Cattleya trianae Cattleya trianae Cattleya trianae (Lind. & Rchb. fil), also known as "Flor de Mayo" ("May flower") or "Christmas orchid", is a plant belonging to the Orchidaceae family. It grows as an epiphytic orchid, with succulent leaves, endemic to Colombia where it was nominated as the national flower in November 1936. That year, the National Academy of History of Argentina asked the Latin American countries to participate in an exhibition with the representative flowers of each country. The Colombian government gave the botanist Emilio Robledo the task to designate the most representative flowering plant of the country. The choice of "Cattleya
Cattleya rex La Paz in Bolivia. It occurs in montane forests and low montane seasonally dry forests at 800–2500 m, growing on tree branches. In its native habitat, flowering occurs between December and March. "Cattleya rex" has been assigned an endangered conservation status in 1997 by the IUCN. Previously believed to be a Peruvian endemic, in 2013 a new locality was reported in Bolivia, thus increasing the area of extension for the species. "C. rex" requires a temperate climate (in winter, artificial heating set at 16 °C at night and 18 °C during the day is recommended) and good ventilation (a dark