Cattleya maxima

Late summer often brings an ebb in flowering in everyone's garden. Not here. Late summer is one of the most interesting seasons in the Fuqua Orchid Center. Now is the time to see stanhopeas, anguloas, miltonias, catasetums ...and lots of Cattleya maxima, an outstanding late summer species.

Cattleya maxima grows as an epiphyte or occasional lithophyte in lowland and highland forests from 10 to 1500 meters in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. In the southern hemisphere (where long days coincide with Christmas) it is known as Flor de Navidad, the Christmas Orchid.

Cattleya maxima, Flor de Navidad

Late summer is a great time to see Cattleya maxima at the Fuqua Orchid Center. Dozens of plants spill from the branches of epiphyte trees and pose in pots around the reflection pools, just waiting to have their pictures taken. They are glorious.

Cattleya maxima is native to Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. It flowers under long day conditions, so in the southern hemisphere it flowers in December--hence the common name  Flor de Navidad,  the Christmas Flower.