Cattleya intermedia var. amethystina f. aquini

[Mahon]

This is a neat little species from Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, found as either a lithophyte or epiphyte.

The name is a mouthful and a half, so breaking it down;
var. amethystina refers to a purple coloration, while f. aquini is an unofficial description of the peloric flower.

This one is a large specimen, so a single cane can bear 3-4 flowers per spike. This is VERY unfortunate, since the flowers are beautiful, and are all clumped together to look like a ball of nothingness. With time, this somewhat smaller species gets canes to a foot long or a hair more.

Here's my crappy photo of this plant. Another cane is in sheath, so I will post pics of it when it blooms again, hopefully with a bit better form in the flowers and borne better. Also, I still can't get a good hang on how to work this new camera...

Cattleya intermedia var. amethystina f. aquini