Cattleya aurantiaca

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Cattleya aurantiaca is one of my personal favorites when it comes
to Catts. The flowers are bright orange with darker markings in the
throat and on the lip, usually red and in the form of dots or
elongated dots. The blooms are smallish, usually 1.5-2.5".
The blooms are borne on short spikes, usually in clusters of
2 - 10 blooms per spike. Of particular note is the fact that
these plants reach blooming size at a very young age and in
fact will often bloom in 2" pots with only 2 or 3 growths. They
do get quite a bit larger, though not quite as large as a full
sized Catt. Well grown specimens may sport hundreds of blooms.
In addition to the normal orange form, there are reds, yellows and
alba's as well. Any of these are excellent plants for the beginner
though the non-orange forms can carry a rather hefty price tag.

We grow C. aurantiaca in intermediate conditions, temps 60-90,
light in the 3000 FC range, feeding and watering just as the media
is becoming dry. They do well mounted, grown in pots with a medium
bark mix, or in water culture. With respect to this last method, the
plants grow well, bloom and will even carry a seed pod with no
apparent detrimental effects.

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