Species Orchid, Cattleya, Crimson-Ruby Lipped Cattleya

My sister received this plant from a friend (through a legitimate orchid nursery) after minor surgery, but quickly forgot about it, so it...Read More went untended for some time, until I asked her if I could take it and she said yes. After as little as moving it to a new pot and providing the correct care, this plant grew more quickly than I thought it would, as well as developed some of the most beautiful flowers I've ever seen and smelled... Sorry, had to brag. :) Very easy to care for with a wonderful reward, responds well to the mass-marketed potting soils and foods (Scott's, Miracle Grow, etc.), and in general just a fantastic plant. I'd recommend this to anyone thinking about growing an orchid or just having a beautiful houseplant.

Some consider Cattleya labiata the "Queen of all Orchids", and it is fair: some of the biggest, best scented, and colorful flowers amongs...Read Moret all orchids. For such qualities, many cultivars were created, and this species is largely used as parent to several hybrids. This is one of the most cultivated orchids in the tropics.

It is an epiphyte, with short to medium, cylindric pseudobulbs, with 1 or 2 leathery leaves on the top. The apical inflorescence has more than one flower (depending on the cultivar, can have many). This flower can be bigger than an adult man´s opened hand, with many colors that vary from white to magenta, and a long and broad lip with pink and yellow spots. They are strongly scented, long lived, and will atract all kinds of animals, from moths, to bees and hummingbirds. The seed pods can have hundreds of thousands of tiny seeds. A single fruit could save the species from extinction, if there was only one plant left.

It likes light shade, high humidity and moisture in the organic medium - bark bits or fiber. It also likes high temperatures.

This plant is extensively cultivated, but still people collect them illegally from the brazilian forests, where they are barely seen these days. So be careful if you see this for sale, specially if you are going to import it. It most likely is a cultivated plant, but might be a "stolen" one as well.