CATTLEYA. 



and green. Brazil, 1840 (h). C. longifolium. — Pseudo-bulbs pendant, greyish green, 

 scaly ; spikes many-flowered ; sepals dull red ; lip crimson-spotted with greenish yellow. 

 Demerara, 183G (h). C. scurra. — A small-growing plant with very pretty flowers, 

 yellowish white. Demerara, 1872 (h). C. tridentatum. — The easiest of all to grow ; 

 sepals and petals greenish-spotted with brown ; lip brighter in colour, also spotted. 

 Trinidad, 1822 (h). 



CATTLEYA. 



One of the most important genera in the order, comprising many extremely beautiful 

 orchids. Their free-flowering propensities, and the gorgeous yet delicate colouring, have 

 led to their almost universal cultivation, so that wherever orchids are grown Cattleyas are 

 sure to be included. With few exceptions, they thrive best in the intermediate house, and so 

 ubiquitous are they that this is usually styled the " Cattleya house." The larger and 

 more roomy the structure the better the plants thrive as a rule, freedom of air, an 

 unchanging temperature, and clear light being of the utmost importance in their 

 culture. 



Eoot moisture is necessary all the year round, more or less, and though the plants 

 will often stand for weeks in winter without showing any signs of distress when kept 

 dry, mischief is done all the same and will be apparent later on in shrivelled pseudo- 

 bulbs and weak flower spikes. The reason of this is that the flower buds are forming at 

 the expense of the stored-up nutriment in the pseudo-bulbs, and this sapping of the 

 supply becomes so rapid, as the flowers approach their development, that no amount of 

 watering afterwards can make it good. 



To let any orchid shrivel — with only a very few exceptions — is decidedly wrong. 

 With Cattleyas it is much more harmful than with many others. The species vary in 

 the amount of water they take, so much so that to treat all alike is to court failure. 

 Experience shows what kinds require the most, and it may be stated as a general rule 

 that the larger-growing the plant the more water will be needed. And so with regard to 

 potting : to place a plant, say of Cattleya dolosa, into the same sized pot as one of 

 C. Trianse, or any other strong-growing kind, is obviously wrong, and disregard of this 

 simple axiom has been the first step towards the death of many a good plant. 



Let the size of the pot or basket, then, and the quality of the compost be dependent 

 upon the habit of the plant. Let the drainage material for small plants come nearly up 

 to the rim of the pot ; but for larger, stronger specimens allow a little more room for 



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