Cattleya intermedia

Cattleya intermedia is found in Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay. Plants are most often found in forests within a few miles of the coast and on nearby offshore islands in coastal or streamside swamps near sea level, but they are sometimes found at 300 meters (1,000 feet). Although sometimes described as fragrant, flowers usually have little discernible odor. This species is so variable that there are many named varieties, with even more horticultural varieties that are formally described. Plants bloom in spring, and a second flowering occasionally occurs in the autumn. Water and fertilizer should be decreased in winter with winter light as high as possible, short of burning the leaves. Plants are usually grown in pots or baskets filled with a very coarse, open fast fast-draining medium. Place in undersized pots that have room for only one to two years’ growth, so the medium does not stay wet for too long.
Photographer: Ron Parsons (www.flickr.com/photos/rpflowershots
Grower: Susan Anderson
Info: Charles Baker culture sheet www.orchidculture.com