Cattleya forbesii Lindley 1826 SUBGENUS Intermedia [Cogn.] Withner 1989

Photo by © Eric Hunt

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Common Name Forbes' Cattleya [English Orchid Collector 1800's]

Flower Size Up to 4 1/2" [6 to 11 cm]

Found in Rio de Janiero, Sao Paulo, Parana and Santa Catarina states of Brazil near streams or the sea coast on trees and rocks or on bushes under trees at elevations around 200 meters as a cool to warm growing, medium sized epiphyitc or lithophytic species from with slightly swollen pseudobulbs subtended by several membraneous sheaths and carrying 2 apical, oblong, coriaceous, spreading, rounded, notched apically leaves that blooms from autumn until spring on an erect, terminal, 4.6" to 6" [9 to 15 cm] long, 1 to few [6] flowered inflorescence subtended basally by a sheath from which long-lived, fragrant bubble gum scented , waxy, color variable flowers arise.

Best grown mounted to tree fern or cork or potted in well draining medium, bright light, cool to warm temperatures and a warm humid summer and a slight winter rest after flowering.

Synonyms Cattleya forbesii f. alba A.S.Medeiros & Xim.Bols. 2013; Cattleya forbesii f. andreana A.S.Medeiros & Pegoraro 2015; Cattleya forbesii f. aquinii A.S.Medeiros & Pegoraro 2014; Cattleya forbesii f. aurea A.Seidel ex Roeth 2006; Cattleya forbesii f. beatriciana A.S.Medeiros & Pegoraro 2013; Cattleya forbesii f. coerulea A.S.Medeiros & Zager 2013; Cattleya forbesii f. delicata A.S.Medeiros & Zager 2013; Cattleya forbesii f. flammea A.S.Medeiros & Zager 2013; Cattleya forbesii f. maculata A.S.Medeiros & Zager 2013;Cattleya forbesii f. marginata A.S.Medeiros & Xim.Bols. 2013; Cattleya forbesii f. oculata A.S.Medeiros & Xim.Bols. 2013; Cattleya forbesii f. parda A.S.Medeiros & Pegoraro 2013; Cattleya forbesii f. rosea A.S.Medeiros & Pegoraro 2013; Cattleya forbesii f. rubra A.S.Medeiros & Pegoraro 2013; Cattleya forbesii f. trilabellata A.S.Medeiros & Zager 2013; Cattleya forbesii f. venosa A.S.Medeiros & Pegoraro 2013; Cattleya forbesii f. viridipetala A.S.Medeiros & Xim.Bols. 2013; Cattleya forbesii var. viridiflora Horta 1936; Cattleya fulva Beer 1854; Cattleya isopetala Beer 1854; Cattleya pauper [Vell] Stellfeld 1949; Cattleya vestalis Hoffmannsegg 1843; Epidendrum forbesii Rchb.f 1861; Epidendrum pauper Vell 1825; Maelenia paradoxa DuMort. 1834

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;

* Coll. Bot.: t. 37 Lindley 1826

Fl. Flumin. 9: t. 13 Vell. 1831 as Epidendrum pauper;

Mém. Acad. Roy. Sci. Belgique 9: 13 Dumont 1834 as Maelenia paradoxa

Verz Orchid., ed. 2: 46 Hoffmanns. 1843 as C vestialis;

Prakt. Stud. Orchid.: 210 Beer 1854 as C fulva;

Prakt. Stud. Orchid.: 211 Beer 1854 as C isopetala;

Ann. Bot. Syst. 6: 316 Rchb.f 1861 as Epidendrum forbesii;

Xenia Orchidaceae 2: 31 Rchb.f 1874 as Epidendrum forbesii;

Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915;

Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 drawing;

Rodriguésia 1(3): 19 1936 as C forbesii var viridiflora;

Arq. Mus. Paranaense 7: 345 Stellfeld 1949 as C pauper

Iconografia de Orchidaceae Do Brasil Hoehne 1949 drawing fide;

AOS Bulletin Vol 27 No 5 1958 drawing;

AOS Bulletin Vol 27 No 9 1958 drawing fide;

Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965;

AOS Bulltein Vol 35 No 10 1966;

AOS Bulletin Vol 36 #7 1967 photo fide;

AOS Bulletin Vol 38 No 3 1969 photo fide;

Orchid Digest Vol 38 No 1 1974 photo fide;

Orchidaceae Brasilienses Pabst & Dungs Band I 1975 drawing fide;

Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 10 576 - 632 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1977 photo fide;

The Brazilian Bifoliate Cattleyas and Their Color Variations Fowlie 1977;

AOS Bulletin Vol 50 No 5 1981 photo fide;

Growing Orchids Vol 2 Rentoul 1982;

Orchid Digest Vol 47 #3 1983 ad photo fide;

AOS Bulletin Vol 52 No 11 1983 photo fide;

AOS Bulletin vol 53 no 7 1984 photo fide;

AOS Bulletin Vol 54 No 11 1985 photo;

AOS Bulletin Vol 55 No 7 1986 photo fide;

The Catttleya and their Relatives Withner Vol 1 1988 photo fide;

Orchids Travel By Air A Pictoral Safari Mulder, Mulder-Roelfsema and Schuiteman 1990 photo fide;

An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids Pridgeon 1992;

Manual of Cultivated Orchids Bechtel, Cribb and Laurent 1992 photo fide;

Miniature Orchids McQueen 1992;

Orchids of Brazil McQueen 1993 photo fide;

Manual of Orchids Stewart 1995;

AOS Bulletin Vol 70 No 10 2001 photo fide;

AOS Bulletin Vol 70 No 10 2001 as C forbesii var alba photo fide;

Botanica's Orchids Laurel Glen 2002;

AOS Bulletin Vol 74 No 9 2005 photo fide;

AOS Bulletin Vol 75 No 6 2006 photo fide;

AOS Bulletin Vol 75 No 7 2006 photo fide;

Orchidee (Hamburg) 57: 608 A.Seidel ex Roeth 2006 as C forbesii f. aurea

AOS Bulletin Vol 76 No 4 2007 photo fide;

Miniature Orchids Frownie 2007;

AOS Bulletin Vol 77 No 11 2008 photo fide;

AOS Bulletin Vol 81 #7 2012 photo fide;

Cattleya forbesii Santa Catarina: 10 A.S.Medeiros & Zager 2013 as C forbesii f. flamea

Cattleya forbesii Santa Catarina: 10 A.S.Medeiros & Zager 2013 as C forbesii f maculata;

Cattleya forbesii Santa Catarina: 10 A.S.Medeiros & Zager 2013 as C forbesii f parda;

Cattleya forbesii Santa Catarina: 10 A.S.Medeiros & Zager 2013 as C forbesii f rosea;

Cattleya forbesii Santa Catarina: 10 A.S.Medeiros & Zager 2013 as C forbesii f rubra;

Cattleya forbesii Santa Catarina: 10 A.S.Medeiros & Zager 2013 as C forbesii f trilabellata;

Cattleya forbesii Santa Catarina: 10 A.S.Medeiros & Zager 2013 as C forbesii f venosa;

Cattleya forbesii Santa Catarina: 11 A.S.Medeiros & Zager 2013 as C forbesii f. coerulea

Cattleya forbesii Santa Catarina: 11 A.S.Medeiros & Zager 2013 as C forbesii f. delicata;

Richardiana 13: 165 2013 as C forbesii f alba photo fide;

Richardiana 13: 167 2013 as C forbesii f beatriciana

Richardiana 13: 167 2013 as C forbesii f marginata;

Richardiana 13: 167 2013 as C forbesii f occulata;

Richardiana 13: 170 2013 as C forbesii f viridipetala;

Richardiana 13: 167 A.S.Medeiros & Pegoraro 2013 as C forbesii f. beatriciana

Orquidário 28: 56 A.S.Medeiros & Pegoraro 2014 as C forbesii f. aquinii

Orchid Digest Vol 79 #4 2015 photo fide;

Orchid Digest Vol 80 #2 2016;

Richardiana 16: 67 2015 as C forbesii f andreana;

Richardiana 16: 67 2015 as C forbesii f eburnea;

AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #9 2016 photo/drawing fide;

AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #11 2016 photo fide;

AOS Bulletin Vol 86 # 1 2017 photo fide;

AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #8 2019 photo fide;

AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #10 2019 photo fide;

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