Epicatanthe Stephanie Takasaki

This cultivated orchid hybrid in the Cattleya alliance combines Cattlianthe Selsal’s Supernova with Epidendrum stamfordianum. The hybrid brings together ancestry from several related orchid genera. Cattleya-alliance plants generally develop successive leafy growths along a rhizome, often with swollen stems that store water. Their flowers have a conspicuous lip that differs in shape from the surrounding petals. Photographed in Florida.