Need help identifying this (likely) Cattleya

[Richard van Antwerp]

I began growing orchids a few years ago, and now I've become passionate about these fascinating plants. One of my first orchids is still one of my favorites, but before I knew better, I lost the identification tag. Can anyone tell me what it is? I believe it's a Cattleya, but I don't know the species.

It's bloomed twice over the past several years. Quite frequently, it puts out a spike and then the spike dries up before it produces a bloom. Can anyone suggest reasons why the spikes often dry out before they produce a bloom?

Many thanks. Richard

P.S. I apologize for the photograph being sideways. It's my first post and I'm still trying to find my way through the process.

[Greenthumb.5]

It is not a cattleya. It is actually a brassavola hybrid. It looks like a match to one of Richard Lindberg's entries (backbulb blog) which is Brassanthe Maikai and he states "This hybrid is a classic, Brassavola nodosa x Guarianthe bowringiana. Renamed from Bc Maikai, registered in 1944." but he has two blog entries about this hybrid.

Hope I could help you!

[Richard van Antwerp]

Many thanks for your response and for your help. I'll take a look at the blog and see if I can gain any further insight about this lovely plant.

Thanks again.

[isurus79]

Definitely looks like Bc. Maikai to me too.

[PaphMadMan]

There are some other similar hybrids, but Maikai is very common so it is quite possible. Can't be sure though.

Not a Cattleya hybrid by current classification, but still in the Cattleya alliance, and general Cattleya culture is appropriate.

[Brazilin]

Its a Bc. Maikai.
Beautiful orchid, also.

[hagfish]

It looks very much like one of the Brassavola nodosa intergenic hybrids. The species has tube shaped leaves and night scented flowers with thread like petals and sepals. Your plant may have been crossed with any of a number of cattleya, laelia or brassavola hybrids to achieve the purple color. Flowering problems are very hard to diagnose with such complex hybrids. Each of the species which contributed to it had its own specific combination of requirements, so it is pure guesswork with complex hybrids. B. nodosa is a warm growing species, which like most Brassavolas, doesn't mind dry conditions. The last big specimen I had was mounted on cork bark. The B. digbynata I have had for decades is a true xerophyte and I almost lost it when I carelessly planted it in a medium which retained too much moisture. It is now in coarse fir bark and thriving with just one watering every 10 days or so.