This hybrid species is known for its intensely pigmented pink flowers. These flowers seem to beam with colour! They have a velvet-like texture and appearance, held up by an erect inflorescence bearing 2 - 3 scented flowers.
What I love about this plant is its family tree! Cattleya love castle is a 1991 cross hybrid of C. Psyche x C. José Dias Castro. One of its parents, Cattleya psyche, is a 1902 primary cross hybrid C. cinnabarina x C. coccinea. The other, Cattleya José Dias Castro, is a 1966 cross hybrid of C. labiata x C. Sam W. Soysa as seen below:
 C. Sam W. Soysa. goes back over four generations including yellow, white and pink orchids dating back to 1896. But the family tree does not stop there as there is also natural hybridisation prior to this date.Images seen in the family tree are from the Orchids.org with the exception of my own image of the Cattleya Love Castle photographed at the Orchidarium in Estepona. To see more of the Orchidarium and many more orchids please visit my photography blog The Daily Encounters! |
