Cattleya intermedia Graham ex Hook. 1828 SUBGENUS Intermedia [Cogn.] Withner 1989
Plant in situ in Boia Ceia' Sao Paulo State Brazil at 1 meter in elevation
Photos by © Jay Pfahl.
Common Name Intermediate Cattleya
Flower Size 5" [12.5 cm]
Found in Sao Paulo, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul states of Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina in the Atlantic coastal forest on rocks and small trees near the sea or streams as a small to medium sized, cool to warm growing orchid with slender, cylindric pseudobulbs with several, tubular, scarious bracts enveloping it and 2 to 4, apical, subopposite leaves that blooms in the spring or summer on a terminal, short to long stalked, few to several [3 to 7] flowered inflorecence with minute floral bracts and subtended by a conduplicate sheath all arising on a newly matured pseudobulb with heavy textured, long-lived, fragrant floral scented , color variable flowers.
The in situ shots are from Boia Ceia', Sao Paulo State, Brasil. These plants are plentiful in their specific environment which encompasses the exact area that condos by the sea are most often built. The sea gives way to the sand and then the sand gives way to vines and grasses and then to small bushes and then begins the hammock of stunted hardwoods with swales of tidal saltwater and freshwater runnoff. This area is extremely humid and hot and is bathed by spray from the crashing surf less than 20 yards away. Cattleya intermedia is found in these hammocks in vast quanities. I saw close to 500 just in a 30 acre area. Almost all were on trees at or just above eye-level. The branches and trunks were extremely damp and had lichen and mosses. There was a lot of standing water with mosquitoes and bromeliads were everywhere. All discussions about this species being extinct or rare in the wild are hogwash and it is not threatened by over-collection as stated by Bechtel-Cribb in the Manual of Cultivated Orchids.
It is important to note though that as this species grows in the seaside hammocks it could be majorly affected by condo development in the future. I was assured by my Brazilian friends that this species is commonly found all up and down the coast as long as the seaside hammock still exists.
Synonyms Cattleya amabilis B.S.Williams 1862; Cattleya amethestina C. Morr. 1848; Cattleya amethystina C. Morren 1848; Cattleya aquinii Barb. Rodr. 1891; Cattleya candida hort.; Cattleya gibeziae Linden & Rodigas 1887; Cattleya ianthina hort. 1853; Cattleya intermedia f. amethystina (C.Morren) M.Wolff & O.Gruss 2007; Cattleya intermedia f. parthenia (Rchb.f.) F.Barros & J.A.N.Bat. 2004; Cattleya intermedia var. amethystina (C.Morren ex Lem.) Fowlie 1977; Cattleya intermedia var. angustifolia Hook. 1839; Cattleya intermedia var. gibeziae (L.Linden & Rodigas) L.Linden & Rodigas 1887; Cattleya intermedia var. macrochila Barb.Rodr. 1877; Cattleya intermedia var. pallida Lindl. 1836; Cattleya intermedia var. parthenia Rchb.f. 1888 ; Cattleya intermedia var. punctatissima Sander 1892; Cattleya intermedia var variegata Hkr. 1844; Cattleya intermedium Rchb.f 1861; Cattleya loddigesii Lindley var amethystina Lem 1853; Cattleya maritima Lindley 1836; Cattleya ovata Lindley 1836; Epidendrum intermedium Rchb.f 1861; Laelia lindleyana G. Nicholson 1885; Laelia lindleyana (Rchb. f.) H.J. Veitch 1887;
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Xenia Orchidaceae Rchb.f 1862 as Epidendrum intermedium; Xenia Orchidaceae vol 2 Rchb.f 1862 as Bletia lindleyana; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915 photo good; Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 drawing fide; Iconografia de Orchidaceae Do Brasil Hoehne 1949 drawing fide; Iconografia de Orchidaceae Do Brasil Hoehne 1949 as C aquinii drawing fide;
Orchids of Malaya Holttum 1957; AOS Bulletin Vol 27 No 9 1958 drawing ok; AOS Bulletin Vol 28 No 6 1959 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 29 No 2 1960; AOS Bulletin Vol 32 No 4 1963 photo fide; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 35 No 10 1966; Orchid Digest Vol 34 #9 1970 drawing fide; Orchidaceae Brasilienses Pabst & Dungs Band I 1975 drawing fide; Orchidaceae Brasilienses Pabst & Dungs Band I 1975 as C intermedia var aquinii drawing fide; Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 10 576 - 632 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1977 photo ok; The Brazilian Bifoliate Cattleyas and Their Color Variations Fowlie 1977; Orchid Digest Vol 44 No 1 1980 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 49 No 11 1980 photo; Orquideologia Vol 15 #1 Luer & Escobar 1981; AOS Bulletin Vol 51 No 5 1982 as C intermedia var alba photo fide; Growing Orchids Vol 2 Rentoul 1982; AOS Bulletin vol 53 no 7 1984 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 55 No 7 1986 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 56 No 11 1987 photo fide; The Catttleya and their Relatives Withner Vol 1 1988 photo fide; Orchids Travel By Air A Pictoral Safari Mulder, Mulder-Roelfsema and Schuiteman 1990 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 61 No 3/238/9 1991 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 61 #3 1992 photo fide; Manual of Cultivated Orchids Bechtel, Cribb and Laurent 1992 photo fide; An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids Pridgeon 1992; Orchids of Brazil McQueen 1993 photo fide; Manual of Orchids Stewart 1995; AOS Bulletin Vol 65 No 9 1996 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 61 #1 1997 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 70 No 9 2001 as C intermedia var orlata photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum Peruviarum Plate 614 Bennet & Christenson 2001 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 71 No 2 2002 as C intermedia var orlata photo fide; Botanica's Orchids Laurel Glen 2002; AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 6 2003 photo fide;AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 8 2003 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 74 No 8 2005 photo fide; The World's Most Beautiful Orchids Allikas & Nash 2005 photo fide; Flora's Orchids Nash & La Croix 2005; Genera Orchidacearum Vol 4 Part 1 Pridgeon, Chase, Cribb & Rasmusen 2005 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 75 No 9 2006 photo fide; Miniature Orchids Frownie 2007; AOS Bulletin vol 78 No 11 2009 photo fide; Orchid Species of Peru Zelenko Bermudez 2009 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 80 #11 2011 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 80 #12 2011 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 79 #4 2015 as C intermendia fma orlata photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 84 #5 2015 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 80 #2 2016 Orchid Digest Vol 80 #2 2016; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #4 2016 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #5 2016 as C intermedia var orlata photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #9 2016 as C lindleyana drawing hmm; Orchid Digest Vol 81 #2 2017 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 # 1 2017 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 #3 2017 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 #4 2017 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 87 #1 2018 drawing fide; Orchid Digest Vol 83 #2 2019 photo plant only; AOS Bulletin Vol 88 # 6 2019 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #5 2019 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #8 2019 photo fide; Lankesteriana 19(3) 2019 as Cattleya aquini drawing fide
Cattleya intermedia Graham var alba Found in Paraguay along streams as a cool to warm growing species and blooms in the spring and summer.
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915; AOS Bulletin Vol 27 No 7 1958 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 28 No 6 1959 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 51 # 6 1982 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 53 No 12 1984 photo fide; Orchids of Brazil McQueen 1993 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 73 No 6 2004 photo fide;
Cattleya intermedia Graham var. amethstina References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
AOS Bulletin Vol 28 No 6 1959 photo; Orchids of Brazil McQueen 1993 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 74 No 8 2005 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 #3 2017 photo fide;
~Cattleya intermedia var angustifolia Hkr. 1839 - See Laelia perrinii [Lindl.] Lindley 1842
Cattleya intermedia Graham var. aquinii References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Orchid Digest Vol 34 #9 1970 drawing fide; Die Orchideen #1 1-4 tafel 1&2 Rudolph Schlechter 1971 photo ok; Orchidaceae Brasilienses Pabst & Dungs Band I 1975 drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 49 No 11 1980 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 44 No 1 1980 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 54 No 9 1985 photo fide; Orchids of Brazil McQueen 1993 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 74 No 8 2005 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 83 #4 2014 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 80 #2 2016 photo fide;
Cattleya intermedia var coerulea
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
AOS Bulletin Vol 28 No 6 1959 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 39 No 5 1970; AOS Bulletin Vol 74 No 8 2005 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 #4 2017 photo fide;
Cattleya intermedia var flamea ReferencesW3 Tropicos
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