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Species library › Cattleya › Cattleya tenebrosa
Orchids Well documented

Cattleya tenebrosa

The former Laelia tenebrosa, a large unifoliate epiphyte of coastal Atlantic forest from southern Bahia to Espírito Santo, with big bronze-brown flowers and a purple-veined lip. The measured sites are warm, humid lowlands with mild winter nights, so it is a warm-growing, bright-light cattleya with only a slight winter rest.

Cattleya tenebrosa
Photo: sunoochi from Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows on trees (epiphyte)

Where it grows wild

Epiphytic high in trees of humid coastal Atlantic forest, in bright light.

Our records lie from near sea level to about 840 m.

Brazil NortheastBrazil Southeast

🔒 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 2.0 licence, unmodified.