Cattleya Alliance
Common name: Corsage orchid
Horticultural alliance: Cattleya
Classification: Subfamily Epidendroideae > Tribe Epidendreae > Subtribe Laeliinae
Native range: From Mexico and Florida to South America
Habitat: the surface of trees and rocks in tropical and subtropical regions with high rainfall
Cattleyas have some of the most magnificent flowers of the orchid family. Several species have flowers which can reach 7 inches in span, with some hybrids exceeding 9 inches in span under ideal conditions. Differences in shape, posture, and form stand out on such large flowers, and combined with the numerous color forms make ample fodder for collectors. The discovery of Cattleyas at the onset of the Victorian period added to the frenzy of “orchidelirium”, described as a crazed obsession with collecting orchids. Once the hobby of the wealthy elite, these plants are now easily accessible to a much wider audience and enjoy a treasured place in the orchid hobby.
Their extravagance and heavy substance led to their application in cut flowers in corsages, with species of differently timed blooming seasons making flowers available throughout much of the social calendar. The popularity of Cattleya orchid corsages on Mother's Day, for example, is still within living memory for much of the United States.
In the Chicago area this was supplied by Orchids by Hausermann, a nursery which bred and produced several Cattleya hybrids for the corsage industry, and still provides a variety of orchids for hobbyists and florists to this day.
In addition to their large charismatic flowers, Cattleya orchids also have a reputation for being difficult to grow and flower. Their roots are sensitive to disturbance, in which they may be slow to replace in the event of damage, and are susceptible to rot if kept too wet. Cattleyas and their relatives also require very bright light in order to flower. However, these conditions are achievable in the home, and hybrids can have a greatly improved ease of growing, making Cattleya orchids a very rewarding addition to any collection.
Several closely related genera are traditionally described by horticulturists as the “Cattleya Alliance”, due to shared physical traits and hybrid compatibility. Resulting hybrids are sometimes simply referred to as “Cattleyas”, but best practice is to use the correct hybrid genus name, such as Laeliocattleya for a cross made from a Cattleya and a Laelia, or Brassocattleya for one made with a Cattleya and Brassavola. Not all names are so intuitive, with combinations of many genera often being named after people. All of these fall under the “Cattleya Alliance”.
Related Genera
Acrorchis, Adamantinia, Alamania, Arpophyllum, Artorima, Barkeria, Brassavola, Broughtonia, Cattleya, Caularthron, Constantia, Dimerandra, Dinema, Domingoa, Encyclia, Epidendrum, Guarianthe, Hagsatera, Homalopetalum, Isabelia, Jacquiniella, Laelia, Leptotes, Loefgrenianthus, Meiracyllium, Microepidendrum, Myrmecophila, Nidema, Oestlundia, Orleanesia, Prosthechea, Pseudolaelia, Psychilis, Pygmaeorchis, Quisqueya, Rhyncholaelia, Scaphyglottis, Tetramicra
Description of Flower
Flower spike: Upright, unbranched, and can range from short to very long and may have one to several flowers.
Color: Lavender or pink, red, orange, brown, yellow, green, and shades in-between, with some hybrids approaching violet or maroon.
Structure: Lip can be large and ruffled, or bear a fan-shape or “isthmus lip” and often features a magenta patch and yellow-orange veins leading to the center of the flower. Petals can be much wider than, or of similar shape to sepals.
Nectar spur: None
Fragrance: Can be powerfully fragrant, with some Epidendrum and Brassavola species being fragrant at night to attract moths.
Longevity: One to several weeks.
Description of Plant
Body plan: Sympodial (many-foot), meaning the stem or rhizome creeps along the growing surface, with successive growths forming up and away from it.
Pseudobulb: Can be very large and spindle shaped with one or few segments, to tall and cane-like with many segments, having leaves only at the very top, or at each segment with some epidendrum
Leaf: can be large, succulent, folded along the mid-rib, and paddle shaped, or very slender with Brassavolas, or lighter substance with some Encyclias and similar genera.
Root: Thick-rooted and brittle, with green growing tips.
