Laelia (Cattleya) tenebrosa is one of the most spectacular of the big Laelias, now moved into the genus Cattleya. It is closely related to Laelia purpurata and Laelia grandis but needs less sun than either of these other plants to flower nicely. If they receive too much sun, the leaves will show reddish spots on the leaves. The species is from Brazil where they flower during the hottest summer months. It is now considered virtually extinct in the wild from over collection and forest destruction. There are many cultivated varieties available although somewhat difficult to find at times.
The large flowers, 8 inches or 20 centimeters in width, are produced two to three, rarely four or five, on an inflorescence and are a golden, bronze, copper or brownish color with a spectacular usually dark pink to deep purple lip. The flower colors are extremely variable so it is a good idea to see a flowering plant before purchasing so you are sure to get a good variety. As you can see from the picture these flowers are very open in nature with space between the sepals and petals.
Like L. purpurata, these can be large plants and will not flower well until they have reached a mature size of approximately 5 pseudobulbs. The leaves are large, approximately 12 inches or 30 centimeters long on top of a pseudobulb the same size and a mature plant will take up a large container. They have a rather nice upright growth habit when potted, so the size is fairly easy to accommodate. They take hot to intermediate temperatures but are much less cold tolerant than the other large Laelias.
This orchid likes more water than other Cattleyas and should not be allowed to dry out completely during peak growing times in the spring. After flowering it needs a dryer environment until it starts new growth. It starts its growth period in the fall and then rests for about a month until it flowers in the spring. The flowers are fairly long lasting for the genus and often last two or three weeks especially if you can keep them out of the hottest summer temperatures.
If you have room and are a fan of the large Cattleya-like flowers, this is definitely one of the plants to try growing. There are many different clones and they are so different that you can grow several different ones and enjoy an almost completely different color on each one.
This species is a small sized, hot growing, pendant growing epiphyte from Malaysia and Borneo in shady, humid, lowland and swampy riverine forests low down on trees often near or on branches overhanging stream banks at elevations of sealevel to 200 meters with an erect to ascending, short stem completely enveloped by persistant leaf-bearing sheaths and carrying pendulous, broad, rounded, light green leaves that blooms in the summer and fall on a suberect or arcuate, 2 3/4″ [7 cm] long, racemose or paniculate, few flowered inflorescence with a flattened, fractiflex rachis and small ovate bracts and has only 2 to 3, highly fragrant flowers open at a time. The inflorescence on older plants can rebloom year after year so do not cut off green viable inflorescence.
Vanda cristata Lindl. 1833
This plant has long been one of my favourites. It is a terrestrial and loves warm growing conditions. It is the national flower of Panama where it grows as a terrestrial in loamy soil and humus pockets among rocks. Cultural notes suggest that it prefers hot conditions with 30-50% light. It grows exceptionally well in North Queensland conditions with little attention to cultural niceties. The plant grows with an enormous egg shaped pseudobulb which on my mature plants have been 12 to 15 cm across and 15 to 20 cm high. The long arching single leaf is about 15 cm wide at the middle tapering at each end. The leaf has many transverse corrugations that remind you of the immature growth on palm leaves.
Eurychone rothschildiana is a Ugandan species which looks like a Phalaenopsis, and can be grown like a one. They have beautiful large, oval, wavy, stiff olive green leaves with green flowers that have a broad curved lip that is blackish green inside with a white edge. Sepals and petals are white with lime green. This flower develops a wonderful fragrance of cinnamon in the morning, after having been opened for a few days. Flowers are about 1.5″ across. This plant prefers to be grown in New Zealand sphagnum moss in clay pots, although it does equally well mounted, as long as you water daily. Repot before flowering in the spring, usually March through April. This plant is a warm grower, and should be treated like Phalaenopsis, so protect it from cold nights during the wintertime.