Cattleya maxima Cattleya maxima Cattleya maxima is a species of orchid in subfamily Epidendroideae found from Venezuela to Peru. Epiphytic herb with club-shaped pseudobulbs, up to 39 cm. or taller with one leaf at the top (total height of pseudobulb and leaf about 61 cm). Leaf oblong or broadly oblong, rounded at apex, light green, up to 35 cm. long and up to 6 cm. wide, thick and fleshy. Inflorescence stem up to 30 cm long, with 3-6 (upland variety) or 12-15 (lowland variety) flowers. Flowers 12–15 cm wide, with lilac or pale rose sepals and petals, except the lip or labellum,
Basics of blue flower colouration This phenomenon we can observe in the morning glory (Ipomoea tricolor) and Japanese blue morning glory (Ipomoea nil) petals. During the flower development we can observe change of the flower colour form purple to blue. Morning glory has just one delphinidin type anthocyanin and the composition of it does not change during the flower development, but change of the colour is caused by increase of pH in vacuole of coloured cells from 6.6 in buds to 7.7 in fully matured flowers. During the early stage of development acidic pH is maintained by proton pumps, on the latter stage K+/H+ exchanger