Kingdom Plantae Subfamily Epidendroideae Subtribe Laeliinae Scientific name Cattleya alaorii Rank Species | Family Orchidaceae Tribe Epidendreae Genus Cattleya Higher classification Cattleya orchids Order Asparagales | |
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Similar Cattleya orchids, Orchids, Cattleya jongheana, Cattleya coccinea, Cattleya schroederae | ||
Cattleya alaorii, commonly known as the Laelia alaorii, is a species of orchid endemic to Brazil (Bahia).
The species was named after Mr. Alaor Oliveira, former employee at the University of São Paulo at Piracicaba, who first collected this species in a field excursion in the late 1960s.
Distribution
It was discovered in the 1970s in an isolated mountain chain near Itabuna, Bahia state. It grows in the very wet Bahia coastal forests ecoregion of the Atlantic Forest biome (Mata Atlantica Brasileira). It is found in rainforests at about 600 metres (2,000 ft) above sea level.
The plants are epiphytes in tall trees up to 40 metres (130 ft) high, and grow in the top branches where they get a fair amount of light. Their environment is always foggy and minimum temperatures in winter are never less than 15 °C (59 °F).
