Cattleya maxima
Object Details
- Description
- This cattleya is named for its flower, which was the largest cattleya flower of its time, in 1831. The first C. maxima was actually collected in the 1770s, before the genus Cattleya had even been described, but the dried and pressed record did not reach the famous botanist Lindley until 1831. Over time, more samples of C. maxima reached Europe, and botanists noticed distinct upland and lowland varieties. The upland variety was the one initially described, which is more compact with darker, more intensely colored flowers. The lowland type is very tall with many more, lighter colored flowers per a flower spike. C. maxima can be easily identified visually, because in all its varieties and color forms, it has a distinctive yellow stripe which runs down the middle of its lip.
- Bloom Time (Northern Hemisphere)
- Year round; peaks from September to November
- Pollination Syndrome
- Bee (Eulaema polychroma)
- Provenance
- From a cultivated plant not of known wild origin
- Range
- S Ecuador to Peru
- Habitat
- Seasonally dry, coastal forest; 33-5900ft (10-1800m)
- Topic
- Orchids
- Living Collections
- See more items in
- Smithsonian Gardens Orchid Collection
- Data Source
- Smithsonian Gardens
- Accession Number
- 2016-0117A
- Restrictions & Rights
- CC0
- Common Name
- Christmas Flower
- Flor de Navidad
- The Greatest Cattleya
- Group
- [vascular plants]
- Class
- Equisetopsida
- Subclass
- Magnoliidae
- Superorder
- Lilianae
- Order
- Asparagales
- Family
- Orchidaceae
- Subfamily
- Epidendroideae
- Genus
- Cattleya
- Subgenus
- subgen. Cattleya sect. Maximae
- Species
- maxima
- Life Form
- Epiphytic
- Bloom Characteristics
- Erect to arching inflorescence is 12" (30.5 cm) long with 3-15 long-lived, heavily textured flowers. Flowers are 5" (12.7 cm) across. Lowland plants have more flowers than upland plants, but upland plants are considered to have a better shape and darker color. Lowland flowers are "floppy" and more white to pink.
- Foliage Characteristics
- Unifoliate
- Fragrance
- Sweet
- Metadata Usage
- CC0
- Record ID
- ofeo-sg_2016-0117A
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