Cattleya amethystoglossa

Also known as: Amethest Lipped Cattleya or Cattleya amethystoglossa h.f. suavissima Cattleya amethystoglossa h.f. amesiana Cattleya amethystoglossa h.f. salmonea Cattleya amethystoglossa h.f. aurea Cattleya amethystoglossa h.f. venosa Cattleya amethystoglossa h.f. semialba Cattleya amethystoglossa h.f. aurea-coerulea Cattleya purpurina Epidendrum elatius var. prinzii Cattleya guttata var. prinzii Cattleya guttata var. keteleerii Cattleya amethystoglossa h.f. flammea Cattleya amethystoglossa var. rosea Cattleya amethystoglossa h.f. coerulea Cattleya amethystoglossa var. lilacina Cattleya guttata var. lilacina Cattleya amethystoglossa var. alba in the subfamily: Epidendroideae

Native to: Bahia - Brazil Espirito Santo - Brazil

General Information

Amethest Lipped Cattleya is a sympodial warm to hot growing epiphytic orchid belonging to the sub family Epidendroideae native to Brazil.

Plant Description

Sympodial. Grows to 25-50cm. Each new growth has numerous elliptic leaves that grow to 5-20cm long. Pseudobulbs grow to 25-50cm

Flowers

Numerous long lasting, fragrant blossoms appear during Winter and Spring

Fragrance

The orchid is fragrant.

Blooming Season

• Spring
• Winter

Substrate(s)

• Coarse
• Bark
• Charcoal

Care Notes

This orchid goes into a dormancy phase during winter, during this phase it is best not to provide water unless the plant is starting to look thirsty. The lack of water increases the chance of flowering in spring, and also reduces the likelihood of any rot forming. Do not resume watering until new growth has appeared and is growing strongly.

Often a period of intense growth occurs after dormancy. During this time the amount of light, water and fertiliser the plant receives will directly impact the amount of growth that occurs during this time, and in the case of seedlings, will reduce the time required to reach maturity.

It's recommended to heavily reduce the water amount at the middle to end of autumn to trigger dormancy. Leaves on older bulbs will begin to drop during this time while the newer bulbs continue to mature until terminal leaves appear at the tip of the pseudobulbs.

Repotting can be done any time of the year though it's best to do it in early spring when new growth is appearing as this also means new roots will appear to help the plant anchor into the new media and offset any damage to established roots during the repotting process.

 

Fragrant:

• IsFragrant

Climate

The orchids are well adapted for hot weather, accompanied by sporadic, unpredictable rainfall and a generally dry climate. They can tolerate a lot of neglect as they are quite used to it, however they can be prone to underwatering and may collapse in cold, wet weather.

For this reason it's best to dedicate a sheltered, protected area for them where the watering can be controlled, such as a corner of a greenhouse or in a sheltered balcony. They can also do well hung near the roof of a shadehouse or sheltered greenhouse where they receive the extra heat but not as much water as other plants. 

Grows at low to high elevations. Rainfall ranges from 114mm to 287mm per day, heaviest in October and lightest in March. Humidity ranges from 84% to 88%, highest in January and lowest in April. Temperature ranges from 17C to 29C, highest in July (22C to 29C) and lowest in January (17C to 26C).

Fertiliser

dormant-medium-demand-orchid Apply fertiliser regularly at half strength year round. Use a high Nitrogen fertiliser during Spring and Summer. Use a high Phosphorous fertiliser during Summer.

Potting

These plants are quite forgiving and will do well repotted ever 2-3 years. The mix should be coarse, well draining, and allow space for air to move and for roots to grow. 

Alternatively, these plants will also do well mounted to tree fern or cork slabs, or mounted to trees.

Best time for repotting or mounting the orchids is the end of winter when new growths start to appear. Avoid repotting during hot weather,

This plant does very well in baskets or suspended pots This plant does well mounted to Tree trunks, Fern slabs or Cork slabs.