Cattleya trianae
 

The national flower of Colombia once was widespread over a vast area between the valleys of Cauca and Magdalena river. Local varieties were described in high numbers.
I purchased my plant about 25 years ago, when I visited the nursery of the senior and co-founder of our local group around Christmas. A short time later he complained that he had just dumped a whole bench of C. trianae, because nobody wanted to buy them. And now it was put on appendix 1 of Cites, which raised customers interest.
I like my plant because of the vivid contrast between the pink tepals and the intense cherry crimson lip. The flowers of good shape are held clearly above the leaves and emit a pleasant fragrance in the morning with a slight spicy tone (close to the fragrance of C. labiata var. rubra). The plants can become big, what is best to fully develop its qualities. It profits from a sunny winter. I have seen a similar plant described as 'var. junio'.

It's nice that it holds it's blooms up. Nice well defined throat also.

Bill

Looks beautifully grown. I bought a division of C. trianae last year and I have a sheath with a short spike in it. I hope I get a bloom as lovely as yours are.

Wow gorgeous!

Beautiful. Well done.

Kim

well done on that one,

nice above average flowers, how bout the size of each of them?

Antonio.

Trianae is a wonderful species. Yours is beautiful and obviously well grown. A local grower, here in Florida, traveled to Colombia last year and showed us a photograph of a house with it's tile rooftop covered in C. Trianae plants growing in full sun. There must have been two hundred flowers on it.

Well grown, congrats!!

That is a lovely plant great growing.

Wow Tucker now how great would it be to have an orchid growing all over your roof.

This is really a gorgeous one! I'm kicking myself for buying the C. schroederae instead of this one. Sigh.