Selected Species - by Peter Taylor

Cattleya violacea (H.B.K.) Rolfe

This beautiful species which has the most widespread habitat of the bifoliate Cattleayas has, for some years, presented me with a real cultural challenge.  I attempted to grow the species in a cariety of bark mixes in both plastic and terracotta pots; I tried it mounted on cork, on tree fern, on old bottlebrush limbs - all to no avail.  It only made rather stunted growth of about 9cm and, of course, did not flower.

I searched my "bibles", Veitch and Williams, and could find no description of the species. I was resigned to growing a 'bonsai' plant of Cattleya violacea and often, in the quiet confines of my glasshouse where members of my family cannot hear me talking to my plants, I quietly apologised to it for not providing for its needs.

Then, about a year ago, while browsing through Guido Braem's test on Cattleya, I noticed that the species had at one stage been described by John Lindley (1838) as Cattleuya superba. Back to Veitch and there it was - well described and with very interesting cultural notes which enabled me to bring my plant into flower within a year!

Cattleya violacea was discovered by the great collector Humboldt on the banks of the Orinoco River near the borders of Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia, and was described by Kunth (1815) as Cymbidium violeacum. Dr. Martius, a German naturalist, also found it in northern Brazil on the Rio Negro.  Sir Robert Schomburgk found plants in British Guiana in 1837 and sent them to the nursery of Loddiges in England.  Material from this well-travelled collection was then sent to John Lindley who, not knowing of Kunth's description, described the species as Cattleya superba.  Later, in 1889,, the English botanist R.A. Rolfe recognised the plant as Cattleya violacea;  at last the lovely plant had a valid name.

The species is spread over an immense territory - Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador.  I suspect that although widespread it is not plentiful.  Certainly, in Australia, plants are rarely available as either mature plant or seedling.

Cattleya violacea is not a large plant and deserves a place in the intermediate and warm glasshouse of every species enthusiast.  Veitch mentions that pseudobulbs are only 6 - 10 inches (15-25cm) while Braem states pseudobulbs are 10-20cm in height.  A bifoliate species, the plant has two leaves, elliptical in shape topping the pseudobulbs.  The flowers are beautiful, a sparkling rose/purple with a deep magenta/purple lip. The accompanying photograph indicates clearly the charms of the flower - excellent 'balance' in the flower segments, lovely colour combination and an arrestingly beautiful labellum. The blossums are also fragrant, an added bonus.

As to its culture, what did I learn from Veitch and Williams who both, in their classic texts on orchid species, wrote of Cattleya violacea as Cattleya superba about 120 years ago?  Williams maintains that "it requires plenty of water at all times.... it requires more heat than other cattleyas and is best grown on a block of wood or basket with live sphagnum moss.... it is difficult to propagate" (The Orchid Growers Manual, 1885 p.201).

Veitch is much more detailed in his habitat and cultural notes - "cultivators have frequently experienced a difficulty in inducing this Cattleya to flower so regularly as could be desired ... a difficulty, we think, that must have arisen from overlooking the fact that it inhabits hot equatorial regions.... where there is enormous evaporation constantly going on in that region of lakes and swamps ... the rainy season extends over more than six months of the year when the country is deluged for hours daily ... from the time the plants start into growth until they flower, they receive liberal supplies of water, and are suspended at the hottest end of the East Indian house".  Other literature consulted stated that the species grew at an elevation of 200-700m on exposed locations on trees in low, wet and hot tropical forests and was best grown without a rest.  

I translated these valuable tips into some changes in the care of my plant - it was moved to a higher position in the glasshouse where it received bright summer and very bright winter light.

It was repotted (again) into a small plastic pot 'crocked' at the bottom with chunks of broken polystyrene and topped with long-strand, wet sphagnum moss.  Liberal watering in summer associated with an occasional feed of weak fertiliser seemed to do the trick and I got two beautiful flowers from a relatively small (about 13cm) pseudobulbs.

Flowers should get larger as pseudobulbs strengthen and mature but I doubt I will get my plants to have blooms the size mentioned by Veitch; ie inches (12.5cm) across!

Jack Fowlie, in The Brazilian Bifoliate Cattleya and Their Colour Varieties (1977) lists a few obviously desirable varieties of the species, none of which I have seen.  Cattleya violacea var. alba must be the equal of Cattleya walkeriana var. alba for pristine beauty but unfortunately, the illustration depicted by Fowlie is not a true alba form.

Cattleya violacea var. splendens is different from the type only in having darker and larger flowers. On Fowlie's criteria the flower used to illustrate this article is of the 'splendens' variety.

I am particularly fond of bifoliate cattleyas as they have, to my  undoubtedly biased eye, a particular grace and charm lacking in some of the larger flowers single-leafed species.  Cattleya walkeriana still holds pride of place in my collection but I am proud of the effort made to flower by my Cattleya violacea considering the cultural indignities I subjected it to in past years.

Superba!

Peter Taylor

© Peter Taylor and Australian Orchid Council Inc 2001

Originally published in "Orchids Australia" August 2001.