Cattleya violacea

One of the most iconic and geographically widespread members of the Cattleya genus, Cattleya violacea is a warm-growing epiphytic orchid native to the humid, lowland rainforests of the Amazon Basin. This species is renowned for its intensely fragrant, vivid purple to magenta flowers, often with a contrasting golden throat, and is considered by many to be the quintessential wild Cattleya.

In its native habitat, C. violacea typically grows along riverbanks, where it benefits from constant warmth, high humidity, and excellent air circulation. The plant produces pseudobulbs topped with a single, leathery leaf, and under optimal conditions, it blooms once or more per year with large, showy flowers—each up to 5 inches (12 cm) across.