Cattley obtained a specimen of then unnamed Cattleya labiata from William Swainson who had discovered the new plant in Pernambuco, Brazil, in 1817. The plant successfully bloomed under the care of Cattley and it became the type specimen from which Lindley described C. labiata.

Context Explanation

Learn how to get the best blooms from your cattleya orchids (Cattleya spp.). Discover tips for watering, feeding, and potting this lovely flower. Generally speaking, cattleyas need a 10F-15F (5.55C-8.3C) drop in night temperature to grow and flower well. Temperature depends on the hybrid/species, but in general, cattleyas are happy with 55F-72F (12.7C-22.2C) nights and 70F-85F (21.1C-29.4C) days.

Insight Material

Seedlings should have night temperatures a few degrees higher. Cattleya is a genus of often fragrant, tropical epiphytic and lithophytic plants, that is to say they grow in large clumps in fast-draining pockets of debris on trees and rocks. Find out how to plant, grow, and care for beautiful Cattleya Orchids in either your indoor or outdoor garden space! The queen of orchids, corsage orchid, cattleya or cat orchid is an epiphytic, tropical herbaceous perennial in the orchid family (Orchidaceae). It is native to the American tropics, from Costa Rica to Argentina.

Final Conclusion

Cattleya species grow wild across Costa Rica and South America at high altitudes where the air is moist and cool. Most of them are epiphytes, which means they grow on other plants, usually trees. But they aren’t parasites, and they just use the host plant as a means of support. Cattleya need abundant though not intense light in order to grow and flower well. Growing in an east window is ideal, as the early morning sun is very important.