Cultivars and Species
There are many species and cultivars of this genus, please contact your local orchid nursery for a full list of the local varieties.
Cattleya aurantiaca
This smaller species from Central America has three to twenty red to orange flowers on short stalks during spring.
It has a heart shaped lip and equal petals and sepals size. The psudobulbs are spindle-shape with two ovate to elliptical leaves and grows to 30cm.
'Bob Bets'
This cultivar has large white flowers with yellow throats (18-cm diameter.) during varying seasons.
Cattleya bicolor
This epiphytic orchid has oblong leaves and cylindrical psudobulbs. The flowers occur in racemes during summer to autumn with yellow, green or brown colours and are fragrant. They grow to 1.2 m and come from Brazil.
Cattleya bowringiana
This is an epiphytic or terrestrial orchid with oblong-elliptical leaves and cylindrical psudobulbs. The flowers occur in long racemes and are rose to magenta with a white throat up to 8cm across. The lip is rose-purple to dark purple and occurs from autumn to winter. It grows to 1metre and comes from Guatemala.
'Chocolate Drop'
This cultivar is an epiphytic orchid that has two oval leaves and oblong psudobulbs. The flowers are chocolate brown too red-orange and occurs during autumn. The flowers are 5cm across and some have darker brown lips.
Cattleya citrina
This species is pendulous and grows downwards with flowers that are yellow bordered in white. The lips are frilly and bell shaped to 8.5cm. Occurring during autumn to spring.
Cattleya intermedia
This species has large pseudobulbs (45cm). The flower is 12cm across and is pale rose or lavender with the lip marked in magenta.
(Also pure white spp.)