Cattleya dowiana Bateman & Rchb.f 1886 SUBGENUS Cattleya SECTION Xantheae Withner 1988
Another Flower Photos courtesy of Daniel Jimenez
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Common Name Dow's Cattleya [American Ship Captain 1800's]
Flower Size 6" [15 cm]
This species is found in Costa Rica and Panama as a, medium sized, cool to warm growing epiphytic orchid of tree crowns on the Caribbean coast from elevations of 250 to 2500 meters with clavate, 3 1/4" to 8" [8 to 20 cm] tall pseudobulbs with distinct ribs when too dry, partially concealed when young with basal sheaths that paper and shred with age and a single, fleshy, oblong-elliptic, light green, conduplicate, apical leaf that blooms in the late summer and fall on a terminal, 5" [12.5 cm] long, few to several [5 to 6], flowered inflorescence arising on a mature pseudobulb with short lived, fragrant, very showy flowers. The variety aurea occurs in Colombia and has larger flowers with more intense coloration. It is very similar to Cattleya aurea from Colombia except for geographic location and flowers with less intricate veining on the lip.
Synonyms Cattleya labiata var dowiana [Batem. & Rchb.f] Veitch 1887; Cattleya lawrenceana Warsc. 1883
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Lankester's Epidendra Website CR ; Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 19: 24. Costa Rica Schlechter 1923; Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 19: 133. Costa Rica Schlechter 1923; Orchids of Malaya Holttum 1957 as C labiata var dowiana; AOS Bulletin Vol 27 No 9 1958 drawing; AOS Bulletin Vol 29 No 2 1960; AOS Bulletin Vol 30 No 5 1961 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 32 No 10 1963; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 as C labiata var dowiana; Die Orchideen #1 1-4 tafel 1&2 Rudolph Schlechter 1971 photo fide; Die Orchideen #10 37-40a tafel 10 Rudolph Schlechter 1971 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 42 No 2 1978 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 42 No 6 1978 photo fide; Orquideologia Vol 13 No 3 1979 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 49 No 7 1980 drawing; Growing Orchids Vol 2 Rentoul 1982; Manual of Cultivated Orchids Bechtel, Cribb and Laurent 1982; An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids Pridgeon 1982; The Catttleya and Their Relatives Withner Vol 1 1988 photo fide; Native Colombian Orchid Vol 1 COS 1990 photo fide; Icones Planetarum Tropicarum Plate 1305, 1305a Atwood 1989, 1992 drawing fide; Orchid Digest Vol 56 No 4 1992 photo; Field Guide to the Orchids of Costa Rica and Panama Dressler 1993; Manual of Orchids Stewart 1995; AOS Bulletin Vol 66 No 3 1997 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 66 No 8 1997 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 66 No 10 1997 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 67 No 7 1998 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 1 2003 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 73 No 12 2004 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 74 No 12 2005 photo; Vanishing Beauty; Native Costa Rican Orchids Vol 1 Pupulin 2005; AOS Bulletin Vol 75 No 3 2006 drawing; AOS Bulletin Vol 75 No 9 2006 photo; Orquideas de la Serrania del Baudo Misas Urreta 2006 drawing /photo; Libro Rojo de Plantas De Colombia Vol 6 Primera Parte Saenz 2007 photo fide; Orchids of Costa Rica Vol 1 Morales 2009 photo fide;
Cattleya Dowiana var rosita Photo courtesy of Daniel Jimenez
Another Color Form
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