Cattleya mossiae Hkr. 1838 SUBGENUS Cattleya SECTION Cattleya Lindley
Photo by © Jay Pfahl
Photo by © Jean Claude George
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Common Name Mrs. Moss' Cattleya [English Orchid Enthusiast 1800's] in Venezuela - Cattleya de Pascua or Easter Cattleya
Flower Size 8" [20 cm]
An endemic Venezuelan, small to medium sized, unifoliate, warm to cool growing epiphyte occuring at elevations of 900 to 1500 meters in dense forests high in the canopy, with fusiform, ridged, green pseudobulbs carrying a single, apical, oblong to narrowly ovate-oblong leaf that is rounded apically and blooms in the spring on a terminal, 12" [30 cm] long, few to several [2 to 7] flowered inflorescence arising on a mature pseudobulb and carries very fragrant garlic scented, color variable flowers.
This orchid is the national flower of Venezuela.
Synonyms Cattleya aliciae L. Linden 1895; Cattleya carrieri Houller. 1876; Cattleya edithiana Williams 1862; Cattleya frithii H.J.Veitch, Gard. Chron. 1889; Cattleya labiata var atropurpurea Paxton 1844; Cattleya labiata var candida Lindley & Paxton 1850; Cattleya labiata var. mossiae (C.Parker ex Hook.) Lindl. 1840; Cattleya labiata var picta Lindley & Paxton 1850; Cattleya labiata var picta [Lindley & Paxton]Rchb.f 1874; Cattleya labiata var reineckiana [Rchb.f]A.D.Hawkes; Cattleya mossiae f. coerulea (Cogn.) M.Wolff & O.Gruss 2007; Cattleya mossiae f. reineckeana (Rchb.f. ex O'Brien) M.Wolff & O.Gruss 2007; Cattleya mossiae f. wageneri (Rchb.f.) M.Wolff & O.Gruss 2007; Cattleya mossiae var. alexandrae B.S.Williams 1885; Cattleya mossiae var. arnoldiana B.S.Williams 1885; Cattleya mossiae var. beyrodtiana Schltr. 1913; Cattleya mossiae var. coerulea Cogn. 1899; Cattleya mossiae var. decora B.S.Williams 1891; Cattleya mossiae var. germinyana Cogn. & A.Gooss. 1898; Cattleya mossiae var. hardyana B.S.Williams & T.Moore 1884; Cattleya mossiae var. kermesiana-marginata B.S.Williams 1885; Cattleya mossiae var. magnifica B.S.Williams 1885; Cattleya mossiae var. majestica B.S.Williams 1885; Cattleya mossiae var. mcmorlandii (B.S.Williams) B.S.Williams 1874; Cattleya mossiae var. reineckeana Rchb.f. ex O'Brien 1884; Cattleya mossiae var. variabilis Cogn. & A.Gooss. 1903; Cattleya mossiae var. wageneri Braem 1986; Cattleya reineckiana Hort. 1883; Cattleya reineckiana Rchb.f 1856; Cattleya splendidissima auct. 1886 ; Cattleya wageneri Rchb.f 1854; Cattleya wagneri Hort.; Epidendrum labiatum var. mossiae [Hkr.] Rchb.f 1861; Epidendrum labiatum var. reineckeanum (Rchb.f.) Rchb.f. 1862; Epidendrum labiatum var. wageneri (Rchb.f.) Rchb.f. 1862
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Xenia Orchidaceae Rchb.f 1862 as Epidendrum labiatum var mossiae; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915 as C labiata var mossiae photo fide; Atlas des Orchidees Cultivees Constantin 1920 as C labiata var mossiae drawing fide; Iconografia de Orchidaceae Do Brasil Hoehne 1949 drawing fide; Orchids of Malaya Holttum 1957; AOS Bulletin Vol 27 No 9 1958 drawing ok; Orchid Digest Vol 23 #5 1959 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 29 No 2 1960 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 31 No 4 1962 photo fide; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 as C labiata var mossiae; AOS Bulletin Vol 36 # 9 1967; Orchid Digest Vol 34 #3 1970 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 34 #8 1970 as C mossiae var wageneri photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 39 No 2 1970 photo fide; Flora de Venezuela Foldats Volumen XV Part 3 1970 as C labiata var mossiae; Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated Vol 6 Dunsterville & Garay 1976 drawing fide; Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 10 576 - 632 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1977; Orchids of Venezuela, An Illustrated Field Guide Vol 1 Dunsterville & Garay 1979 drawing fide; Orquideologia Vol 15 #1 Luer & Escobar 1981; Growing Orchids Vol 2 Rentoul 1982; An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids Pridgeon 1982; AOS Bulletin vol 53 no 10 1984 photo fide; The Catttleya and their Relatives Withner Vol 1 1988 photo fide; The Manual of Cultivated Orchids Bechtel, Cribb and Laurent 1992 photo fide; Manual of Orchids Stewart 1995; Orchid Digest Vol 59 No 2 1995 drawing/photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 60 #4 1996 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 66 No 3 1997 photo fide; Venezuela; Paraiso de Orquideas Romero 1997 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 67 No 3 1998 photo fide; Orchid Digerst Vol 64 #2 2000 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 69 No 6 2000 photo fide; Orchids of Venezuela [An illustrated field guide] Vol. 1 Ramiro and Carnevali 2000 drawing fide; Orchid Digest Vol 66 #2 2002 photo fide; Botanica's Orchids Laurel Glen 2002; Orquideas Nativas del Tachira' Cesar Fernandez 2003 photo hmm AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 1 2003 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 73 No 3 2004 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 74 No 9 2005 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 74 No 12 2005 photo fide; The World's Most Beautiful Orchids Allikas & Nash 2005 photo fide; Genera Orchidacearum Vol 4 Part 1 Pridgeon, Chase, Cribb & Rasmusen 2005 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 75 # 3 2006 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 75 No 9 2006 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 70 #1 2006 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 76 No 4 2007 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 76 #6 2007 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 76 #11 2007 painting fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 77 No 11 2008 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 78 #6 2009 photo fide; AOS Bulletin vol 78 No 12 2009 Drawing fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 79 #4 2010 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 79 #12 2010 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 80 #4 2011 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 80 #6 2011 photo fide;
Las Orquideas del Peru Izerskyy & Bezverhov 2011 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 76 #1 2012 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 81 #6 2012 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 82 #2 2013 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 82 #3 2013 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 79 #4 2015 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 84 #9 2015 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 80 #2 2016; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #9 2016 drawing/photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 81 #2 2017 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #8 2019 photo fide;
Cattleya mossiae Hkr. var alba 1838
Photo by © Patricia Harding
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
AOS Bulletin Vol 72 No 1 2003 photo fide;
Cattleya mossiae Hkr. var coerula 1838
Photo by © David Hunt
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; AOS Bulletin Vol 39 No 5 1970; AOS Bulletin Vol 66 No 3 1997 photo; AOS Bulletin Vol 75 # 3 2006 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 86 #6 2017 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 88 #6 2019 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 89 #11 2020 photo fide;
Cattleya mossiae Hkr. var. reineckiana Hooker 1838
Photo by © Dale and Deni Borders
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Flower Size 8" [20 cm]
Found in Venezuela as a cool to hot growing epiphyte that blooms in the spring on a short, few to several [2 to 7] flowered inflorescence with fragrant flowers
Synonyms Epidendrum labiatum var. reineckeanum (Rchb.f.) Rchb.f. 1862
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
Xenia Orchidaceae Rchb.f 1862 as Epidendrum labiatum var reineckiana; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 as C labiata fma reineckiana; Orchid Digest Vol 36 No 5 1972 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 42 No 2 1978 photo; Orchid Digest Vol 59 No 2 1995 drawing/photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 67 No 3 1998 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 79 #2 2010 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 83 #8 2014 photo fide; AOS Bulletin Vol 85 #3 2016 drawing fide;
Cattleya mossiae Hkr. Var semi-alba
Photo by © Bill Garris
Cattleya mossiae Hkr. var wageneri 1838 to
W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ;
AOS Bulletin Vol 79 #4 2010 photo fide;
Photo by © Dale Borders
to
Flower Size 8" [20 cm]
Found in Venezuela as a cool to hot growing epiphyte that blooms in the spring on a short, few to several [2 to 7] flowered inflorescence carrying fragrant flowers
Synonyms Cattleya mossiae f. wageneri (Rchb.f.) M.Wolff & O.Gruss 2007; Cattleya wageneri Rchb.f 1854; Epidendrum labiatum var. wageneri (Rchb.f.) Rchb.f. 1862
References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Bonplandia Rchb.f 1854 as C wageneri; Xenia Orchidaceae Rchb.f 1854 as C wageneri drawing; Xenia Orchidaceae Rchb.f 1862 as Epidendrum labiatum var wagneri; Encyclopedia of Cultivated Orchids Hawkes 1965 as C labiata fma wageneri; Orchid Digest Vol 34 #8 1970 photo fide; Orchid Digest Vol 59 No 2 1995 photo fide;
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