Cattleya tenebrosa in flower

[MPLS_paph]

Here’s Cattleya tenebrosa in flower. These blooms are on a growth matured at the end of last year that sat in sheath all winter. There’s a newer growth that came in over winter/spring (same lead) that is also in bud with three flowers that I expect will open in a few days.

The blooms are a lot smaller than I’d expected, but there’s no evidence that this plant bloomed before (no old sheaths or spikes on older pseudobulbs) so I hope it’ll increase flower size in future years.

I wonder if this plant will always mature two growths in a row in time to bloom simultaneously; that’d be a treat.