Taxon

Cattleya maxima

 
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Cattleya maxima - Christmas Flower, The Greatest Cattleya, Flor de Navidad
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Common name: Christmas Flower, The Greatest Cattleya, Flor de Navidad
Family: Orchidaceae subfam. Epidendroideae (Orchid)
Synonym: Cattleya maxima subvar. alba, Cattleya maxima var. coerulea × C. maxima
Distribution: S Ecuador to Peru
Habitat: Seasonally dry, coastal forest; 33-5900ft (10-1800m)
Life form: Epiphytic
Bloom Time (northern hemisphere): Year round; peaks from September to November
Bloom characteristics: Erect to arching inflorescence is 12" (30.5 cm) long with 3-15 long-lived, heavily textured flowers. Flowers are 5" (12.7 cm) across. Lowland plants have more flowers than upland plants, but upland plants are considered to have a better shape and darker color. Lowland flowers are "floppy" and more white to pink.
Fragrance: Sweet
Pollination syndrome: Bee (Eulaema polychroma)
Foliage characteristics: Unifoliate
Description: This cattleya is named for its flower, which was the largest cattleya flower of its time, in 1831. The first C. maxima was actually collected in the 1770s, before the genus Cattleya had even been described, but the dried and pressed record did not reach the famous botanist Lindley until 1831. Over time, more samples of C. maxima reached Europe, and botanists noticed distinct upland and lowland varieties. The upland variety was the one initially described, which is more compact with darker, more intensely colored flowers. The lowland type is very tall with many more, lighter colored flowers per a flower spike. C. maxima can be easily identified visually, because in all its varieties and color forms, it has a distinctive yellow stripe which runs down the middle of its lip.
Links: Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia • Kew Science Plants of the World Online

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