Cattleya Orchid and Three Hummingbirds Cattleya Orchid and Three Hummingbirds Cattleya Orchid and Three Hummingbirds (1871) is an oil on mahogany panel picture by Martin Johnson Heade acquired by the National Gallery of Art in 1982. Inspired perhaps by the works of Charles Darwin and Frederic Edwin Church, Heade planned to produce a deluxe book in the 1860s depicting Brazilian hummingbirds in tropical settings, and, to that end, created a series of 40 small pictures called "The Gems of Brazil". The project was abandoned, but Heade retained his interest in hummingbirds and continued to paint them in combination with orchids and jungle backgrounds through the
Cattleya amethystoglossa The lip is bright magenta in color and partially wraps around the column. The throat varies in color from white to pale yellow or gold. Flowers are produced from late fall to early spring. "C. amethystoglossa" grows best in intermediate or warm growing conditions. This species is closely related to "C. guttata" in many ways but differs in flower color and other minor botanical details. There have been a few coerulea and alba forms found in the wild. There are several synonyms for this species: "Cattleya amethystoglossa" var. "lilacina", "Cattleya guttata keteleerii", "Cattleya guttatta lilacina", "Cattleya guttata prinzii", "Cattleya guttata"