Cattleya bicolor season
 

Just over five feet tall (including the spike), and very popular with the hornets and wasps. It grew five new leads this year, but for some unknown reason only four of them carried blooms. The fifth sheath was "blind." Still, no reason to complain, as this is the first time in many years that it's increased the number of new leads from the usual four.

lovely pictures.
It just makes you go wow and realize how big it gets.

Sooo when I spotted a compact version of bicolor earlier this year it went in my shopping basket but since looking I have not spotted a single compact Bicolor yet so that might be interesting.

Such a beast, makes me want to grow something like that just once too.

Very nice

C tigrina (leopoldii) also has that contrast between dark segments and put-on-your-shades brilliant lip. But that one is also big (my bicolor is a little smaller than tigrina but not by much) For a Catt that is much more compact (but not so floriferous) consider C. schilleriana (not the hybrid C. Schilleriana grex which is intermedia x purpurata, fallout from the reclassification wars) The species C. schilleriana is pretty gorgeous, IMHO... http://orchidcentral.org/Images/Catt...eriana%201.jpg or http://orchidcentral.org/Images/Catt...eriana%203.jpg

Dude, take a bow.... that is a serious bifoliate..... excellent growing to plants genetic limitations, beautiful flower too, Awesome....

Thoroughly enjoyed that grand display. Excellent photos and beautiful flowers.

The OP's plant is absolutely magnificent, both the plant and the flowers. And well photographed too - that brilliant lip is hard to capture in a photo.

My C. schilleriana is mericlone, 'Afri' SM/JOGA ... Photos don't do it justice, it glows. And it's durable - I grow it outside, I expect that if it were grown a bit warmer it would more reliably produce 2 or 3 flowers (and probably more than one lead at a time) On the other hand, it does reliably grow and bloom for me so I'm not inclined to change the culture. (If SF is looking for a more compact plant with similar color scheme, an option)

No sry Roberta,

The schilleriana has similarilties sure, but if they were a couple the Bicolor would be the man and the schilleriana would be the woman.

Ok maybe this is going too much into a sexist direction but just not my taste. You just cannot compare it to a Bicolor but lets just leave it at that.

I appreciate you trying to find me something similar but I already have a bicolor now.

The only other one imo that would be close is an aclandiae.

Don't want to divert too much from the post though, this one stands out above the others for sure.

Pretty sexist... but the species ARE different, with different charms. That huge C. bicolor is in a class by itself, both the flowers and the culture.

Like I said on your FB post, this one gets better and better every year! Outstanding!

Thank you, everyone, for your feedback. I also like Cattleya schilleriana, Roberta. But for some reason that species doesn't like me. I've failed with it a few times. I can grow C. tigrina well, but the scent is not something I like (smells to me like someone tried to put out a burning rubber tire with a bottle of perfume). If anyone else likes big bifoliate cattleyas, C. amethystoglossa is by no means dainty, and its blooms are, to me, simply magnificent. Thanks again for all of your comments. They're greatly appreciated.