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,
Flowering Locus C Flowering Locus C Flowering Locus C ("FLC") is a MADS-box gene that in late-flowering ecotypes of the plant "Arabidopsis thaliana" is responsible for vernalization. In a new seedling "FLC" is expressed, which prevents flowering. Upon exposure to cold, less "FLC" is expressed (to a degree depending on the amount of cold), and flowering becomes possible. "FLC" is extensively regulated through epigenetic modifications and transcriptional control. The expression of "FLC" is affected by other genes including "FLK", "FCA" and "VERNALIZATION2" ("VRN2"). Wild "Arabidopsis" plants have different alleles for the "FLC" gene, which correspond to ecotypes which either (a) flower rapidly and