Cattleya [Corsage Orchid]

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Cattleya [CATT-lee-ah] ... commonly known as "Corsage orchids" ...

A genus of orchid containing about 50 species ...

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

These are native to South America ... Brazil, Venezuela, Columbia, Peru, Costa Rica ...

Cattleya is largely known for large showy flowers ... A typical flower has three narrow petals. Two are fringed and the third is the conspicuous lip with fringed margin and various markings and specks. At the base of the fringed margins are folded like a tube. Each flower stalk originated from a pseudobulb ... Number of flowers may vary from 1-2 to 10 ...

First shot taken on May 23, 2007 and second shot on April 24, 2007.