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Species library › Cattleya › Cattleya elongata
Orchids Partly documented

Cattleya elongata

A bifoliate Cattleya endemic to the campo rupestre of north-eastern Brazil, the rocky, sun-baked quartzite highlands of Bahia. It grows on exposed rock, so it needs very bright light, strong airflow, a fast-drying mount or basket and a dry winter rest. It crosses naturally with other Cattleya species in the wild, forming Cattleya × tenuata and Cattleya × undulata.

Cattleya elongata
Photo: João Medeiros, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows on rock (lithophyte)

Where it grows wild

Campo rupestre: open, windy rocky outcrops on quartzite and sandstone, with shallow, nutrient-poor, fast-draining soils, high light and a wet summer and dry winter. Rocky outcrops there are typically dominated by orchids and bromeliads. It grows among rocks and in rock crevices rather than on trees.

Campo rupestre lies at roughly 900–2000 m; no species-specific elevation data was available to us.

North-eastern Brazil (Bahia)

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY 2.0 licence, unmodified.