Their growth is horizontal, the pseudobulbs being attached to a common basal rhizome. Growth of the pseudobulbs and extension of the rhizomes develops out of the base of the old pseudobulbs. These pseudobulbs store food and water and enable the orchid plant to withstand periods of drought. Cattleya is the genus most people think of when they hear the word orchid. Although they come in a wide range of colors and color patterns, the color orchid is named for one of the flower colors found in cattleyas.
Most cattleyas make the large, showy flowers common in corsages.
They are tropical epiphytes with sympodial growth and pronounced pseudobulbs. They are native to higher elevations in Central America and northern South America. They grow best in warm, but not hot, conditions and grow and flower best at brighter light, brighter than that preferred by most orchids. Dendrobium is a sympodial epiphyte native from India to Japan and Australia. There are several subtypes with distinctly different cultural requirements.