The genus Cattleya has some of the showiest orchid species, but also shelter a few that are, say, more modest. Plants like Cattleya dormaniana, C. elongata, C. kerrii, C. porphyroglossa and C. mooreana may not be the queens of the visual appeal, but they are attractive in their own ways. Unfortunately, they are not quite often seen in the collections and by consequence also little known by the orchid enthusiasts.
The flowers shown below belong to Cattleya mooreana, a species discovered in Peru by the end of the 50’s if my memory works well, but described only in 1988 by Dr. Carl L. Withner in the first Volume of his interesting work entitled The Cattleyas and Their Relatives, Vol. I - The Cattleyas. There, the original Latin description appears and he also tells how he came across the new plant in the 1958, only to loose it right after having it in hands, not before he could take a photograph of the flowers. Almost 30 years would pass before he could have another specimen in hands, in 1987, to proceed with the description the species deserved.
But, Cattleya mooreana continues to be a seldom seen species in the collections and quite often orchidists look at it as though it was a mere variation of C. luteola. Although similar, it is not. The plant is much more robust and taller than its dwarf cousin. Well-grown plants easily reach 40-45 cm in height. The flowers substance is heavy, somewhat less waxy than in Cattleya gutatta or schilleriana for comparison, but much more than what is seen in C. luteola. Also, the lip in C. mooreana is covered with small, white hairs, which can be seen in the close up photo of the lip below, something I cannot see in C. luteola.
Although very difficult to find here in Brazil, I already had it before, but ended up loosing it during an excessively cold winter when I forgot the plant outside. I acquired this plant last year in a very poor condition, infected by fungal diseases, one of the leaves with a deep cut, almost dividing it in two halves. It has been treated since then and shows signs of gradual recovery. The new pseudo bulb born in my grh is shorter than the others, but clean, free of the dark fungal marks and gave these three flowers.
Here they are:
Cattleya mooreana Withner, Allison & Guenard on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
And here's the lip close up:
Cattleya mooreana Withner, Allison & Guenard on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Not so often seen Cattleya mooreana
Threaded Mode
