Species Orchid, Cattleya

I've found this a very easy plant to grow in St. Petersburg, FL. I have it outside in filtered light and it's grown & flowered (late Nove...Read Morember flowers) well. I have it attached to cork with no other media and water it daily in hotter months, letting it stay dryer (maybe skipping 1-3 days in cold weather). The flowers are smaller & less attractive (some might say) than the more challenging species in its genus. However, I think the tradeoff is great. It has nearly tripled in size/pseudobulb count in the 2 years I've had no problems with it. I think the small, darker green, oval leaves are attractive when it's not in bloom. A good candidate for a less humid Wardian Case due to its miniature size. In my area, I never have it exposed to direct light except for very early morning light.

Sophronitis cernua is a tiny epiphytic orchid from the brazilian forests along the coast. It is smaller than its more popular cousin S. c...Read Moreoccinea, but easier to cultivate.

It is a tiny plant, with next to no pseudobulbs and small round leaves. The flowers are small, with petals with pointy tips, usually red/orange with yellow parts in the middle. There are pink, purple, and red cultivars

In Rio de Janeiro there are lots of plants growing spontaneously in the Botanical Garden, some of them on Imperial Palm Trees, partially exposed to direct sun light - and because these palms can´t hold moisture on their bark, it depends only on rain to get water. There are other plants growing on shade and high moisture, so I guess they don´t need as much attention as the sensitive Sophronitis coccinea.