Cattleya tenuis - Slender Stemmed Cattleya flowers are rich coppery bronze color with mahogany spotting. The lip is conspicuously trilobed with...
Cattleya tenuis, also called as Slender Stemmed Cattleya, Easter orchid, is a species of the genus Cattleya. This species was described by Marcos Antonio Campacci and Pedro Luiz Vedovello in 1983.
DESCRIPTION OF CATTLEYA TENUIS - SLENDER STEMMED CATTLEYA
Cattleya tenuis is native to Brazil. It is quite rare and is found growing on small treetrunks or on rocks in dry deciduous and semi-deciduous forests around Chapada Diamantina at elevations of 1000 to 1200 meters above sea level. Plants experience a very prolonged dry period in which they become completely wilted and brittle. With the return of the rain they rehydrate and sprout.
It is a medium sized, cool to warm growing epiphyte or lithophyte which reaching 48-86 cm in height with to 26-55 cm long, slender, cylindrical, elongate pseudobulb. The leaves are 2, 14-15.4 cm long by 2.9-5.0 cm wide, apical, thin, narrow, pointed, spreading, elliptic-oblong, very coriaceous.
Slender Stemmed Cattleya blooms in late summer and the fall from the terminal, to 45 cm long, few to several flowered inflorescence that are subtended by a broad sheath. The flowers are 10 cm in diameter, rich coppery bronze color with mahogany spotting. The lip is conspicuously trilobed with terminal lobe weakly divided into two lobes, white lateral lobes and magenta terminal lobe with a pale lilac peripheral region. Column white with pink streaks. The flowers have a heavy texture and can last for a long time.
CATTLEYA TENUIS - SLENDER STEMMED CATTLEYA CARE AND CULTURE
Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.
Light:
Cattleya tenuis needs a light level of 25000-35000 lux. Strong air movement should be ensured all the time, especially during flowering. In winter the light level should be the highest. If plants were previously grown in shadier conditions, the light level should be increased gradually. Rapid change can lead to very serious damage to the plant, and even to complete destruction by the sun. During growth periods, the leaves should have a medium green colour as this will indicate correct light levels.
Temperature:
In summer, the average day temperature is 25-28 °C, and the average night temperature is 15-18 °C, with a daily amplitude of 9-11 ° C. In winter, the average day temperature is 24-26 °C, and the average night temperature is 14-17 °C, with a daily amplitude of 9-11 ° C.
Humidity:
Slender Stemmed Cattleya needs the average humidity of 70-80% for most of the year, drop to 50-60% in winter. A light misting can be applied at morning and night to help to provide humidity if required when watering is not taking place. The plant like higher night time humidity, with lower daytime levels. Attention must be paid that too high humidity will spoil the flowers.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Cattleya tenuis are usually grown in pots or baskets filled with a very thick, loose, quick-drying medium that allows the roots to dry quickly after watering. Rather smaller pots sufficient for 1-2 years of growth are recommended, because the substrate in larger pots remains wet after watering for too long. Rotting may be the result of insufficiently quick drying of the roots. Most growers recommend thick bark, though others prefer pieces of cork mixed with large lumps of charcoal.
Repotting or dividing the plants should be done only when the growth of new roots begins. This will allow the plant to take root in the shortest possible time and avoid weakness. If violated at the wrong time, many plant will stagnate and eventually perish. For the first few weeks after re-potting plants should be keep dryer than usual to help protect the roots, the exception is if there are new live root tips, the plant must be grown as normal. A light misting can be applied after re-potting to help the plants along. Broken roots will rot in the pot, so preventive trimming of any broken roots are strongly recommended.
The plant can also grow well mounted on rootstocks made of cork, tree fern or uneven bark, with high humidity ensured and watering at least once a day in the growing season. In the summer during hot, dry weather, it may be necessary to water several times a day.
Watering:
Slender Stemmed Cattleya should be abundantly watered during active growth, but the roots must always dry quickly after watering. This can easily be seen, especially in clear pots by checking the root colour. Greenish or slightly translucent means the roots are still wet, and white roots are dry. When new growths reach maturity in the autumn, the amount of water should be reduced. The flower buds are susceptible to fungal infections if the plant is kept too wet before flowering.
Fertilizer:
The plants should be fertilized every week 1/4-1/2 of the recommended dose of fertilizer for orchids. A fertilizer with a high nitrogen content is beneficial from spring to mid-summer, and a fertilizer richer in phosphorus should be used in late summer and autumn.
Rest period:
Cattleya tenuis should be given a drier rest as new growths mature. In winter, when not in active growth, the plant need less water but should not be dry for long periods. Fertilization should be reduced until watering is increased in spring, especially for plants grown in the darker, short-day conditions typical of higher latitudes.
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