Cattleya purpurata carnea

Cattleya purpurata is one of the finest of all cultivated orchids.  It has a wide range of colors and many named varieties.  It produces large flowers, generally, 6 to 8 inches across.  It is used in many Cattleya hybrids.  It is native to southern Brazil and is the state flower of Santa Catarina.  Those who do not grow orchids are very familiar with pictures of the actual blooms, but many times have never seen an orchid plant up close.  Above are pictures of my Cattleya purpurata carnea before it has bloomed.  I grow this outdoors under a Cabada Palm.  It is mounted inside a wooden basket with tree fern fiber as the media.  Cattleya purpurata has tall pseudobulbs and leaves. The pseudobulbs often grow as tall as 20 inches.  Notice the pale yellow color of the pseudobulbs and the pale green color of the leaves.  This orchid needs plenty of light in order to bloom.  I give it as much light as I can without burning the leaves.  If it does not get more light than a regular Cattleya it will not bloom.  The pale yellow color of the pseudobulbs and the pale green color of the leaves are signs that this plant is getting the right amount of light in order to bloom.  This orchid generally blooms in May and June.  This picture was taken May 22, 2012 and today is the first day that the buds have started to break out of the sheaths.  These pictures are for those who are not familiar with an orchid plant.  One can see the green buds just peeking out at the top of the sheaths in these pictures.  After this orchid blooms, one should give it a rest with little water.  When it starts to grow again, give it plenty of water.  Many times these orchids will start new growths in late summer although this particular one has some new pseudobulbs growing now.  The growths will be completed in January and February in the United States.  The buds will form in the sheaths after a very short rest period and bloom in May or June.  Below is the picture of the bloom that this plant had last year in May.  It was the first bloom that I had from this cutting.  The form was rather poor, but the color is typical of this variety of purpurata.  I am hoping for better blooms this year.