''Cattleya iricolor'' is a species of

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowerin ...

native to the eastern montane forests of

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

Description

''Cattleya iricolor'' is an

epiphytic An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

orchid with slightly compressed

pseudobulb The pseudobulb is a storage organ found in many epiphytic and terrestrial sympodial orchids. It is derived from a thickening of the part of a stem between leaf nodes and may be composed of just one internode or several, termed heteroblastic and ...

s with a single terminal leaf each. The leaves are narrow, up to 35 cm long and 3 cm wide. Flowers are very fragrant, creamy white or yellowish, 8 cm across in size, with long and narrow petals and sepals, pointy

lip The lips are the visible body part at the mouth of many animals, including humans. Lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech. Human lips are a tactile sensory organ, and can be ...

; up to 6 flowers per pseudobulb.

Distribution and habitat

''Cattleya iricolor'' grows in Peru and Ecuador in montane forests of the eastern Andes at elevations of ca.1000 m.

Conservation

The conservation status of ''Cattleya iricolor'' is assessed as vulnerable since 1997 by the IUCN.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q15079718 iricolor Flora of Ecuador Flora of Peru