Species library › Cattleya › Cattleya motae
Orchids Little published: much of this is inferred from related species

Cattleya motae

Cattleya motae is a little-known species described by L.C. Menezes. Its only public specimen (2008) is from a serra in Bahia at about 1000 m. Little is published about how it grows, so treat it like the rock-dwelling cattleyas of the Bahian highlands: strong light, fast drainage, cool nights and a dry winter.

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

The specimen label gives only a mountain locality in Bahia at 1000 m. At that altitude in Bahia most endemic cattleyas grow on rocks in campo rupestre, so a lithophytic habit is assumed but not confirmed.

The single specimen is from about 1000 m.

Brazil Northeast

🔒 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.