Cattleya is a genus of 42 species of orchids from Costa Rica to tropical South America. The genus
was named in 1824 by John Lindley after William Cattley, who received and successfully cultivated
specimens of Cattleya labiata that were used as packing material in a shipment of other orchids.
The genus is abbreviated C in trade journals. They are widely known for their large, showy
flowers, and were used extensively in hybridization for the cut-flower trade until quite
recently. This genus and the numerous hybrids come close, through their beauty, to the idealized
picture we have of the orchids. The flowers of the hybrids can vary in size from 5 cm to 15 cm or
more. They occur in all colors except true blue and black.
Originally from the Islands of The Bahamas, Winston is a graduate of the New York Institute of Photography
and of the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale (A School of Professional Studies).
Email Contact: wdmunnings429@gmail.com