Cattleya guttata var. alba/aurea
 

Today I came across a Catt Guttata var aura and a question came up my mind.... whats the difference between alba and aura?

To my knowledge, in the C. guttata family, the variety alba exists. Its clear green with a pure white lip. No spotting anywhere. C. guttata v. aurea, one or two appear in a google search, fairly varied also, with & without spots. Also listed as C. leopoldii. 'aurea' generally means 'yellow'. 'alba' generally means 'white' but not in orchids.

Funny, my understanding was that in orchids, alba meant white form, and aura meant yellow form.

Now, there is also albescens, like aclaniae, where just the lip is white.

But even with large catts, they are only considered alba if there is no color at all, but, some might have yellow in the throat.

I know, not very clear... lol

Aurea should be yellow (ie. a color variety, still with a pink lip and spots on the flower) and alba should an albino with no pigment at all (ie. white lip and no spots).