Cattleya , are the classic "chocolate box" orchid with their large, perfumed and flamboyant blooms. They were the earliest of the showy, tropical orchids to be grown and flowered in cultivation. Originating in Central and South America, and named in honour of the English horticulturist William Cattley. The first was Cattleya labiata , introduced from the forests of Brazil in 1818, they very quickly became a part of the Victorian world, as a stunning display plant grown in glass greenhouses and private collection and as a fashion accessories for wealthy ladies on the High Street. Cattleyas form part of a huge alliance comprising many other closely related orchids, the best know of the natural genera are Laelia, Brassavola, Sophronitis, Encyclia, Epidendrum, Broughtonia. These, and many others have been widely interbred for nearly 200 years to produce the colossal range of variously sized flowers that is available. The species in the alliance originate from various