One major step the homeowner can take is to keep all pet cats indoors, since they represent a very significant threat to bird life, with an estimated 1-4 billion birds falling prey to free-roaming domestic cats yearly in the United States alone (Loss, et al. 2012).  Another thing the homeowner or business owner can do is reduce or eliminate the use of chemical pesticides which are known to directly and indirectly harm both birds and the insect life many depend on. According to one very conservative estimate, nearly 1 billion birds in the United States are directly exposed each year to pesticides, and 10% of these birds die as a result (Williams 1997). A final helpful thing an individual can do is add native plants to their yards or business grounds. Native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers provide essential cover and food in the form of berries, seeds, or insects for both resident birds and migrants passing through in the fall and spring. Because they are adapted to our regional soils and climate, they also require less fertilizer and water than the exotics that are so often planted. Using native plants instead of exotics in landscaping is also a boon for the Gulf, since nutrient runoff from fertilizers and irrigation systems has been linked to the increasing frequency and severity of red tide blooms on our coast (Brand et al. 2007).

Berry-producing trees and shrubs are especially popular for migrating birds because the berries are a quick and excellent source of energy to build up much-needed fuel reserves, and their bright colors mean the birds don’t have to spend much time looking for them (as they do insects or seeds). In addition, because native trees and shrubs have co-evolved with the passing autumn and spring bird migrations, many of them produce berries that ripen just in time to be eaten by the influx of migrants, to ensure maximum dispersal of their seeds. The birds in turn, get the energy they need for their journey to and from the Neotropics. Some excellent bird-friendly, berry-producing native trees and shrubs for southwest Florida yards include hollies (Ilex spp.), red cedar (Juniperus virginiana var. silicicola), beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), stoppers (Eugenia spp.), Simpson’s stopper (Myrcianthes fragrans), firebush (Hamelia patens var. patens), myrsine (Myrsine cubana), rougeplant (Rivina humilis), Florida privet (Forestiera segregata), lancewood (Damburneya coriacea), marlberry (Ardisia escallonoides), snowberry (Chiococca alba), white indigoberry (Randia aculeata),  gumbo limbo (Bursera simarouba), myrtle-of-the-river (Calyptranthes zuzygium), red and swamp bay (Persea spp.), swamp dogwood (Cornus foemina), wax myrtle (Morella cerifera), cocoplum (Chrysobalanus icaco), buttonsage (Lantana involucrata), wild coffee (Psychotria spp.), Jamaican caper (Quadrella jamaicensis), Carolina laurel-cherry (Prunus caroliniana), Walter’s viburnum (Viburnum obovatum), and the shrubby bullies (Sideroxylon spp.) as well as the majestic shade tree, false mastic (Sideroxylon foetidissimum). Even many native palms produce fruit relished by the birds, including cabbage palms (Sabal palmetto), dwarf palmetto (Sabal minor), thatch palm (Thrinax radiata), Everglades palm (Acoelorraphe wrightii) and Florida royal palms (Roystonea regia).

Shrubs like the showy American beautyberry (left) and Simpson’s stopper (right) produce fruit in in the autumn that  are relished by migrating songbirds (Photos by Aaron Fink & Bruce Holst)

Good autumn-fruiting trees for songbirds include red cedar (left) and red bay (right), both of which produce beautiful blue berries (Photos by Bruce Holst).

White fruits of snowberry at our Historic Spanish Point campus (Photo by Wade Collier) and the large blue berries of dwarf palmetto in the native garden at our Downtown Sarasota campus (Photo by Sandra Robinson).

Come see examples of many of these now in fruit at our Downtown Sarasota and Historic Spanish Point campuses during the autumn bird migration that begins in September. See firsthand the kinds of beautiful native berry plants you can add to your yard for the birds. Our feathered friends will reward you with song, color, beauty and movement in your garden.

References

Brand, Larry E, and Angela Compton. “Long-term increase in Karenia brevis abundance along the Southwest Florida Coast.” Harmful algae vol. 6,2 (2007): 232-252. doi:10.1016/j.hal.2006.08.005

Donaldson D, Kiely T, Grube A. Pesticide’s industry sales and usage 1998-1999 market estimates. US Environmental Protection Agency; Washington (DC): Report No. EPA-733-R-02-OOI. Available from: http: //www.epa.gov/oppbead/ pesticides/99 pestsales/market-estimates.pdf.

Loss S.R. et al. 2012. The impact of free-ranging domestic cats on wildlife of the United States. Nature Communications 4:1396 doi: 10.1038/ncomms2380. Accessed 8/16/2021 at: https://abcbirds.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Loss_et_al._2013-Impacts_Outdoor_Cats.pdf

Rosenberg, K. V. et al. 2019. Decline of the North American Avifauna. Science 365(6461). doi: 10.1126/science.aaw1313. Accessed 8/16/2021 at: https://www.3billionbirds.org/findings.

Williams, T. (1997) Silent scourge. Audubon [January–February] 28–35.

Further reading

BirdLife international : http://datazone.birdlife.org/

National Audubon Society, Sarasota Chapter: https://www.sarasotaaudubon.org/

Large clonal group of O. stricta planted on artificial shell mound west of the Events Center at Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus (Photo by Aaron Fink).

Two forms of Opuntia stricta are recognized in Florida: O. stricta var. dillenii, which has more rounded stems with 0-11 generally curved, spreading dark yellow spines, strongly flattened at the base and often dark brown to black at the lower half; and O. stricta var. stricta which has flatter stems with 0-3 generally straight, erect yellow spines, round or slightly flattened at the base (Majure 2015). Other differences include oval or spatulate stems with straight margins and perpendicular spines in var. stricta and obovate or rhomboid stems with wavy margins and slightly or noticeably curved spines in var. dillenii.

Regardless of the variety, shell mound prickly pear is a long-lived plant that can form extensive clonal colonies, since any of the cladodes (flattened stems or pads) separated from the main plant are capable of rooting and growing into a new, identical plant. The showy, bright yellow flowers can appear any time of year, but tend to be most profuse from May to July, and they are pollinated by insects, including bees, ants, and hoverflies. The flowers are followed by thick, 2–4 inch green fruits that ripen to a deep red or purple before they are eaten by wildlife. Mammals, birds, and some reptiles, including the threatened Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), all consume the fruits and disperse the seeds, which may remain viable in the soil for as long as 10 years before germinating when conditions are ideal. The ripe fruits, called tunas, are also relished by people, either fresh, dried, or canned. They can be made into jellies, juices, and shakes and may have considerable health benefits.

This useful and highly ornamental plant has been introduced to many other parts of the world where, freed of its natural constraints, it has become an invasive pest in some areas.  In subtropical parts of India, Africa, and Australia, it was widely planted as hedging to fence in livestock before the invention of barbed wire. In these places, it escaped cultivation and became an aggressive competitor in more sensitive natural plant communities. The cactus is considered Australia’s oldest and most noxious weed, having arrived there on the first fleet, and effectively invading nearly 24 million hectares (59.3 million acres) of land in Queensland and New South Wales before it was brought under control. This control came in 1926, with the release of the Argentine cactus moth (Cactoblastis cactorum) as a biocontrol agent. The moth’s larvae tunnel into, and feed on, the cactus stems, hollowing them out and killing them in the process. The release of the moth was so effective that the cactus had all but disappeared from Australia within the span of a decade. Today, it is limited to remnant infestations in places where the moth is less effective, possibly because of predation of its larvae by ants. The same moth was introduced as a biocontrol agent on some Caribbean islands, however, it has since spread from the Caribbean to Florida, where it has decimated our native populations of prickly pears, including O. stricta. As a result, erect prickly pear is now considered a threatened species in Florida. In South Florida, it has also hampered efforts to conserve some of our most endangered prickly pear species, including the Florida Keys endemic semaphore cactus, Consolea corallicola. As the moth extends its range northwards and westwards at an estimated rate of a 100 miles per year, the rich diversity of prickly pears in Texas, Mexico and the American Southwest are facing potentially large-scale losses that will pose enormous ecological as well as social and economic impacts in these areas. Fortunately, research is being carried out at the University of Florida on the potential introduction of a parasitoid wasp that keeps the moth under control in its native Argentina. If completed in time, the research could potentially slow or reverse the moth’s impact on our native prickly pears.

Further Reading:

Atlas of Florida Plants – Opuntia stricta

CABI – Invasive Species Compendium – Opuntia stricta (erect prickly pear)

CABI – Invasive Species Compendium – Cactoblastis cactorum (cactus moth)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cactoblastis_cactorum

Additional References:

Majure, Lucas. In: Weakley, A.S. 2015. Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States. 21 May 2015. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The butterfly tree (Erblichia odorata) is now in bloom on the Downtown Sarasota campus’ Great Lawn!

On your next visit, you will not be able to miss the bright pop of color that this handsome little tree brings to an otherwise vast expanse of green.  It blooms for us in the springtime, and its showstopping, incandescent orange flowers give off a sweet aroma, making it a favorite among hummingbirds and other pollinators. Called “Flor del Fuego” or the “Flower of Fire” in Spanish, this species originates in Central America, from Mexico to Panama, where it can be found growing from sea level up to 2000 meters in altitude. 

It is also a member of the Passifloraceae, a largely neotropical plant family best known for the largest genus in the family: the Passiflora, or passionflowers, with about 525 species, most of which are vines that are highly prized for their showy, unusual blooms.  The butterfly tree was first introduced to the horticulture trade in the late 20th century, but despite its fragrant beauty, it remains extremely rare in cultivation. The delicate orange flowers that appear at this time of year would make it a great addition in any tropical or subtropical garden.  

Written by Shawn McCourt, Ph.D., Plants Record Keeper

Claude Monet’s famous paintings of his gardens and home at Giverny in France have been brought to life in new and fanciful forms, thanks to the inspired reimagining of pop artist Roy Lichtenstein. For Roy Lichtenstein: Monet’s Garden Goes Pop *, Selby Gardens’ horticulture staff were tasked with assembling on its 15-acre Downtown Sarasota campus many of the physical elements of Giverny as seen through the eyes of Lichtenstein. To bring rural Giverny to sunny, coastal Sarasota, staff needed to use the types of plants that evoke the essence of Giverny in the public mind: especially its waterlilies (Nymphaea spp.) and weeping willow trees (Salix babylonica). While waterlilies grow in Florida’s subtropical climate, weeping willows unfortunately do not. A tropical or subtropical look-alike had to be found as a stand-in, and the weeping bottlebrush, Melaleuca viminalis (formerly Callistemon viminalis) was considered the best fit.  With its narrow leaves, furrowed bark, and weeping habit, M. viminalis bears a remarkable resemblance to Salix babylonica, especially when not in bloom. Like weeping willow trees, it also prefers to grow along streams on the coastal plains of its native range from Cape York to New South Wales in eastern Australia. One characteristic it does not share with willow trees are bright red flower clusters resembling the wire brushes traditionally used to scrub the insides of glass bottles – hence, the common name of “bottlebrush”. Despite the plant’s exotic origin, these flowers are much loved by native Florida pollinators like bees and hummingbirds. In various shades from white to pink, yellow, or red, the bristly clusters of staminate flowers are characteristic of the nearly 300 or so Melaleuca species found in the myrtle family, the Myrtaceae. The clusters of flowers, which botanists call “spikes”, are comprised of many individual flowers with much-reduced petals and calyces, and with their anthers containing pollen borne on long, slender filaments, or stamens, that make up much of the “bottlebrush”.  After pollination, the flowers are followed by clusters of hard, woody capsules which may hang on the branches for many years before releasing the tiny seeds.  The term for this slow release of seed is serotiny, and many serotinous species also require fire to release the seeds from the capsules. Fire-mediated serotiny is an ecological adaptation to areas subject to frequent wildfires, and it can be found across many different plant taxa, but especially in eucalypts, proteas and conifers. In addition to having serotinous woody capsules, fire-adapted plants like Melaleuca generally also contain volatile oils and terpenes that are highly flammable and give the plants their characteristic citrus or menthol odors. The oils help the plants to mediate the effects of wildfires, since they encourage more frequent, swift-moving, low intensity burns instead of the hot, killing fires that would result from the buildup of organic matter over time. These essential oils also often have antimicrobial and antibiotic properties and have been used by traditional communities for centuries. One example is Melaleuca alternifolia, a small tree endemic to Queensland, which is grown commercially for the fragrant “tea tree oil” extracted for use as a topical antiseptic, antifungal, and sanitizer.  Most melaleucas are endemic to mainland Australia, with just a few scattered across Tasmania, Lord Howe Island, Indonesia, New Caledonia and New Guinea; and with one subspecies, Melaleuca cajuputi subsp. cumingiana, extending northwards into Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Prominent stamens and styles (both red in M. viminalis) and much reduced petals and sepals are characteristic of all Melaleucas (photo by Aaron Fink).

Additional Resources:

Craven, Lyndley (2006). New combinations in Melaleuca for Australian species of Callistemon (Myrtaceae). Novon. 16 (4): 468–475.

Written by Shawn McCourt, Ph.D. Plant Records Keeper

When most people think of spring flowers, they tend to think daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, cherry blossoms, or azaleas, but here at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, we’re all about epiphytes, or plants that grow on other plants and trees. For us, the surest sign of spring at the Downtown Sarasota campus is the blooming of an epiphytic (and lithophytic) orchid, the Noble Dendrobium (Dendrobium nobile) and its hybrids and cultivars. This charismatic species hails from a wide swath of Asia, including Nepal and Tibet in the Himalayas to India, China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam where it grows in both lowland and mountain forests, often on mossy rocks and trees. It is typically an upright or slightly recumbent plant with strap-shaped, deciduous or semi-deciduous leaves. The thin stems are pseudobulbs called “canes” and function as water and nutrient storage as well as support for the plant. All 1,500 or so Dendrobium species are classified as either “hard-caned” or “soft-caned”. The “hard-caned” types are typically evergreen plants from warmer regions, and produce long sprays of flowers from the top of the cane, as Dendrobium speciosum does; while the “soft-caned” types like Dendrobium nobile and its kindred are deciduous plants from more temperate or mountainous regions, and lose most, if not all, of their leaves when the weather gets cold. Their blooms are produced from nodes along the sides of both leafy and leafless canes in spring following the cold spell. The deciduous nature of nobile-type Dendrobiums has enabled them to survive both drought and the periodic freezes we get every 10 years or so here in Sarasota. As a result, they are one of the more abundant epiphytes we have planted in the trees on our grounds.

Dendrobium is a commercially important genus from a horticultural perspective; however, many Dendrobium species, including Dendrobium nobile, have been used for thousands of years in traditional East and South Asian cultures for the treatment of a wide variety of inflammatory disorders.

The Chinese consider “Shihu” (Dendrobium) to be one of the fifty fundamental herbs used to treat all kinds of ailments and to increase longevity. The Japanese have, since antiquity, considered a single species, Dendrobium moniliforme (“Fu-ran” or “Sekkoku”), to be “the orchid that gives long life to men” (Cakova 2017).

Dendrobium nobile Himezakura ‘Sanokku’ blooming in a live oak in the south parking lot at the Downtown Sarasota campus (Photo by Aaron Fink).

Hybrid Dendrobium nobile currently blooming on a Tabebuia tree beside the Carriage House at Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus. (Photo by Shawn McCourt)

Resources:

American Orchid Society (2019). Dendrobium. Sec. Dendrobium. Retrieved 9 March 2021 from https://www.aos.org/orchids/orchids-a-to-z/letter-d/den-sec-dendrobium.aspx.

Cakova, V., Bonte, F., & Lobstein, A. (2017). Dendrobium: Sources of Active Ingredients to Treat Age-Related Pathologies. Aging and Disease. 8(6): 827–849. Retrieved 9 March 2021 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5758354/.

Lam, Y., Ng, T. B., Yao, R. M., Shi, J., Xu, K., Sze, S. C., & Zhang, K. Y. (2015). Evaluation of Chemical Constituents and Important Mechanism of Pharmacological Biology in Dendrobium Plants. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. eCAM, 2015, 841752. Retrieved 9 March 2021 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4402476/.

Yamamoto, Jiro (1993). Cultural Requirements for Dendrobium nobile. In: Growing Orchids: A Cultural Handbook. American Orchid Society, Coral Gables, FL. Retrieved 10 March 2021 from https://akatsukaorchid.com/content/DendrobiumNobile.pdf.

Zhang, W., Wu, Q., Lu, Y. L., Gong, Q. H., Zhang, F., & Shi, J. S. (2017). Protective effects of Dendrobium nobile Lindl. alkaloids on amyloid beta (25-35)-induced neuronal injury. Neural Regeneration Research, 12(7), 1131–1136. Retrieved 9 March 2021 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5558493/.

Bombax ceiba currently blooming beside the Great Lawn at Selby’s downtown campus. (Photo by Aaron Fink)

Our trees have spent the winter quietly shedding their leaves and forming fat buds on their naked branches. The large, fleshy, red or orange flowers, which can reach six to eight inches across, explode onto the scene in late February to early March, and are apparently full of sticky nectar much loved by birds, including crows. Though each flower only lasts a day or so, they are borne in rapid succession, so that the tree is constantly covered in blooms during its short three to four week blooming period, and the ground is littered with the heavy flowers. The blooms are later followed by woody, four-angled capsules which split open to release hard, brown seeds encased in the silky, cotton-like “floss” that gives the tree its common name of “silk floss” or “silk cotton”. The genus name Bombax is also derived from cotton, through both the French word bombace (meaning cotton) and Latin bombax (also meaning cotton) which, in turn, was a corruption of the Latin word bombyx (silkworm), derived from the Greek βόμβυξ (bombux– silk or silkworm) (Oxford English Dictionary).

Whether silk or cotton, the name implies that the fibers are useful to the textile industry, however, the fibers found in the capsules of all nine species of Bombax are too short and full of lignin to be useful in weaving. Instead, the trees are cultivated for use of the cotton as insulation, packaging, and stuffing for mattresses, lifejackets and pillows.  The soft wood has a variety of uses, a cottonseed-type oil is derived from the seed, a medicinal gum from the bark, and the flowers and their calyces are a staple in some traditional Asian and Indian cuisines. Despite their many potential uses, the trees are mostly valued for their beauty as flowering shade trees and they are widely planted in subtropical and tropical areas around the world. Come see ours blooming this week at the Downtown Sarasota campus.

Close-up of Bombax ceiba flowers and buds. (Photo by David McPherson).

Resources:

Atlas of Living Australia (2021). Bombax ceiba. Retrieved 03 March 2021 from https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://id.biodiversity.org.au/node/apni/2895571

Flora of Pakistan (2021). Bombax ceiba. Retrieved 03 March 2021 from http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=242420835.

Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder (2021). Bombax ceiba. Retrieved 03 March 2021 from http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=277961

U.S. Department of Agriculture (1913). Seeds and Plants Imported During the Period from January 1 to March 31, 1912: Inventory No. 30: Nos 32369 to 33278. Bulletin 282. Washington D.C. Retrieved 03 March 2021 from https://www.ars-grin.gov/npgs/pi_books/scans/pi030.pdf.

Written by Shawn McCourt, Ph.D., Plant Records Keeper

New transplants to Florida from more northerly latitudes often lament the seeming lack of seasonal change in Florida’s “endless summer.” They also bemoan the loss of the spring flowers and trees they had in their gardens and parks “back home.” To them, subtropical Florida is missing dramatic indicators of the change of seasons such as showy spring flowers, warm, green summer days redolent with the smell of freshly mown grass, fiery autumn leaves, and bare trees dusted with winter snow. The turn of the seasons is more subtle in the warmer subtropics, where plant growth occurs all 365 days of the year, yet it still happens. Even in the Sunshine State, leaves fall, frost threatens sometimes, and the arrival of spring is signaled by blooming trees. In the temperate parts of the northern hemisphere, some of the earliest, and showiest, harbingers of the end of winter are members of the Prunus genus (Rosaceae) – better known as cherries, peaches, nectarines, almonds, and plums. We have Prunus species in subtropical Florida too, the most widespread of which include the native flatwoods plum (P. umbellata) (Fig.1) and the similar Chickasaw plum (P. angustifolia) (Fig. 2), as well as the evergreen Carolina laurel-cherry (P. caroliniana) (Fig.3). Northern Florida has two additional native species: American plum (P. americana) and black cherry (P. serotina). The unique scrub habitat in the center of the state also boasts a diminutive endemic, the endangered scrub plum (P. geniculata); while Miami-Dade County has an additional species, the state-threatened West Indian cherry (P. myrtifolia), an evergreen species that is also found in Mexico, Central America, South America and the West Indies. All of these are among the first trees to bloom in the spring, usually February or early March in south Florida, and late March to April in northern Florida.

Figure 3. Fragrant, blooming Carolina laurel-cherry (P. caroliniana) in central parking lot at MSBG’s downtown campus (Tree photo by Sandra Robinson, below is a close-up of flowers by Aaron Fink)

Further Reading:

Bartram, W. (1791). Travels through North and South Carolina, Georgia, East and West Florida. In: Little, E. L. Checklist of United States Trees. Washington, D.C.: USDA Forest Service.

Cole, K.C. (2013). Chickasaw Plum: Historic Part of the Chickasaw Nation. The Chickasaw Nation. Retrieved February 23, 2021 from https://www.chickasaw.net/News/Press-Releases/Release/Chickasaw-plum-historic-part-of-flora-of-the-Chick-1502.aspx.

Gilman, E.F., D.G. Watson, R.W. Klein, A.K. Koeser, D.R. Hilbert & D.C. McLean (2018). Prunus angustifolia: Chickasaw Plum (#ENH-663). Gainesville: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Retrieved February 19, 2021 from https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/st504.

Gilman, E.F., D.G. Watson (2014). Prunus umbellata: Flatwoods Plum (#ENH-679). Gainesville: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Retrieved February 19, 2021 from https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/st521.

Row, J. M. & W. A. Geyer (2010). Plant Guide for Chickasaw plum (Prunus angustifolia). Manhattan, KS: USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Manhattan Plant Materials Center. Retrieved February 23, 2021 from https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_pran3.pdf.

Sarkhosh, A., M. Olmstead, J. Chaparro, P. Andersen & J. Williamson (2018A). Florida Peach and Nectarine Varieties (#Cir1159). Gainesville: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Retrieved February 19, 2021 from http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg374.

Sarkhosh, A., M. Olmstead, E.P. Miller, P.C. Andersen & J.G. Williamson (2018B). Growing Plums in Florida (#HS895). Gainesville: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Retrieved February 19, 2021 from http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs250.

Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, & F. B. Essig (2021). Atlas of Florida Plants (http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Tampa: University of South Florida Institute for Systematic Botany.

Blooming now in the “Wedding Oak” just west of the Payne Mansion at Selby’s downtown campus is a beautiful lavender-colored orchid with large flowers that is often underlooked by visitors more interested in the fauna of the brackish water lagoon below. The orchid is Cattleya percivaliana, also called the “Christmas orchid” for the time of year it typically blooms in cultivation north of the Tropic of Cancer.

This lovely orchid is endemic to Trujillo state, a very small region above Lago de Maracaibo in the Venezuelan Andes, where it can be found growing at altitudes between 1400 and 2000 meters. In fact, its small natural range is the result of the greater height of the surrounding mountains, since this species does not seem to be able to grow at altitudes above 2000 meters, limiting its ability to expand its range. In its natural habitat, C. percivaliana can be found growing on trees (epiphytic) or with other small plants on rocks (lithophytic), often in full sun. Despite its reputation for winter blooms, it can be found blooming at any time of the year in the wild, though more often from August through November.

Figure 1. Cattleya labiata var. percivaliana (plate by John Nugent Fitch, 1884)

By Shawn McCourt on January 7, 2021

Inset photo of lavender Cattleya percivaliana bloom by Wade Collier

Further Reading:

https://chadwickorchids.com/content/cattleya-percivaliana

https://www.aos.org/orchids/collectors-items/cattleya-percivaliana.aspx

https://travaldo.blogspot.com/2018/05/cattleya-percivaliana-orchid-plant-care-and-culture.html

http://delfinadearaujo.com/on/on32/pages/catvenezueng.htm

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/59411/59411-h/59411-h.htm#fig144

References:

 Warner, R., B.S. Williams and T. Moore. (1884). Orchid album: comprising coloured figures and descriptions of new, rare and beautiful orchidaceous plants. Illustrated by John Nugent Fitch. Vol. 3: Plate 144.