| Origin | Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico. |
| Plant description | This species is distinctive and easy to recognized. It's a medium size unifolate cattleya type , except for their gray, dark green appearance and stuffy upright with slightly flatten speudobulbs. Both the speudobulbs and leaves can have a maroon stain color. Plant can get up to 15 in. tall. This species will take sometimes (few years) to well established, and then a year after or so after that before they bloom with a single flower, rarely two that are well worth waiting for. |
| Growing | The plant in nature grows ordinarily on scrubby tangles of small tree trunks and branches well exposed to the sun. They do best mounted, but a very well drain mix in pot will accommodate them fine. |
| Blooming Season | From May to August, but can bloom in April. Some modern crosses can bloom more than once a year. |
| Flower size and shape | Large flower, the petals can measure up to 3 cm wide and over 9 cm long, dorsal sepal over 2 cm wide by 10 cm long, and lateral sepals about 2.5 cm by 9 cm. The lip is 9.5 cm wide by 8.5 cm long, including the fringe. |
| Colors and fragrance | Flower has apple green color, sometimes lighter. Very strong night fragrance, sweet, aromatic and overpowering. My description for its fragrance is very strong citrus, yet elegant enough that will keep you going back for another sniff. |
| Comments | A hardy plant with all good characters, well deserved to have a space in any orchids collection. There is once a Rhyncholaelia digbyana var. firmbripetala was named in 1932 by Oakes Ames for a Honduras plant that is firmbriate along the edges of the petals. |
Rhynch. digbyana (Belize) - I
was told mine is a collected clone back in the 60s, it has large
flowers with very good form, and very green compared to the species
from other regions.
Rhynch. digbyana (Mexico) - I
was thankful to get this clone from Judy Wischoff, my orchids
buddy. This collected clone produces small but good shape flowers.
Pictured flower is its first bloom under my growing condition.
It has strong, but lesser fragrance than the one from Belize.
The flower is greener than most I've seen that came from Mexico.
Rhynch.
digbyana "Laura" AM/AOS - This is my first bloom's picture
of the clone. The flower did not impress me at all. The flowers
is well characterized digbyana, but its shape is questionable
as an award plant. See again.
Rhynch.
digbyana "Mr. Chase" AM/AOS - This is my first bloom
picture of the clone. The flower is small but has very good shape.
It has light green color and good fragrance.
Rhynch. digbyana "Fringe Benefit"
- My own clone from a sefling cross. The flower's size is fair,
with very solid form. Color is lighter green with cream color
lip, greener toward the lower center of the throat. This plant
is a vigorous grower, often bloom twice a year, and time to time
gives 2 flowers per spike!
