Cattleya pfisteri

A small rock-dwelling Cattleya from the Chapada Diamantina in Bahia, formerly Laelia pfisteri, with deep magenta-purple flowers. It grows in full sun on quartzite outcrops around 1000–1300 m, with warm days, cool nights and a dry winter. Grow it hard: very bright light, a mineral mix and a real winter dry season.

At home, aim for

Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry

Night A clear drop at nightTargets 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

A lithophyte of the campo rupestre, the rocky highland grassland on quartzite and sandstone. It roots into cracks and thin moss mats on exposed rock, in full sun and wind.

Measured sites are between 575 and 1313 m. Wikipedia gives around 1300 m. The 575 m site is probably a lowland-grid artefact or an imprecise record.

Bahia (Brazil)

🔒 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-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.