C. percivaliana ‘Wings’

C. percivaliana ‘Wings’

This plant came from the intermediate table at Chadwick & Son. It was late spring here when I got it and I put it in my outdoor growing area and it went to work putting up new growth. It did so well I had to repot it. Then it put up even more new growth and started growing out of the new pot again, so I potted it again. In hind sight this was a bad idea and in the end I think I set it back with the last repot as it never put down roots on the last growth it made and it only bloomed on 2 of the 5 sheaths it made over the summer. That said, it still has been a nice plant to have over the holidays and the blooms have been very long lasting, going on 3 weeks at this point. A. A. Chadwick says of the plant “Cattleya percivaliana grows in nature at relatively high altitudes from 4,000 to 6,000 feet. It is often a lithophyte found on rocks and receives considerable exposure to the sun. Under greenhouse conditions at sea level, however, it will require at least 30 percent shade in the summer to prevent the leaves from burning. Cattleya percivaliana requires lots of sun and air to obtain the best growth and the most flowers. Repotting should be done in the spring before the plant is in active growth.”  So I will put it in a little larger pot this spring then leave it alone.

There are some really cool forms of percivaliana and two that have been on my wish list for a long time are ‘ondine’ and ‘marmoreada’. Both are extremely stunning both visually and in price. They come up from time to time on ebay and often go for around 300 to 400 bucks. Perhaps one day someone will clone these forms and bring them down to a price I can afford, but until that time I will bid on them and hope I can pick one up for a steal.