This plant was discovered by Edmundo Silva in Bahia and described in his honor by Guido Pabst. Its status as species was doubtful since some taxonomists said that it was actually Lc. x albanensis, a natural hybrid between Laelia grandis and Cattleya warneri. Carl. L. Withner at first put it in his doubtful species list, but then in 2002 (if I am not wrong), with more data in hands, he recognized it as a perfectly valid species. Kew, for some reason, insists keeping it as synonym to Lc. albanensis.
The flower strongly reminds one of the large Brazilian Laelias (but then, Cattleya maxima too!!). Nevetheless, some points remain that those who defend this flower hybrid condition do not explain: why all C. silvana have four perfectly defined pollinias, like any other ordinary Cattleya, instead of 6 as it would be expected in case it was a hybrid (8 from the Laelia parent, 4 from the Cattleya parent)? Why C. silvana is an early autumn bloomer while the two alleged parents are spring bloomers? Some other characteristics are also intriguing, like the frontal part of the side lobes always colored with the same purple color of the mid-lobe, while this is not a characteristic presented by the two supposed parents; or the stripes that the parents have in the throat and under the column that are almost always absent in C. silvana and when they appear they are barely seen.
In my opinion more research would be necessary before definitely assuming it is a hybrid because, at least for now, there are reason pointing to both possibilities.
The two last photos show the alleged parents.
Cattleya silvana Pabst
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