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From a book by Tanigami Konan (1879–1928). See discussion.
About Cattleya
About Cattleya
Cattleya Orchids
Cattleya Orchids
There are somewhere between 25,000 to 30,000 accepted orchid species worldwide. When natural and artificial hybrids are counted, the number climbs to over 100,000. All these species are grouped into 700 to 880 genera. The number depends on who is counting. The Cattleya genus is one of them. It encompasses over 120 species and thousands of official horticultural hybrids. Some common names for Cattleya orchids are Corsage Orchid and Queen of Orchids. Corsage Orchid comes from the large size of Cattleya blossoms which typically range from 5 to 8 inches across but can grow up to 12 inches.
The painting subject this week is one of the Cattleya species that used to grow in my back yard. I don't know for certain what species it was, but it closely resembled this Cattleya warneri or just C. warneri for short. It is native to Brazil.
The three, narrow, petal-like objects sticking up from the back of the blossom are really sepals, parts of the calyx that originally enclosed the budding blossom. The larger three are real petals. The bottom tube-like object is a specialized petal called a lip or labellum. My backyard orchid was white like this one with the same purple fringe at the end of the labellum. The outer fringes of the other two petals were also purple.
The chart below provides a wealth of anatomical detail.
Each Cattleya blossom has both male and female organs. They are located in a structure called a column at the center of the blossom. The column is not part of the labellum, but the labellum wraps itself around the column, helping to protect it and guide pollinating insects. Cattleya blossoms are technically capable of self-pollinating, but a physical barrier separates the male and female parts, preventing self-pollination from occurring without help from horticulturalists.
All Cattleya species are epiphytes. They grow on trees and sometimes on rocks, but they aren't parasites like mistletoe. They don't harm the trees. All the nutrients they need for growth and survival are drawn from the air.
The cattleya in the photos above are fairly similar, but there are many variations among Cattleya species. A few of them are shown below.
The most commercially popular orchid genus is Phalaenopsis or moth orchid. One of them is shown below for comparison. It is easy to see differences between this Phalaenopsis and the Cattleya above.
Cattleya blossoms are non-toxic and fit for human consumption, though they are used mostly as garnishes rather than for their nutritional value. Warning: Most commercially grown cattleya blossoms are loaded with pesticides and other noxious substances. Only eat blossoms that have been explicitly grown and labeled as organic or food-safe for culinary purposes.
Artwork
Artwork
Tanigami Konan (1879–1928)
Tanigami Konan (1879–1928)
Tanigami is primarily remembered in Japan as a painter and botanical illustrator. His most noted work is a book of woodblock kachō-ga (pictures of birds and flowers) titled Picture Album of Western Plants, published in 1917. The print below features Cattleya and another type of orchid.
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