Cattleya is a very popular genus of 42 species of orchids from tropical South America, they can naturally be found from Brazil to Costa Rica. The genus was named in 1824 by John Lindley after William Cattley, who received and cultivated specimens of Cattleya labiata that were used as packing material in a shipment of other orchids.

Some naturally occurring species are offered by growers, the most popular plants are man-made hybrids derived from combining Cattleyas with some of their close relatives to produce a wide range of colors, sizes and forms. The old fashioned hybrids had huge and fragrant flowers that can last for more than 6 weeks.

Cattleya are slow-growing, taking 5-7 years or more to flower from seed. Most produce relatively few, large flowers at maturity. Cattleyas and their relatives require a good amount of light. These plants enjoy full sun in the morning, but will require shading from about 11am-3pm; less shading will be necessary in the late afternoon. Their leaves should be a light green color, and a darker green color indicates too little sun.

Generally, cattleyas grow best when their potting medium becomes dry in between waterings. These plants are epiphytes in nature, (i.e. growing on top of trees) and are used to drying out between the rains of their natural habitat.

Related links:
Labiate Cattleya species - Photos of Cattleya species plants.
Cattleya.pdf - PDF archive with important Cattleya information