Cattleya jenmanii aka Jenman's Cattleya

Cattleya jenmanii is an orchid from the north of South America. It grows in southeastern Venezuela and Guyana. Its range also takes in Roraima, in Brazil. It belongs to the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Kew lists its home climate as wet tropical. People found plants by rivers near Venezuela’s Gran Sabana. Chicago Botanic Garden describes thick jungle at these sites. Summer and autumn there are humid. Winter and spring bring a drier spell. John Rolfe named the species in 1906. The name honours G. S. Jenman. He worked as a government botanist in Georgetown.

This small orchid has small pseudobulbs and creeps as it grows. It grows on tree branches as an epiphyte. It grows on bare rock as a lithophyte, too. Records show this species grows in both these places. Chicago Botanic Garden groups it with the large-flowered cattleyas. The plant is small, but its blooms are broad and showy. The sources give no height or spread for a full-grown plant. Nor do they describe the leaves of this species. Its small size and strong flower scent help set it apart.

Each stem tends to bear three to five flowers. They come out together from one sheath. The blooms are dark lavender. They measure about 0.42 feet [0.13 metres] across. Chicago lists purple and yellow as well. The blooms have a strong scent, and plants flower well. Reports say wild plants bloom twice in a year. Plants grown in gardens, though, tend to bloom only in autumn. Chicago lists bloom months from November through February. That span is broader than its account for plants in gardens.

Chicago says to grow it with much sun and good airflow. Its plant record lists full sun and moist conditions. It gives night temperatures of 60°F and daytime temperatures of 85°F. It lists USDA hardiness zones 10–11. Chicago suggests its use in beds or borders. The blooms add colour and scent to these displays.

Chicago also notes that the plant draws butterflies. This does not show which animals pollinate its blooms. The sources give no pest or disease details for this species. They give no findings on which parts, if any, are edible. Nor do they give findings on toxicity.