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Thursday 25 June 2015

FFF188 - CATTLEYA ORCHID

Perhaps no other orchid surpasses the Cattleya in popularity amongst orchid fanciers around the world. And it is the Cattleya which means "orchid" to the lay person, if they are asked to think about orchid types. It is the Cattleya which has been the mainspring of the orchid industry and it is the Cattleya which has done most to stimulate interest in orchid growing as a hobby.

Cattleya is a genus of 113 species of orchids from Costa Rica and the Lesser Antilles south to Argentina. The genus was named in 1824 by John Lindley after William Cattley who received and was the first to bloom a specimen of Cattleya labiata. William Swainson had discovered the new plant in Pernambuco, Brazil, in 1817 and shipped to the Glasgow Botanic Gardens for identification. Swainson requested that a few plants be later sent to Cattley, who was able to bloom one a full year before the plants in Glasgow.

These orchids are widely known for their large, showy flowers, and were used extensively in hybridisation for the cut-flower trade until the 1980s when pot plants became more popular. The flowers of the hybrids can vary in size from 5 cm to 15 cm or more. They occur in all colours except true blue and black. Many of these species and hybrids are very fragrant. The specimen below is a Cattleya mossiae hybrid and is fragrant.

The typical flower has three rather narrow sepals and three usually broader petals: two petals are similar to each other, and the third is the quite different conspicuous lip, featuring various markings and specks and an often frilly margin. At the base, the margins are folded into a tube. Each flower stalk originates from a pseudobulb. The number of flowers varies; it can be just one or two, or sometimes up to ten.

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17 comments:

  1. Very pretty! I love the colour!

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  2. Great shot of these beauties!

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  3. Never seen these showy orchids at people's homes, only in Botanical gardens - wonder if they are difficult to take care of...

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  4. Oh - it's a very beautiful colour!

    LG, Ingrid

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  5. The flowers are gorgeous.

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  6. I have always liked these "daffodil" orchids as I call them. :) These have a wonderful pink and fuchsia color. One of my favorite flowers to admire.

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  7. Those are some stunners of orchids. Interesting and informative text, as always.

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  8. These are so so beautiful! Have a beautiful weekend.

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  9. It's a really stunning orchid, an excellent color!
    Have a nice weekend, Frauke

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  10. Congratulations to this lovely frame, very nice flowers !!

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  11. Hello,
    what wonderful flowers, I love orchids, they are so beautiful and in so many forms and colors!
    I wish you a nice weekend,
    moni

    Thanks if you visit my blog
    http://www.reflexionblog.de

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  12. A beautiful bloom... And interesting to read the history about this plant.

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  13. What a symphony of different shades of pink! Gorgeous!!!

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  14. Very pretty! They remind me a little of a daffodil. Love the color!

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