# Cattleya

Cattleya (/ˈkætliə/) is a genus of orchids from Costa Rica south to Argentina. The genus is abbreviated C in trade journals.

## Description

Epiphytic or terrestrial orchids with cylindrical rhizome from which the fleshy noodle-like roots grow. Pseudobulbs can be conical, spindle-shaped or cylindrical; with upright growth; one or two leaves growing from the top of them. The leaves can be oblong, lanceolate or elliptical, somewhat fleshy, with smooth margin. The inflorescence is a terminal raceme with few or several flowers. Flowers have sepals and petals free from each other; the lip or labellum (lowermost petal), usually has a different coloration and shape from the rest of the flower and covers in part the flower column forming a tube. There are four pollinia (bag-like organs that contain pollen). The fruit is a capsule with many small seeds.

## Taxonomy

The genus was named in 1824 by John Lindley after horticulturalist William Cattley. 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.
Currently accepted species and subgeneric division within genus Cattleya are:
* Subgenus Cattleya
** Section Cattleya
** Section Crispae
*** Series Cattleyodes
*** Series Hadrolaelia
*** Series Microlaelia
*** Series Parviflorae
*** Series Sophronitis
** Section Lawrenceanae
* Subgenus Cattleyella
* Subgenus Intermediae
* Subgenus Maximae

### Subgenus Cattleya
#### Section Cattleya

| Name | Distribution | Elevation (m) |
| C. aurea | S. Panama to Colombia | 300 – 1000 meters |
| C. dowiana | Costa Rica | 250 – 1200 meters |
| C. gaskelliana | Colombia to Trinidad | 700 – 1000 meters |
| C. iricolor | Ecuador to Peru | 400 – 1220 meters |
| C. jenmanii | Venezuela to Guyana | 300 – 600 meters |
| C. labiata | Brazil | 600 – 900 meters |
| C. luteola | N. Brazil, Ecuador to Bolivia | 100 – 1200 meters |
| C. mendelii | NE. Colombia | 1300 – 1800 meters |
| C. mooreana | Peru | around 990 meters |
| C. mossiae | N. Venezuela | 900 – 1500 meters |
| C. percivaliana | Colombia to W. Venezuela | 1300 – 2000 meters |
| C. quadricolor | Colombia | 600 – 1500 meters |
| C. rex | Peru to N Bolivia | around 1350 meters |
| C. schroederae | NE. Colombia | . |
| C. trianae | Colombia | around 1200 meters |
| C. warneri | E. Brazil | 400 – 900 meters |
| C. warscewiczii | Colombia | 500 – 1700 meters |

#### Section Crispae
##### Series Cattleyodes

| Name | Distribution | Elevation (m) |
| C. crispa | SE. Brazil | 800 – 1500 meters |
| C. grandis | Brazil - SE. Bahia to N. Espírito Santo | . |
| C. lobata | SE. Brazil. | |
| C. perrinii | SE. Brazil | 700 – 900 meters |
| C. purpurata | SE. & S. Brazil | |
| C. tenebrosa | Brazil - SE. Bahia to Espírito Santo | . |
| C. virens | SE. Brazil | 1000 – 1500 meters |
| C. xanthina | Brazil - Bahia to Espírito Santo | . |

##### Series Hadrolaelia

| Name | Distribution | Elevation (m) |
| C. alaorii | Brazil - Bahia | 200 – 600 meters |
| C. bicalhoi | Brazil - S. Minas Gerais to Rio de Janeiro | 500 – 2000 meters |
| C. jongheana | Brazil - Minas Gerais | 1300 – 1600 meters |
| C. praestans | SE. Brazil | 300 – 500 meters |
| C. pumila | SE. & S. Brazil | 600 – 1300 meters |
| C. sincorana | Brazil - Bahia | 1100 – 1500 meters |

##### Series Microlaelia

| Image | Name | Distribution | Elevation (m) |
| | C. lundii | Bolivia to Argentina | 740 – 1000 meters |

##### Series Parviflorae

| Name | Distribution | Elevation (m) |
| C. alvarenguensis | Brazil - Minas Gerais | around 800 meters |
| C. alvaroana | Brazil - Rio de Janeiro | |
| C. angereri | Brazil - Minas Gerais | 1000–1300 meters |
| C. blumenscheinii | Brazil - Minas Gerais | around 1200 meters |
| C. bradei | Brazil - Minas Gerais | 1100 – 1400 meters |
| C. briegeri | Brazil - Minas Gerais | around 1370 meter |
| C. campacii | Brazil | |
| C. caulescens | Brazil - Minas Gerais | 600 – 1200 meters |
| C. cinnabarina | Brazil - S. Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro | 800 – 1500 meters |
| C. colnagoi | Brazil - Minas Gerais | |
| C. conceicionensis | Brazil - Minas Gerais | 800 – 1200 meters |
| C. crispata | Brazil - Minas Gerais | 400 – 1200 meters |
| C. endsfeldzii | Brazil - Minas Gerais | 900 meters |
| C. esalqueana | Brazil - Minas Gerais | 1100 – 1300 meters |
| C. flavasulina | Brazil - Minas Gerais | 900 – 1440 meters |
| C. fournieri | Brazil - Minas Gerais | 1100 – 1800 meters |
| C. ghillanyi | Brazil - Minas Gerais | |
| C. gloedeniana | Brazil - São Paulo | around 1600 meters |
| C. gracilis | Brazil - Minas Gerais: Serra do Cipó | |
| C. guanhanensis | Brazil - Minas Gerais | around 1100 meters |
| C. harpophylla | Brazil - Minas Gerais to Espírito Santo | 500 – 900 meters |
| C. hatae | Brazil - Minas Gerais | 1000 – 1100 meters |
| C. hegeriana | Brazil - Rio de Janeiro | 1000 – 1200 meters |
| C. hispidula | Brazil - Minas Gerais | around 1200 meters |
| C. hoehnei | Brazil - Espírito Santo | around 800 meters |
| C. itambana | Brazil - Minas Gerais | 1500 to 2200 meters |
| C. kautskyana | Brazil - Espírito Santo | 600 – 1000 meters |
| C. kettieana | Brazil - Minas Gerais | 1500 – 2000 meters |
| C. kleberi | Brazil - Minas Gerais | around 1100 meters |
| C. liliputana | Brazil - Minas Gerais: Serra do Ouro Branco | 1200 – 1400 meters |
| C. locatellii | Brazil - Minas Gerais | |
| C. longipes | SE. Brazil - Serra do Cipó | 1300 – 2000 meters |
| C. luetzelburgii | Brazil - Bahia | 1100 – 1700 meters. |
| C. macrobulbosa | Brazil - Espírito Santo | around 1600 meters |
| C. marcaliana | Brazil - Bahia | 200 – 300 meters |
| C. milleri | Brazil - Minas Gerais | 800 – 1300 meters |
| C. mirandae | Brazil - Minas Gerais | around 1300 meters |
| C. munchowiana | Brazil - Espírito Santo | 1100 – 1300 meters |
| C. neokautskyi | SE. Brazil | 600 – 1000 meters. |
| C. pabstii | Brazil - Minas Gerais | 1200 meters |
| C. pendula | Brazil - Minas Gerais | |
| C. pfisteri | Brazil - Bahia | around 1300 meters |
| C. presidentensis | Brazil - Minas Gerais | 1000 – 1300 meters |
| C. reginae | Brazil - Minas Gerais | 1200 – 2000 meters |
| C. rupestris | Brazil - Minas Gerais | |
| C. sanguiloba | Brazil – Bahia | |
| C. tereticaulis | Brazil - Minas Gerais | |
| C. vandenbergii | Brazil - Minas Gerais | |
| C. vasconcelosiana | Brazil - Minas Gerais | around 1100 meters |
| C. verboonenii | Brazil - Rio de Janeiro | |
| C. viridiflora | Brazil - Minas Gerais | |

##### Series Sophronitis

| Name | Distribution | Elevation (m) |
| C. acuensis | Brazil - Rio de Janeiro | 1800 – 2100 meters |
| C. alagoensis | Brazil - Alagoas | 300 – 500 meters |
| C. brevipedunculata | Brazil - Minas Gerais | 1220 – 2000 meters |
| C. cernua | Brazil to NE. Argentina | 2 – 100 meters |
| C. coccinea | Brazil to NE. Argentina | 650 – 1670 meters |
| C. dichroma | Brazil - Rio de Janeiro | 1200 – 1525 meters |
| C. mantiqueirae | SE. Brazil | 1200 – 1890 meters |
| C. pygmaea | Brazil - Espírito Santo | 915 – 1067 meters |
| C. wittigiana | Brazil - Espírito Santo | 700 – 2000 meters |

#### Section Lawrenceanae

| Name | Distribution | Elevation (m) |
| C. lawrenceana | Venezuela, Guyana, N. Brazil | 250 – 2400 meters |
| C. lueddemanniana | N. Venezuela | 0 – 500 meters |
| C. wallisii | N. Brazil | |

### Subgenus Cattleyella

| Image | Name | Distribution | Elevation (m) |
| | C. araguaiensis | Brazil | 395 – 610 meters |

### Subgenus Intermediae

| Name | Distribution | Elevation (m) |
| C. aclandiae | Brazil | 100 – 400 meters |
| C. amethystoglossa | Brazil | around 600 meters |
| C. bicolor | SE. Brazil | |
| C. dormaniana | Brazil | 600 – 100 meters |
| C. elongata | Brazil | 900 – 1500 meters |
| C. forbesii | Brazil | around 200 meters |
| C. granulosa | Brazil | 600 – 900 meters |
| C. guttata | Brazil | . |
| C. harrisoniana | SE. Brazil | |
| C. intermedia | SE. & S. Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay | |
| C. kerrii | Brazil | |
| C. loddigesii | SE. Brazil to NE. Argentina | . |
| C. nobilior | WC. Brazil to Bolivia | 170 – 700 meters |
| C. porphyroglossa | Brazil | . |
| C. schilleriana | Brazil | 0 – 800 meters. |
| C. schofieldiana | Brazil | around 900 meters |
| C. tenuis | NE. Brazil | 1000 – 1200 meters. |
| C. tigrina | SE. & S. Brazil | 0 – 100 meters. |
| C. velutina | Brazil | |
| C. violacea | lowland Amazon rainforest & Guyana | 200 – 700 meters |
| C. walkeriana | WC. & SE. Brazil | 0 – 2000 meters. |

### Subgenus Maximae

| Image | Name | Distribution | Elevation (m) |
| | C. maxima | S Ecuador to N Peru | 10 – 1500 meters |

## Natural hybrids

Currently accepted natural hybrids are:
* Cattleya × adrienne (= Cattleya pumila × Cattleya jongheana) (Brazil)
* Cattleya × albanensis
* Cattleya × amanda
* Cattleya × binotii (= ) (Brazil)
* Cattleya × brasiliensis (= C. bicolor × C. harrisoniana) (Brazil)
* Cattleya × braunae
* Cattleya × britoi (= C. crispata x C. mirandae) (Brazil - Minas Gerais)
* Cattleya × brymeriana (= C. violacea × C. wallisii) (N. Brazil).
* Cattleya × calimaniana (Brazil)
* Cattleya × calimaniorum (NE Brazil)
* Cattleya × carassana (Brazil)
* Cattleya × cattleyioides (Brazil)
* Cattleya × cipoensis (Brazil)
* Cattleya × colnagiana (Brazil).
* Cattleya × cristinae (Brazil).
* Cattleya × cypheri
* Cattleya × dasilvae
* Cattleya × dayana (= C. forbesii × C. guttata) (Brazil).
* Cattleya × deckeri
* Cattleya × delicata
* Cattleya × diamantinensis (= C. pfisteri × C. sincorana) (Brazil).
* Cattleya × dolosa (= C. loddigesii × C. walkeriana) (Brazil).
* Cattleya × dukeana (= C. bicolor × C. guttata) (SE. Brazil).
* Cattleya × duveenii (= C. guttata × C. harrisoniana) (SE. Brazil).
* Cattleya × elegans
* Cattleya × ericoi
* Cattleya × feldmanniana
* Cattleya × fidelensis (Brazil - Rio de Janeiro).
* Cattleya × frankeana
* Cattleya × gaezeriana
* Cattleya × gerhard-santosii
* Cattleya × gottoana
* Cattleya × gransabanensis (= C. jenmanii × C. lawrenceana) (Venezuela).
* Cattleya × gravesiana (= C. lueddemanniana × C. mossiae) (Venezuela).
* Cattleya × hardyana (= C. dowiana var.aurea × C. warscewiczii) (Colombia).
* Cattleya × heitoriana
* Cattleya × hummeliana
* Cattleya × hybrida (= C. guttata × C. loddigesii) (SE. Brazil).
* Cattleya × imperator (= C. granulata × C. labiata) (NE. Brazil).
* Cattleya × intricata (= C. intermedia × C. leopoldii) (S. Brazil).
* Cattleya × irrorata
* Cattleya × isaacii
* Cattleya × isabella (= C. forbesii × C. intermedia) (SE. Brazil).
* Cattleya × itabapoanaensis
* Cattleya × jetibaensis
* Cattleya × joaquiniana (= C. bicolor × C. walkeriana) (Brazil) .
* Cattleya × kautskyi (= C. harrisoniana × C. warneri) (SE. Brazil).
* Cattleya × kerchoveana
* Cattleya × labendziana
* Cattleya × lambari
* Cattleya × lilacina
* Cattleya × lucieniana (= C. forbesii × C. granulosa) (SE. Brazil).
* Cattleya × macguiganii
* Cattleya × measuresii (= C. aclandiae × C. walkeriana) (E. Brazil).
* Cattleya × mesquitae (= C. nobilior × C. walkeriana) (Brazil).
* Cattleya × mingaensis
* Cattleya × mixta (= C. guttata × C. schofieldiana) (Brazil).
* Cattleya × moduloi (C. schofieldiana × C. warneri) (Brazil).
* Cattleya × mucugensis
* Cattleya × neocalimaniana
* Cattleya × neocalimaniorum
* Cattleya × neoreginae
* Cattleya × nesyana
* Cattleya × occhioniana
* Cattleya × odiloniana
* Cattleya × patrocinii (= C. guttata × C. warneriana) (SE. Brazil).
* Cattleya × picturata (= C. guttata × C. intermedia) (SE. Brazil).
* Cattleya × pittiana
* Cattleya × porphyritis
* Cattleya × porphyrophlebia
* Cattleya × raganii
* Cattleya × resplendens (= C. granulosa × C. schilleriana) (NE. Brazil)
* Cattleya × rigbyana
* Cattleya × ruschii
* Cattleya × sancheziana
* Cattleya × schroederiana
* Cattleya × schunkiana
* Cattleya × schunkii
* Cattleya × scita (= C. intermedia × C. tigrina) (S. Brazil).
* Cattleya × sgarbii
* Cattleya × sororia
* Cattleya × tenuata (= C. elongata × C. tenuis) (Brazil) .
* Cattleya × varelae
* Cattleya × venosa (= C. forbesii × C. harrisoniana) (Brazil).
* Cattleya × verelii
* Cattleya × victoria-regina ( C. guttata × C. labiata) (NE. Brazil).
* Cattleya × victoriacarolinae
* Cattleya × wetmorei
* Cattleya × whitei
* Cattleya × wilsoniana (= C. bicolor × C. intermedia). (Brazil).
* Cattleya × wyattiana (= C. crispa × C. lobata). (Brazil).
* Cattleya × zaslawskii (= C. harpophylla × C. praestans). (Brazil).
* Cattleya × zayrae (= C. amethystoglossa × C. elongata). (Bahia, Brazil)

## Nothogenera

Hybrids of Cattleya and other genera are placed in the following nothogenera:
* × Brassocattleya = Brassavola × Cattleya
* × Brassolaeliocattleya = Brassavola × Cattleya × Laelia
* × Cattleytonia = Cattleya × Broughtonia
* × Laeliocattleya = Cattleya × Laelia
* × Rhyncholaeliocattleya = Rhyncholaelia × Cattleya

## Cultivation

* Light
    Cattleyas need light, but not direct sunlight; in case of intense sunlight, shade must be provided.
* Temperature
    Day temperatures must be between 25–30 °C (77–86 °F) and night temperatures not lower than 10–12 °C (50–53.6 °F).
* Humidity
    Must be between 40–70% with good ventilation; however plants must not be exposed to air currents.
* Watering
    Water only if substrate is dry. It can be done once a week, but it all depends on the environmental conditions and the season.
* Fertilizing
    Cattleyas can survive without fertilizing. However, it is advisable to use nitrogen-based fertilizers without urea; fertilizers must be applied during the growth season. To avoid salt accumulation in the substrate, water thoroughly between fertilizer applications.