Cattleya
Cattleya is a genus of approximately 53 species of orchids from South America, widely known for their large, showy flowers, and used extensively in hybridization for the cut-flower trade until quite recently.
Cattleya orchids are slow-growing, taking 5-7 years or more to flower from seed, most of which produce relatively few, large flowers at maturity. As a result, they have been replaced in the cut flower trade with faster-growing, more floriferous genera, such as hybrid cymbidiums and dendrobiums, among others.
Culture of these plants is relatively straightforward for orchids, and are considered by many to be the archetypical epiphytic "orchid" in that they require well-drained media, frequent wet/dry cycles, and good air circulation. Members of this genus have been in cultivation for almost two hundred years with varying levels of success.
