Cattleya

Cattleya is a gender with around 80 species spread over Central-America, throughout the Amazon area, to the south of Brazil in South-America. The plant is named after the English orchid lover- and collector William Catley (1788-1832). They are epiphytes with long-stretched, thick or thin, pseudobulbs where the short-sword-shaped leaves grow from. However, this plant also appears in a lithophytic form.

The flower branch emerges from the pseudobulb on the base of the leaf and has two to fifteen flowers, depending on the species. The flower has three, pretty narrow, sepals and three, generally bigger, petals. Two petals look alike, the third petal is the lip. This lip has a variety of markings and spots, and often a pleated fringe.

Most of the Cattleya’s have a lovely scent. The scent is generally described as a not predominant, but refined and mild fragrance. Species of the Cattleya are also used as living room plant.