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CATT LEYA LABIATA Zid 
VAR. LUEDDEMANNIANA ets. £ 
CATTLEYA LABIATA, Lindl. Pseudobulbis fusiformibus clavatis varie sulcatis monophyllis, spatha plus minus evoluta simplici aut raro duplici, 
pedunculo uni—plurifloro, flore maximo expanso membranaceo, sepalis ligulatis acutis, petalis oblongis obtusiusculis raro acutis varie crispis, labello maximo 
oblongo varie trilobo, varie crispo, columna recta clavata, androclinii apiculo postico ligulato supra antheram flexo. 
CATTLEYA LABIATA, Lindl. Coll. Bot., t. 33; id., Bot. Reg,, t. 1859 ; Hook. Exot. FI, IL, t. 157; Bot. Mag, t. 3998 ; Hook. Cent. Orch,, t. 28 ; 
Warn. & Will. Orchid Album, IL, t. 88 ; etc. 
EPIDENDRUM LABIATUM, Rchb. f. in Walp. Ann., VI., 52h Se 
Planta inter Orchideas forsan maxime polymorpha, pleiochroma. 
Var. LUEDDEMANNIANA, Rchb. f. Labello paullo minora angustiori. 
VAR. LUEDDEMANNIANA, Rchb. f. in Gard. Chron., 1883, pt. I, p. 243 (in nota); Veitch Man. Orch. Pl, pt. 2, p. 19; Rolfe, in Gard. Chron., 1889, pt. 
I, p. 648. 
C. LUEDDEMANNIANA, Rchb. f. Xen. Orch. Teapezos 
C, Dawson, Warn. Sel. Orch., ser. 1, t. 16. 
C. sPEcIosissIma, Hort. Gard. Chron., 1868, p. 404 (in nota); Warn, & Will. Orchid Album, VI, t. 261 (var, Buchananiana). 
C. Matouana, L. Lind. in Lindenia, I., p. 99, t. 47. 
EPIDENDRUM LABIATUM VAR. LUEDDEMANNIANUM, Rchb. f. in Walp. Ann., Wal passiise 
This handsome varicty originally appeared in the celebrated collection of M, Pescatore, at St. Cloud, Paris, and was named and described by Prof. 
Reichenbach, in 1854, after that gentleman’s gardener, M. Liiddemann ; the principal character relied on being the narrow lip, more than twice as long as 
broad. The same author afterwards reduced it as a variety of Cattleya labiata (which, however, he referred to the genus Epidendrum) in “ Walpers’ Annales,” 
in 1861. Fora long time it remained exceedingly rare, and nothing appeared to be known of its origin until it was imported in quantity by Messrs, Hugh 
Low & Co,, of Clapton, from Venezuela. It is said to grow on the Cordillera near the coast, at some distance eastward from Caracas, and at a lower elevation 
than the variety Mossia. It appears to have been figured for the first time in 1863, under the name of Cattleya Dawsonii, in Warner's “Select Orchidaceous 
Plants,” from a specimen which flowered in the collection of the late Mr. Dawson, at Meadow Bank, near Glasgow, where it had been in cultivation several 
years previously. As in several other of the geographical varieties of Cattleya labiata, there appears to be a considerable range of variation in colour, from 
pure white to light rosy-purple in the segments, and to deep amethyst-purple on the front lobe of the lip, but all appear to be readily distinguished by the 
relatively narrow lip. There is generally a pair of pale yellow or white blotches at the top of the throat, with lines of reddish-purple on the disc. It also 
appears to be more variable in the time of flowering than some of the other varieties, R.A, Rolfe. 
Icones analyticae. Columna a latere et fronte visa. Pollinarium. 
Tue beautiful Venezuelan orchid, herewith illustrated, is deservedly a favourite, and no Cattleya better repays the 
cultivator for his trouble and care. Its flowers are of great size, often 8 inches or more across, and for brilliancy of 
colouring it is almost without a rival, while an actually bad or poor form is rarely, if ever, seen. 
It was introduced in 1854, and has been known in collections for many years, always being notable as a species 
wonderfully prolific in varieties. Owing probably to this variability, it has appeared at different times under the names 
of C. Lueddemanniana, C. speciossissima, C. Bassettii, C. Malouana, the C. Dawsonii of Warner, &c., which flowered in 
the Meadow Bank collection some twenty years ago. Since then many magnificent forms have come to light in various 
collections, notably the Cattleya speciossissima regina of Sir Trevor Lawrence, of which the late Prof. Reichenbach wrote 
(Gard. Chron., March 22nd, 1884, Pp. 372): 
“TI think our young queen regina one of the grandest Cattleyas ever seen”—a 
view that was cordially endorsed at the tit 
me. Shortly after this, at the Orchid Conference in May, 1885, we exhibited 
a lovely white form of C. speciossissima, which created a veritable furore; its snowy whiteness only broken by 
the orange of the throat and the mauve-purple lines on the lip. This plant is now in the collection of Baron 
J. H. W. Schréder under the name of C. labiata Schroederiana. Besides these, special mention should be made of the 
fine variety shown by Admiral Fairfax at the Royal Horticultural Society, June 8, 1886; and also of C. speciossissima 
Buchananiana, which is certainly of great merit ; but every fresh importation brings some new beauty into our possession, 
and we know not when our present idols may be overthrown to make place for greater. 
Belonging to the labiata group, Cattleya speciossissima occurs in that section, whose flowers are produced on the 
newly-formed growths of the current year, and before the resting season. 
It should be grown in the Dendrobium house, 
a sunny, bright, and very warm position suiting it best. 
Our plate was taken from a plant in the collection of Herrn W. Lauche, Eisgrub, Mahren, Austria, 
