To experienced Cattleya Growers.
 

Hello Cattleya Growers.
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All my Cattleya species plants are fragrant.

So the question arises : "which insects, in nature, function as pollinators of Cattleya plants ?"

I would be grateful for substantiated information :).
Thank you,
Manfred.

If the Catts are fragrant during the day; butterflies, bees, etc...
If fragrant at night, most likely moths

I believe most of your standard Cattleya species are pollinated by Euglossinae bees. Other genera like Brassavola are pollinated at night by moths (like SJF said), while Sophronitis is pollinated by hummingbirds (I think, not 100% sure on this one). I've also seen black bumblebees (Xylocopa sonorina) in Hawaii pollinating Myrmecophila tibicinis. I also know that most growers of M. tibicinis in Hawaii have short lived flowers because of this bee.

I think you will need the species name for substantiated information. Steve has offered clues to how diverse the pollinators for the Catt alliance are.

The only one I have seen for myself would be bees pollinating my encyclias.

At least the pink and purple cattleyas are pollinated by bees, in the morning hours when the sun has warmed up the air. That is the time when they are most fragrant.

Fair enough ... I take it then that labiata-typ Cattleyas are bee pollinated; as confirmed by Euplusia,
whose member name is (a Genus of) bees :) ...

Thank you all for your advice,
Manfred.

Its a little more complicated than that. Bees are attracted by color, so why the variations in the catts you speak of?

There are also other insects attracted by fragrance, beetles, ants, and even animals.

Then you take into account orchids ability to change pollinators if need be, and also the ability to self pollinate.

Hello 'Got Ants' :) ...

I hope I have understood what you mean :
(a) given that each Cattleya species (and yes, even their formae) have different colors and
(b) given that all bees have large, sharp and very color-sensitive eyes,
bees should be able to differentiate between any and all Cattleya species (including their formae)
by means of flower color ...

BUT - why do the bees make the effort to arrive at all ??
Bees want to collect nectar - but most Cattleyas produce none !!

:shock: Are Cattleya flowers able to self-pollinate ??

You have brought up different aspects of Cattleya pollination, thank you.
Manfred.

PS : does anybody know the current Email address of Ms. Patricia Harding, Oregon ?
She might know more, because she was a co-author on Cattleyas ...

Euglossinae bees visit Catts for the same reason they visit Stanhopinae: for the scent generated in the flower. The male bees are thought to use the collected floral fragrance compounds in their own reproductive biology, probably as precursors of their own sex pheromones. Basically, they make their own perfume!

As far as I know, Gur. aurantiaca is the only "Cattleya" that can self pollinate. There are Epidendrums that can do this, but I think the only species that has ever been called Cattleya to self pollinate is aurantiaca.