Cattleya tenuis

[Rosim_in_BR]

Originally Posted by Helen

I just acquired a C. tinuis, which looks like a minature catt.
Anyway in doing some research today, I see that it should have two leaves on a very thin pseudobulb, and mine only has 1 leaf on each. I'm very confused. Of course, as we all know, labels can be misleading! What do all of you think?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Helen

Helen,
It's not common, but sometimes bifoliate Cattleya develop only one leaf during the first stage of development. Later, when the plant gets higher, two leaves appear normally. I examined your photos and your plant has all the characteristics expected for a bifoliate: the stems are not thickened as it would be expected for a monofoliate, the stems are completely enveloped by a papery sheath, the leaves are narrow and pointed.
So, for me you have a bifoliate that, for some reason, is developing only one leaf for now, but it will have two later.

[Karina]

Hallo Mauro,

thanks for your infos and what a luck for me.
I will buy a C. tenuis, but some of my orchid-friends say, this plant isn't good growing in culture. Now I'm a little bit unsure. In my books I haven't found not enough about the cultivation of this Cattleya.
Have you some more infos for me?

Greetings

Karina

[Helen]

Originally Posted by Rosim_in_BR

Helen,
It's not common, but sometimes bifoliate Cattleya develop only one leaf during the first stage of development. Later, when the plant gets higher, two leaves appear normally. I examined your photos and your plant has all the characteristics expected for a bifoliate: the stems are not thickened as it would be expected for a monofoliate, the stems are completely enveloped by a papery sheath, the leaves are narrow and pointed.
So, for me you have a bifoliate that, for some reason, is developing only one leaf for now, but it will have two later.

Thank you Mauro! So basically, it is still a seedling and eventually it will become bifoliate. I heard it gets quite tall. I hope not too tall! Thanks again!
Helen

[Rosim_in_BR]

Originally Posted by Karina

Hallo Mauro,

thanks for your infos and what a luck for me.
I will buy a C. tenuis, but some of my orchid-friends say, this plant isn't good growing in culture. Now I'm a little bit unsure. In my books I haven't found not enough about the cultivation of this Cattleya.
Have you some more infos for me?

Greetings

Karina

It is not more difficult than C. bicolor, or C. granulosa for example, Karina. If you can grow them, then you can grow tenuis. I have one planted in tree fern fiber and plastic pot and another in sphagnum moss, also in plastic pot. Both are subject to the same watering frequency. You see, way different media and both are very good. The key is light. Bright light is very important.
Good luck with yours!

Originally Posted by Helen

Thank you Mauro! So basically, it is still a seedling and eventually it will become bifoliate. I heard it gets quite tall. I hope not too tall! Thanks again!
Helen

Yes, it is a tall plant, Helen. C. tenuis normally grows up to 60 cm tall, sometimes a little more, tough I've seen once in a while shorter adult plants, about 40 cm.

[johnsaquatics]

In case anyone is interested further I had to do a summary of a research article about this plant. I'll post my summary below. It's not the most interesting or informative but it gives a little more info.

Reproductive biology of two Cattleya (Orchidaceae) species endemic to north-eastern Brazil

The main purpose of the research in question is to focus on the two Cattleya species, elongata and tenuis, to help develop management strategies for both in hopes of saving the endangered Cattleya tenuis plant from extinction. Both of these species grow on the same Chapada Diamantina mountain range in adjacent habitats with no natural overlap.
Both species’ flowers were watched for 150 hours to identify the types of pollinators and the success rate of pollination. The main pollinators for each species were the same Queen Bee of Bombus brevivillus. Both flowers attract the bees with a sweet fragrance but the flowers do not contain any nectar. It was observed that the bees would only visit one flower of each plant once they figured out there was no beneficial nectar; this phenomenon helps with the occurrence of cross pollination. It was also noted that small and medium sized bees were not effective pollinators as the pollen only stuck to larger bees leaving the flower. Cattleya elongata showed a greater rate of fruiting in experimental pollination as compared to Cattleya tenuis.
Humans are seen to be the greatest threat to the extinction of Cattleya tenuis because they are changing the natural environment which allows the C. elongata to encroach on the C. tenuis habitat. Natural hybridization now occurs between the two species and since C. elongata is more proliferous it threatens the future of C. tenuis. The research concludes that specific management strategies for both species must be developed to decrease the likeliness of Cattleya tenuis’s extinction, but no specific suggestions were made.