Definitions for "cattleya"
any orchid of the genus Cattleya characterized by a hood-shaped three-lobed lip enclosing the column; they are among the most popular and most extravagantly beautiful orchids known. Called also cattleya orchid.
Cattleyas have earned the reputation as the Queen of Orchids and are known to the public as the ultimate floral corsage. While some naturally occurring cattleya species are offered by growers, the most popular plants are man-made hybrids.
Cattleya is a genus of 42 species of orchids from Costa Rica to tropical South America. The genus was named in 1824 by John Lindley after William Cattley, who received and successfully cultivated specimens of Cattleya labiata that were used as packing material in a shipment of other orchids.