Cattleya pygmaea

Cattleya pygmaea, formerly Sophronitis coccinea subsp. pygmaea, is a miniature relative of the scarlet Sophronitis from the montane Atlantic Forest of Espírito Santo. It is a cool-to-intermediate twig epiphyte, which needs constant moisture, high humidity and good air movement.

At home, aim for

Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Humid airBand in Plantistry

Light Dappled lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

No rest periodGrows on trees (epiphyte)

Where it grows wild

It grows on mossy branches and trunks in humid montane Atlantic Forest, as one specimen notes ("na mata de montanha"). Like C. coccinea, it lives where frequent fog and mist keep the moss wet.

The measured sites are at about 860 m and 1,120 m, one record reads 655 m, and one montane forest specimen reads 1,800 m. Most plants are probably between about 700 and 1,300 m.

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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More Cattleya

Cattleya dowiana Cattleya trianae Cattleya mossiae Cattleya cinnabarina Cattleya crispata Cattleya schroederae Cattleya coccinea Cattleya rex Cattleya purpurata Cattleya warscewiczii Cattleya bicolor Cattleya gaskelliana All 288 →

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.