About Cattleya warscewiczii Rchb.f.
Cattleya warscewiczii Rchb.f., commonly called Warscewicz's Cattley's orchid, is a labiate Cattleya orchid species. It was first collected by Józef Warszewicz in Colombia between 1848 and 1849, and formally described by Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach in 1855. This species displays the sympodial growth habit typical of the Cattleya genus. Its pseudobulbs are unifoliate, cylindrical or cigar-shaped, grooved, and grow 20 to 40 centimeters (8 to 16 inches) long. The flowers measure 17.5 to 27.5 centimeters (7 to 11 inches) across, making them the largest in the Cattleya genus; they are showy and fragrant. When cultivated, this species flowers in summer from the spring growth produced in the same year. It requires strong light and good air movement to grow well. The diploid chromosome number of Cattleya warscewiczii is 2n = 40, and the haploid chromosome number is n = 20. This species hybridizes naturally with C. aurea (also referred to as C. dowiana) to produce the natural hybrid C. × hardyana. It has also been used extensively in artificial Cattleya hybridization to develop large-flowered hybrid Cattleyas.
