Cattleya trianae
Encyclopedia
Cattleya
trianae (Lindl & Rchb. fil), also known as Flor de Mayo ("May Flower") or "Christmas Orchid" , is a plant belonging to the Orchidaceae
family. It grows as an epiphytic orchid, with succulent leaves, endemic to Colombia
where it was nominated as the National Flower in November 1936. That year, the National Academy of History of Argentina asked the Latin American countries to participate in an exhibition with the representative flowers of each country. The Colombian government gave the botanist Emilio Robledo the task to designate the most representative flowering plant of the country.
The choice of Cattleya trianae was made for two main reasons:
The species grows at 1500–2000 meters above sea level, in Cloud forest
s. It is presently an endangered species due to habitat destruction.
The diploid chromosome
number of C. trinae has been determined as 2n = 40. the haploid chromosome number has been determined as n = 20.
Cattleya
Cattleya is a genus of 113 species of orchids from Costa Rica to tropical South America. The genus was named in 1824 by John Lindley after Sir William Cattley who received and successfully cultivated specimens of Cattleya labiata that were used as packing material in a shipment of other orchids...
trianae (Lindl & Rchb. fil), also known as Flor de Mayo ("May Flower") or "Christmas Orchid" , is a plant belonging to the Orchidaceae
Orchidaceae
The Orchidaceae, commonly referred to as the orchid family, is a morphologically diverse and widespread family of monocots in the order Asparagales. Along with the Asteraceae, it is one of the two largest families of flowering plants, with between 21,950 and 26,049 currently accepted species,...
family. It grows as an epiphytic orchid, with succulent leaves, endemic to Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
where it was nominated as the National Flower in November 1936. That year, the National Academy of History of Argentina asked the Latin American countries to participate in an exhibition with the representative flowers of each country. The Colombian government gave the botanist Emilio Robledo the task to designate the most representative flowering plant of the country.
The choice of Cattleya trianae was made for two main reasons:
- The lipLabellumLabellum is the Latin diminutive of labium, meaning lip. These are anatomical terms used descriptively in biology, for example in Entomology and botany.-Botany:...
is yellow, blue and red, in the same way as the Colombian flag. - The species was named after the 19th century Colombian botanist Jerónimo Triana.
The species grows at 1500–2000 meters above sea level, in Cloud forest
Cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen montane moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and...
s. It is presently an endangered species due to habitat destruction.
The diploid chromosome
Chromosome
A chromosome is an organized structure of DNA and protein found in cells. It is a single piece of coiled DNA containing many genes, regulatory elements and other nucleotide sequences. Chromosomes also contain DNA-bound proteins, which serve to package the DNA and control its functions.Chromosomes...
number of C. trinae has been determined as 2n = 40. the haploid chromosome number has been determined as n = 20.