Species library › Cattleya › Cattleya quadricolor
Orchids Well documented

Cattleya quadricolor

A large-flowered, unifoliate Cattleya from Colombia, found mainly around the Cauca valley between about 600 and 1500 m. Its fragrant white to pale lavender flowers are bell-shaped and never open fully, with a yellow and purple lip. It grows warm-intermediate with bright light, steady humidity and only a short drier spell.

Cattleya quadricolor
Photo: Orchi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night A clear drop at nightTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows on trees (epiphyte)

Where it grows wild

An epiphyte on trees in the forests of the valleys and lower slopes of western and central Colombia, especially the Cauca valley. Most of these forests have been cleared.

Wikipedia gives 600–1500 m. Measured sites are at 950–1190 m.

Colombia

🔒 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.