Floral Magazine (London) 1: t. 32 (1872)

Notable varieties:

RHS has given 16 First Class Certificates and more than 30 Awards of Merit to C. mendelii and most flowers exhibited had this beautiful contrast between the lip and the sepals and petals. C. mendelii has more semialba clones than any other of the Cattleya species, and very few true albas have been found. The two best-known albas were both imported by Low. Relatively few dark-petaled clones of C. mendelii have been found, and these have seldom been as beautiful as those with pastel sepals and petals and a contrasting darker lip. Cattleya mendelii also has flowers of relatively thin substance, which adds to their delicate beauty.

• C. mendelii f. alba ‘Bluntii’ FCC/RHS (1885) – was named for Low’s collector who found the plant
• C. mendelii f. alba ‘Stuart Low’ FCC/RHS (1910) – was an 8-inch giant with wide petals that is usually considered the finest alba clone of the species, surprisingly, ‘Stuart Low’ was still available commercially as late as 1950
• C. mendelii f. semialba ‘Thule’ AM/RHS (1912) – it has a pale pinkish tint to the lip that gives it an enchanting appearance
• C. mendelii f. semialba ‘Duke of Malborough’ FCC/RHS (1886) – featured in Reichenbachia 1 pg. 35 (1893)
• C. mendelii f. semialba ‘Measuresiana’ – quoting R.A. Rolfe editor of The Orchid Review “Owing to the exceeding great beauty of this variety, the Reichenbachia is adorned by one of the finest paintings that ever left the pencil of a painter in any age.”
• C. mendelii f. semialba ‘Carlos Arango’ – is one of the best modern day varieties of the species, shown on book page 110
• C. mendelii f. albens ‘Princess of Wales’ FCC/RHS (1900) – quasialba form with very nice compostition
• C. mendelii f. albescens AM/RHS (1899) – quasialba form with wide petals
• C. mendelii ‘Amelia’ AM/RHS (1898) – semialba form with blush on the lip
• C. mendelii ‘Beatrice Ashworth’ AM/RHS (1898) – alba form
• C. mendelii ‘Burford’ AM/RHS (1899) – light lavender form with impressive contrasting crimson lip
• C. mendelii ‘Cicero’ AM/RHS (1905) – light lavender form, gigantic flower with droopy petals and nice dark extra frilly lip
• C. mendelii ‘Frances Wellesley’ AM/RHS (1907) – semialba form with purple lip tip
• C. mendelii ‘Gigantea’ AM/RHS (1901) – light lavender form, gigantic flower with droopy petals
• C. mendelii ‘His Majesty the King’ FCC/RHS (1908) – pale lavender form with very nice composition and little bit of purple at the lip tip
• C. mendelii ‘King George V’ AM/RHS (1910) – dark lavender form with unusual white lateral sepals
• C. mendelii ‘Madonna’ AM/RHS (1897) – semialba form with dark purple blotch on the lip
• C. mendelii ‘Mercury’ AM/RHS (1906) – light lavender form, gigantic flower with droopy petals and nice dark lip
• C. mendelii ‘Mrs E. V. Low’ AM/RHS (1898) – semialba form with upright petals and dark purple blotch on the lip
• C. mendelii ‘Mrs Frederick Knollys’ AM/RHS (1906) – concolor form and exposed column
• C. mendelii ‘Mrs Robert Tunstill’ AM/RHS (1901) – semialba form with very pleasant composition and upright dorsal sepal
• C. mendelii ‘Mrs Smee’ AM/RHS (1915) – light lavender form with balanced overall round composition and impressive dark lip
• C. mendelii ‘Oakes Ames’ FCC/RHS (1898) – flamea form with flaring on petals with light lavender perianth, and gorgeous dark lip
• C. mendelii ‘Pearl McBean’ AM/RHS (1910) – flamea form with flaring on petals with balanced composition and impressive dark lip
• C. mendelii ‘Perfection’ AM/RHS (1899) – gigantic flower with falcate petals
• C. mendelii ‘Princess Victoria’ FCC/RHS (1910) – light lavender form with pleasant lip colouring
• C. mendelii ‘Queen Alexandra’ AM/RHS (1901) – flamea form with flaring on petals with balanced composition
• C. mendelii ‘Queen Mary’ FCC/RHS (1912) – semialba form with very pale pastel lip, nice upright petals and pleasant shape
• C. mendelii ‘Queen Maud’ AM/RHS (1910) – semialba form with fuschia lip
• C. mendelii ‘Wisetonensis’ AM/RHS (1902) – light lavender form, gigantic flower with droopy petals and nice dark lip

Notable primaries:

• Bc. Digbyano-mendelii (C. mendelii x B. digbyana)
• C. Atlantic (C. mendelii x C. trianaei)
• C. Armainvillierensis (C. mendelii x C. warscewiczii)
• C. Suavior ‘Aquinii’ (C. mendelii x C. intermedia ‘aquinii’) the best red-colored primary hybrid
• Sc. Thwaitesii (C. mendelii x Soph. coccinea), which had better shape, size, and a clearer red color than Sc. Doris (C. dowiana x Soph. coccinea)