Cattleya aurea Linden 1883 SUBGENUS Cattleya SECTION Xantheae Withner 1988
Photo by © Jay Pfahl .
Photo by © Eric Hunt
Photo by © David Hunt
Drawing by © B S Williams and T Mopore
to 
Common Name Golden Yellow Cattleya
Flower Size 7" [17.5 cm]
Found in Risaralda, Antioquia and Choco' departments of Colombia on rough barked trees at elevations of 300 to 1000 meters as a medium sized, hot to warm growing epiphyte with stout, clavate, furrowed pseudobulbs carrying a single, apical, erect, coriaceous, broadly oblong, obtuse leaves that blooms in the month of May in Colombia [about 2 months after C dowiana in Costa Rica] on a terminal, arising through a compressed, bluntish leafy spathe, several [4 to 6] flowered, short inflorescence carrying fragrant, short lived flowers.
This species is highly endangered in the wild and as such should never be bought unless it is guaranteed to be seedgrown.
It is sometimes said to be synomonous with Cattleya dowiana Bateman 1886 but they differ with C aurea having larger flowers, wider petals and sepals and has a much truer yellow color, not coppery as in C dowiana. The C aurea also has a better presentation as well as a different scent.
Synonyms Cattleya chrysotaxa (Sander) God.-Leb. 1890; Cattleya chrysotoxa Hort. 1891; Cattleya dowiana f. marmorata (auct.) Pupulin 2015; Cattleya dowiana subsp. aurea (Linden) Pupulin 2015; Cattleya dowiana var aurea Will & Moore 1883; Cattleya dowiana var. aurea-alba Cogn. 1897; Cattleya dowiana var. aurea-marmorata auct. 1896; Cattleya dowiana var. chrysotaxa Sander 1890; Cattleya labiata subvar. aurea (Linden) Schltr. 1914
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
*Ill. Hort. 30: t. 493 Linden 1883;
Orchid Album 2: t. 84 B.S.Williams & T.Moore 1883 as C dowiana var aurea;
Orchid Album 2: t. 84 B.S.Williams & T.Moore 1883 as C dowiana var aurea drawing fide;
Reichenbachiana 2: 71 Sander 1889 as Cattleya dowiana var. chrysotoxa
Garden (London, 1871-1927) 38: 344 Gower 1890 as C chrysotoxa;
Gard. Chron., ser. 3, 20: 425 Mast. 1896 as Cattleya dowiana var. aurea-marmorata;
Dict. Icon. Orchid., Cattleya: t. 2c Cogniaux 1897 as Cattleya dowiana var. aurea-alba
Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915 as C labiata subvar aurea;
Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 C labiata subvar aurea;
AOS Bulletin Vol 38 #2 1969 as C dowiana var aurea photo fide;
Orchid Digest Vol 34 #4 1970 as C dowiana ssp aurea photo fide;
Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 10 576 - 632 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1977;
Orchid Digest Vol 42 No 2 1978 as C dowiana var aureum photo fide;
Orchid Digest Vol 42 No 6 1978 photo fide as C dowiana var aureum;
AOS Bulletin Vol 49 No 7 1980 as C dowiana var aureum photo fide;
Orquideologia Vol 15 #1 Luer & Escobar 1981 as C chrysolaxa sic;
Growing Orchids Rentoul Vol 1982 as C dowiana var aurea;
AOS Bulletin Vol 54 No 2 1985 as C dowiana var aureum photo fide;
Orchid Digest Vol 56 No 4 1992 photo fide;
Orchid Digest Vol 57 No 2 1993 photo fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 67 No 7 1998 photo/drawing;
The Colombian Cattleya and Their Color Variations Toulemonde 2004;
The Catttleya and Their Relatives Withner Vol 1 1988 photo fide;
Manual of Cultivated Orchids Bechtel, Cribb and Laurent 1982 as C dowiana var aurea;
An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids Pridgeon 1982 as C dowiana var aurea;
AOS Bulletin Vol 71 No 4 2002 as C dowiana var aurea;
AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 1 2003 as C dowiana var aurea photo fide;
Orquideologia Vol 24 #1 2005 photo good;
AOS Bulletin Vol 75 No 3 2006 as C dowiana var aurea photo fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 75 No 9 2006 as C dowiana var aurea photo fide;
Orchids of the Department of Valle de Cauca Colombia Vol 2 Kolanowska, Hagsater, Szlachetko, Ayala and Saldana 2014;
Orchids, A Colombian Treasure Vol 1 Ortiz & Uribe 2014 photo fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 84 1:49 2015 as C dowiana subsp. aurea;
AOS Bulletin Vol 84 1:53 2015 as Cattleya dowiana f. marmorata;
Orchid Digest Vol 79 #4 2015 as C dowiana var aurea photo fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #3 2016 as C dowiana var aurea photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #4 2016 as C dowiana subsp aurea photo fide;
AOS Bulletin Vol 86 #5 2017 photo fide;
Orchid Digest Vol 82 #3 2018 photo fide;
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