Cattleya orchids were named for William Cattley of England, a patron of horticulture. Their general characteristics are presented in chapter 1. Today, this is one of the most popular orchids grown. Although the classification issues discussed in chapter 2 went a bit over my head, I was surprised to learn that some Cattleya hybrids were formed from as many as five different genera. If you are an expert in this area, or at least strongly interested in classification issues, you’ll find the tables, illustrations, and information on the various crosses possible within the Cattleya alliance valuable. Chapter 3 discusses another complex issue, introgression, which seems to be a case of plants forming natural hybrids in the wild, and slowly incorporating the characteristics of both plant parents into their genes. The offspring are able to grow in areas not suitable for either parent. CattleyaCattleyaCattleyaCattleyaCattleyaCattleya
I read every book on orchids with the background knowledge of an amateur. Looking for quality culture information on a species is always one of the first pieces of information I seek in a new book. Chapter 4 provides good details on taking care of Cattleyas. This book provides enough cultural information that I may even be willing to try growing one of these plants. Every detail from watering to propagating from seed is discussed.
Chapter 5, “Description of Species”, is the reason anyone interested in these plants should invest in this book. It covers 50 species (not hybrids or cultivars) in detail, with a outstanding photograph of each plant discussed. Each description gives the common name of the species and its geographical origins. Then you find the scientific name, the name of the person who discovered the plant, the date the name was registered, any subgenus or sections (taxonomic divisions within the Cattleya genus) the plant belongs to. The list of synonyms is particularly useful since so many plants have their names changed by various people. This information also tells where the various names were published. Each of the descriptions is thorough. The description mentions any particular problems with its final name. Then it describes the plant and gives sizes for stems, flowers, etc. Individual notes on culture are also presented.
This book is written so that both amateurs and professionals can easily understand the information provided. This is a good indication of the knowledge possessed by the author since it is difficult to write clearly if you don’t understand the topic well yourself. The photographs further enhance the value of the descriptions given.
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