae. Orchid Rev. 108(1236):379-381. Benner, M. S., M. D. Braunstein and M. V. Weisberg 1995. Detection of DNA polymorphisms with the genus Cattleya (Orchidaceae). Plant Molecular Biology Reporter 13:147-155. Braem, G. 1986. Cattleya (2 vol.). Brücke-Verlag Kurt Schmersow, Hildesheim. Brieger, F. G. 1976. Uma Cattleya (Orchidaceae) nova da Bahia. Bradea 2:61-62. Campos Leite, V. M. and P. L. de Oliveira 1987. Morfo-anatoma foliar de Cattleya intermedia (Orchidaceae). Napaea, Rev. Bot. 2:1-10. Chadwick, A. A. 1997. A new look at Cattleya dowiana. Orchids 66(7):678-685. Chadwick, A. A. 1998. Orchid portrait: Cattleya mossiae. Orchids 67(3):246-251. Chadwick, A. A. 1998. Orchid portrait: Cattleya aurea. Orchids 67(7):714-719. Chadwick, A. A. 1998. Cattleya trianaei. Orchids 67(12):1250-1255. Chadwick, A. A. 1999. Cattleya lueddemanniana. Orchids 68(3):236-241. Chadwick, A. A. 1999. Cattleya warscewiczii. Orchids 68(6):578-585. Chadwick, A. A. 1999. Cattleya labiata. Orchids 68(9):900-907. Chadwick, A. A. 1999. Cattleya percivaliana. Orchids 68(12):1206-1213. Chadwick, A. A. 2000. Cattleya schroederae. Orchids 69(3):218-225. Chadwick, A. A. 2000. Cattleya warneri. Orchids 69(6):560-564. Chadwick, A. A. 2000. Cattleya rex. Orchids 69(9):838-847. Chadwick, A. A. 2000. Cattleya maxima. Orchids 69(12):1150-1155. Chadwick, A. A. 2001. Cattleya mendelii. Orchids 70(3):230-235. Diekmann, R. 1999. Die Gattung Cattleya. J. Orchideenfr. 6(1):51-54. Diekmann, R. 1999. Die Gattung Cattleya. J. Orchideenfr. 6(2):122-125. Duncan, R. E. and J. T. Curtis 1943. Growth of fruits in Cattleya and allied genera in the Orchidaceae. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 70(2):104-119. Fowlie, J. A. 1987. Reconciliation of the older literature against the known color varieties of Cattleya labiata Lindley. Orchid Digest 51:111-118. Gomes-Ferreira, A. B. 1988. Pseudomimetisme entre Orchidacees (Validation de Cattleya motas L. C. Menezes). L’Orchidoph. 83:173-176. Gonzalez R., P. J. 1992. Cattleya ? extricata Gonzalez hybr. nat. nov. Schlechteriana 2/92:47-48. Isla, P. 1998. Die Venezuelanischen Cattleyen und ihre bedeutendsten Merkmale. Die Orchidee 49(6):269-272. Jones, H. G. 1977. A note on the genus Cattleya Lindl. (Orchidaceae) in Middle America and the West Indies. Brenesia 10-11:121-125. Kroeber, S. 1998. Orchid portrait: Cattleya aurantiaca. Orchids 67(2):140-146. Matsui, S. 1994. Carotenoids in Cattleya flowers (Orchidaceae). Lindleyana 9:33-37. Menezes, L. C. 1987. Definitions and parameters of the various varieties of Cattleya labiata Lindley. Orchid Digest 51:119-138. Menezes, L. C. 1991. Two exciting new varieties of Brazilian endemic Cattleyas. Schlechteriana 2/91:74-77. Menezes, L. C. 1992. Cattleya ? mixta, a new natural hybrid from Brazil. Schlechteriana 4/92:150-152. Menezes, L. C. 1993. Cattleya tigrina var. caerulea L. C. Menezes, var. nov. Schlechteriana 4(4):152-153. Menezes, L. C. 1996. Cattleya xcolnagiana L. C. Menezes hyb. stat. nov. Orquidario 10(1):9-10. Menezes, L. C. and G. J. Braem 1992. Cattleya bicolor Lindley. Schlechteriana 2/92:49-54. Miranda, F. E. 1999. Cattleya x joaquiniana Miranda hyb. nat. nov. Bradea 8(22):128-130. Nishimura, G. 1981. Comparative morphology of Cattleya and Phalaenopsis (Orchidaceae) seedlings. Bot. Gaz. 142:360-365. Oesterreich, H. 1968. Über einen jungen, spontan entstandenen Cattleya-bastard-schwarm aus Guatemala. Die Orchidee 19(2):69-77, 19(3):137-144. Ortiz, P. 1994. Notas sobre el nombre Cattleya quadricolor Lindl. ex Bateman. Orquideología 19:64-70. Ospina-Hernández, M. 1969. Las Cattleyas unifoliadas, parte 1: Colombia, Ecuador y Costa Rica. Orquideología 6:94-110. Ospina-Hernández, M. 1994. La Cattleya triana, Cattleya labiata spp. y notas sobre taxonomía de las especies unifoliadas del género. Orquideología 19:45-54. Rogerson, W. P. 1997. Cattleya schilleriana. Orchids 66(9):928-933. Röth, J. and B. Henze-Brzesowski 1993. Cattleya intermedia Grah. 1828. Die Orchidee 44(6): Orchideenkartei Seite 741-742. Röth, J. and B. Henze-Brzesowski 1998. Cattleya porphyroglossa Linden et Rchb.f. 1856. Die Orchidee 49(6): Orchideenkartei Seite 891-892. Senghas, K. 1999. Cattleya ? gransabanensis, eine neue Haturhybride aus Venezuela. J. Orchideenfr. 6(1):55-58. Speckmaier, M. and D. Steinbuch 1996. Cattleya lawrenceana Rchb.f. Die Orchidee 47(6):296-303. Steinbuch, D. 1999. Cattleya gaskelliana. Die Orchidee 50(1):28-32. Steinbuch, D. 1999. Cattleyen in Venezuela, Zwei Naturhybriden der Gattung. Die Orchidee 50(4):86-87. Taylor, P. 1999. Cattleya dormaniana. Orchids Austral. 11(3):20-21. Withner, C. L. 1988. The Cattleyas and their relatives: Volume 1, the Cattleyas. Timber Press, Portland, OR. Withner, C. L. 1999. Cattleya ? Guatemalensis. Orchid Digest 63(2):52-61. Zappi, D. C. 1995. Nomenclatural notes on some Cattleya and Laelia species (Orchidaceae). Kew Bull. 50(2):423-425.
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