Cattleya

Epidendreae subtribe Laeliinae. Withner (1988) divides Cattleya into nine subgenera. The unifoliate species are mostly placed in subgenus Cattleya with 18 species.

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.

Dedicated to William Cattley, an early collector of exotic orchids in England.

A genus of 48 species ranging from Mexico to Bolivia and Trinidad.

1. Inflorescence produced from specialized leafless growths. 2 1' Inflorescence produced from the apex of a pseudobulb bearing one to several leaves. 3 2(1) Lateral lobes of the lip concealing the base of the column; midlobe of the lip with a central yellow patch covering most of its area. C. nobilior 2' Lateral lobes of the lip not concealing the base of the column; midlobe of the lip with a small yellow patch at the base, lip mostly magenta. C. walkeriana 3(1') Leaves two or more per pseudobulb. 4 3' Leaves solitary, one per pseudobulb. 25 4(3) Lip lacking any lateral lobes, the column completely exposed. C. bicolor 4' Lip unlobed or three-lobed but with a tubular base that conceals the column in part or in whole. 5 5(4') Flowers brilliant orange, the sepals and petals without any spotting. C. aurantiaca 5' Flowers not brilliant orange, if with orange tones the sepals and petals spotted. 6 6(5') Flowers white or pink to purple, rarely spotted. 7 6' Flowers green, bronze or brown, usually heavily spotted . 15 7(6) Lip unlobed, the tube continuous with the limb. 8 7 Lip three-lobed, the tube distinct from the midlobe. 10 8(7) Base of pseudobulb swollen into a corm-like structure. C. bowringiana 8' Base of pseudobulb continuous with the rhizome, not swollen into a corm-like structure. 9 9(8) Lip with a dark purple throat; autumn flowering. C. deckeri 9' Lip with a white throat; spring flowering. C. skinneri 10(7') Flowers deep magenta-cerise; the lateral lobes of the lip obliquely ovate-triangular, concealing the column. C. violacea 10' Flowers pale pink to medium rose, never deep magenta- cerise, +/- spots; the lateral lobes of the lip broadly rounded, +/- concealing the column. 11 11(10') Inflorescences of 1--2 flowers; the column at least partially exposed. 12 11' Inflorescences of 3--9 flowers; the column completely covered. 13 12(11) Column completely exposed; dorsal sepal to 1.9 in. (5 cm) long. C. dolosa 12' Column concealed for the lower half; dorsal sepal to 2.5 in. (6.5 cm) long. C. harrisoniana 13(11') Sepals and petals always spotted; lateral lobes of the lip obliquely ovate-triangular; pseudobulbs to 19.5 in. (50 cm) long. C. amethystoglossa 13' Sepals and petals sometimes spotted; lateral lobes of the lip broadly rounded; pseudobulbs to 15.6 in. (40 cm) and commonly shorter. 14 14(11') Apex of lip not notched. C. intermedia 14' Apex of lip deeply notched. C. loddigesii 15(6') Dwarf trailing plants with pseudobulbs less than 5.8 in. (15 cm) tall. 16 15' Tall caespitose plants with pseudobulbs usually more than 7.8 in. (20 cm) tall. 17 16(15) Lateral lobes of the lip small, broadly rounded, not concealing the column. C. aclandiae 16' Lateral lobes of the lip large, obliquely ovate- triangular, enclosing the column. C. schilleriana 17(15') Sepals and petals not spotted. 18 17' Sepals and petals usually spotted. 19 18(17) Sepals and petals coppery brown; lip magenta with a white unmarked throat. C. dormanniana 18' Sepals and petals dull greenish tan; lip pale pink with a yellow throat heavily veined with red. C. forbesii 19(17') Midlobe of the lip sessile. 20 19' Midlobe of the lip with a distinct isthmus. 23 20(10) Midlobe of the lip cerise-magenta without prominent contrasting venation. 21 20' Midlobe of the lip white with prominent, highly contrasting magenta venation. C. velutina 21(20) Peduncle elongate, longer than the leaves, to 23.4 in. (60 cm) long. C. elongata 21' Peduncle not elongate, +/- equal in length to the leaves, to 11.7 in. (30 cm) long. 22 22(21') Inflorescences arising from a dry, brown sheath following a period of rest after maturation of the growth. C. guttata 22' Inflorescences arising from a green sheath without a rest period following maturation of the growth. C. leopoldii 23(19') Flowers usually heavily spotted. C. schofeldiana 23' Flowers unspotted or with very sparse spots. 24 24(23') Isthmus of the lip with parallel sides; petals gradually widening from the base. C. granulosa 24' Isthmus of the lip tapered from a narrow base; petals much widened towards the apex, subspatulate. C. porphyroglossa 25(3') Sepals and petals yellow. 26 25' Sepals and petals white, pink or purple. 28 26(25) Lip red with golden yellow venations. C. dowiana 26' Lip yellow with red markings. 27 27(26') Petals unlike the sepals, wider at the base, erect, subparallel. C. mooreana 27 Petals subsimilar to the sepals, spreading. C. luteola 28(25') Inflorescences arising from a double sheath. 29 28' Inflorescences arising from a single sheath. 31 29(28) Lip to either side of the throat a stark white patch; leaves suffused with purple; pseudobulbs short, usually less than 3.9 in. (10 cm) long. C. warneri 29' Lip to either side of the throat without a bold white patch; leaves green; pseudobulbs longer, usually more than 5.8 in. (15 cm) long. 30 30(29') Flowers medium pink-mauve. C. labiata 30' Flowers very pale pink, almost white. C. mendelii 31(28') Sepals and petals white; lip magenta with a narrow white border. C. rex 31' Sepals and petals pastel pink to magenta; lip variously colored but without a narrow white border. 32 32(31') Lip with prominently darker venation. 33 32' Lip variously suffused with darker pigment but never organized into clear venation. 34 33(32) Apex of lip deeply notched. C. lueddemanniana 33' Apex of lip elongate, acute. C. maxima 34(32') Subapical magenta patch on the lip bordered in front and back by pastel pink ground color. C. eldorado 34' Magenta on lip not bordered in front and back with paler ground color. 35 35(34') Lip with no pink to magenta subapical patch. C. schroederae 35' Lip with either a pink to magenta subapical patch or a solid magenta limb. 36 36(35') Limb of lip suffused with magenta becoming paler towards the margins. 37 36' Limb of lip solid saturated cerise-magenta without gradual transition towards the margins. 40 37(36) Throat of lip golden-orange; flowers with a mildly acrid fragrance. C. percivaliana 37' Throat of lip yellow; flowers sweetly fragrant. 38 38(37') Magenta patch on lip solid. C. trianae 38' Magenta patch on lip not solid, composed of blotches and venation. 39 39(38') Magenta on lip separate from the yellow throat. C. gaskelliana 39' Magenta on lip overlapping with the yellow throat. C. mossiae 40(36') Throat of lip white; petals oblong-obovate; margin of lip barely undulate. C. lawrenceana 40' Throat of lip yellow; petals elliptic-ovate; margins of lip frilly, undulate. 41 41(40') Dorsal sepal to 3.2 in. (8.3 cm) long. C. jenmannii 41' Dorsal sepal to 3.9 in. (10 cm) long. C. warscewiczii

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.