Smithsonian Gardens

Common name: Gaskell's Cattleya

Family: Orchidaceae subfam. Epidendroideae (Orchid)

Synonym: Cattleya gaskelliana var. mosca, Cattleya labiata var. gaskelliana

Distribution: Trinidad to Venezuela

Habitat: Coastal mountain valleys; 700-1000m

Life form: Epiphytic

Bloom Time (northern hemisphere): May to October; peaks in July to September

Bloom characteristics: Inflorescence is 3.75" long with 2-5 flowers. Flowers are 5" across.

Fragrance: Fragrant

Pollination syndrome: Probably bee

Foliage characteristics: Unifoliate

Description: This orchid was named for an 1800s orchid collector and avid customer of the auction house which first sold C. gaskelliana to the English public. While at first it was not popular, Gaskell’s Cattleya exploded in popularity once growers realized it was a reliable May-June bloomer, the only period left in which Cattleyas imported to Europe at that time did not bloom. The demand for these Cattleyas after this realization became so high, that it was collected nearly to extinction in its native countries. As orchid hybridization took off in the 1950s, C. gaskelliana was used heavily in crosses, and the main thing that made it popular, its bloom time, was filled by hybrids. By the 1960s, this orchid which had been so thoroughly taken from the wild to satisfy trends, had also nearly disappeared from cultivation in the US. There is still little known about this orchid in the wild.

Comments: Cattleya gaskelliana