Cattleya guttata Lindley (1881.)

Laelia autumnalis Lindley(1835.)
Reichenbachia Vol I. Series I. (1886.)

Laelia autumnalis Lindley(1835.)
J.-J. Linden et al.: Iconographie des Orchidées

Laelia anceps Lindley (1835.)

L. autumnalis 'Barkeriana' Reichenbach f.
Reichenbachia Volume I. Series I. (1886.)

L. anceps at times is sold under the invalid L. gouldiana Rchb. f. name, which is only darker variety or natural hybrid of L. anceps and L. autumnalis.

Laelia pumila forma delicata has almost pure white flowers

Laelia dayana Reichenbach f. (1853.)

Laelia anceps Lindley f. (1853.)
From van Houtte: L'Illustration Horticole

Cattleya guttata Lindley (1831.)

   Native to Brazil (Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo States), where it lives as an epiphyte or lithophyte, i. e. on rocks.

Cattleya loddigesii Lindley (1821.) Albinistic clone

   Native to South Brazil, from where it was imported into Europe as the first member of the Cattleya genus introduced into cultivation by the firm Messrs. Loddiges.

   Originally it was named as Epidendrum violaceum and when J. Lindley coined the Cattleya genus in 1821, he re-named this orchid in honor of Conrad Loddiges.

Cattleya bowringiana O'Brien (1885.)

   Rare species from Guatemala and Belize, growing on rocks near to streams, in moist atmosphere, exposed to full sun.
   
Commemorates J. C. Bowring, orchid enthusiast Englishman in the XIXth century.

    Easily cultivable, the flowering season is in October - November.

Cattleya kerrii Brieger et Bicalho (1976.)

This species was discovered relatively recently in Bahia State, Brazil.  It is rare, endangered orchid.

Laelia anceps Lindley (1835.)

   Species from Mexico, growing on trees or rocks, often in full sunlight. Flowers of different clones of this species are quite variable, pure white form is also known.

   One of the easiest of all my orchids to grow and flower.
Mine is mounted on cork bark hanging at the top of my greenhouse. I do nothing with it and totally ignore it.
   It gets watered and fertilized with the other orchids and every November I can count on numerous blooms!
   The flowering season is October - November: in Mexico the vernacular name is Flor de todos los Santos, i. e. "Flower of All Saints" referring to the flowering period, which is around All Saints Day.
   This is one of the few orchids that survived the year my greenhouse froze.

   Laelia autumnalis is is native to Mexico, where it lives on rocks or small trees, at altitudes between 1600-2600 m.

   As the specific epiteth indicates, its flowering season is the autumn, around October - November.

   It is a hardy orchid cultivated since 1836; hang it to a place where it receives aplenty light.
   In nature it prefers environments characterized by scorching sun at midday, followed by torrential rains in the afternoons or evenings. Growing under such conditions the whole plant is rough-and-tough: pseudobulbs are red and the leaves are leathery.
Pure white forms are shown on the lithographs at right.

Laelia pumila (Hooker) Reichenbach f. (1853.)

   It is native to East Minas Gerais State of Brazil where it grows epiphytically on tall trees, at altitudes between 600 - 900 m above sea level.

   It was discovered at the Essequibo River and exported to Europe by John Allcard in 1838.

   Flower color is widely variable, the clone shown above is called as 'Ripe Plum'

A small jewel of about 15 cm (6 inches ) tall.

It is very similar to Laelia pumila (Hooker) Reichenbach f. (1853.) from which it can be distinguished by the purple striping on the labium.

Cattleya bowringiana O'Brien (1885.)
Reichenbachia Vol. I. Series II.