Rhyncholaelia digbyana

Rhyncholaelia digbyana is native to Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras. Rhyncholaelia digbyana is grows in sunny locations on the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico. Plants grow in tangles of brush that are exposed to a lot of sun and breezes.

Rhyncholaelia digbyana resembles a medium-sized unifoliate Cattleya. The pseudobulbs are stiff and dark green and the foliage is dark green with silver flushes. Sometimes the undersides of the leaves and pseudobulbs are flushed with maroon.

Flowers grow to 7 inches (17 cm). The large flowers are apple green to a greenish cream in color. The lip is impressively frilly and quite distinctive. Rhyncholaelia digbyana var. fimbripetala has frilly petals in addition to the lip. Sometimes there is a picote edge on the lip and a magenta flush on the back side of petals. The plants are quite fragrant at night. Turning on the light will cause the plant to temporarily stop perfume production until darkness commences. Most flowers occur from May to August.

Rhyncholaleia digbyana is frequently used to create complex Cattleya hybrids where it is used to bring its fantastic frilly lip to the genetic mix. Sometimes it is used to add a picote edge to the lip in hybrids with other genera. The color of the other parent is dominant in hybrids. The first successful hybrid with this species was flowered in 1889 between Rhyncholaelia digbyana and Cattleya mossiae and was called BC. digbyano-mossiae.