Which Cattleya?

[nemesis]

Hi Gurus, I was wondering which Cattleya species is more able to rebound from rookie mistakes...a Purpurata or Lobata. I have some Purpuratas and so far so good, but would like to try a Lobata. I am however, a little gun shy after choosing a genus I couldn’t provide the right care for with my Angraecoids. I have heard Lobata is a shy bloomer, requiring high light. I am particularly interested in its temperature tolerance, as my house stays no hotter than 80 F.
Thanks in Advance,
Kelly

[Roberta]

I'd consider purpurata and lobata pretty much interchangeable. I grow both under exactly the same conditions. C. (L.) lobata plants are a bit smaller, I think has a slightly higher flower-to-plant ratio. Flowers are also a bit smaller than those of purpurata but likely to have more of them. So it's not "either/or" but "both/and" . C. lobata doesn't have the huge variety of color forms of C. purpurata, so maybe one doesn't need so many individual plants, but it's a great addition to the collection. I have a C. lobata alba that is a flower machine. Nothing shy about it.

With regard to temperature, both species are equally forgiving. Pretty much anything from about 35 deg F (2 deg C) to 100 deg F (38 deg C) Your environment is a lot more benign than mine (that have to take whatever Mother Nature dishes out). They tolerate extremes but certainly don't require them.

[nemesis]

Awesome, Roberta! Thank you so much. I found one....Lobata...I really wanted so I think I’ll pull that trigger.

[Jeff214]

They seem to grow pretty similarly but I think lobata (and crispa more) are more sensitive to having its roots disturbed compared to purpurata. I've heard this from other growers and found it to be the case for mine. But I guess repotting timing advice is standard for any cattleya.