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Species library › Cattleya › Cattleya pumila
Orchids Well documented

Cattleya pumila

A dwarf unifoliate cattleya, formerly Laelia pumila, from the mountains of southeastern Brazil, carrying one to three large lilac flowers with a darker lip on a plant only about 10 cm tall. It grows as an epiphyte low on trunks in humid montane Atlantic forest and gallery forest islands in rocky grasslands, mostly around 1000–1650 m. It wants intermediate temperatures, humid moving air and bright shade, and flowers mainly from February to April in the wild.

Cattleya pumila
Photo: Dalton Holland Baptista, CC BY-SA 3.0, 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 Dappled lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows on trees (epiphyte)

Where it grows wild

Low on tree trunks and fallen branches in humid montane Atlantic forest and cloud forest in Espírito Santo, and in gallery forests and forest islands (capões) within rocky grasslands (campos rupestres) in Minas Gerais. Occasionally on rocks near waterfalls. Collectors note half shade near the forest edge.

Wild records with elevation fall at about 1240–1650 m; Wikipedia describes it as a montane species.

Brazil: Espírito SantoBrazil: Minas GeraisBrazil: Rio de Janeiro

🔒 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.