Characteristics of Cattleya intermedia Type The flowers of Cattleya intermedia are considered as the "type" when they have the follow characteristics: a) Medium size of 7cm; b) Medium width of petals and sepals of 1,2 cm, presenting slight commissure in the superior edges of the petals; c) The basic color coming from the blend of rose, lilac and purple generating many hues without drawing impressed in the petals and sepals; d) Print color of the lip: lilac-purple, homogeneous, covering practically the whole lip but not reaching the atrium; e) Column practically closed by the lateral lobes of the lip (cryptochila); f) Anterior lobe of the lip discretely bi-lobulated, flatted or with light inflexions on its edges; g) Interior base of tube shows the colored veins (striae ) of the labellum prints.

Partes do labelo (visão distendida): Parts of the lip (flattened vision) - Estrias da estampa labelar: veins (striae) of the labellum print - Estampa labelar: Labellum print - Lobo: lobe - lóbulo: lobule - Coluna: column - Coluna com capa da antera deslocada mostrando o polinário: Column with the anther cap displaced showing the pollinarium - Cavidade estigmática: stigmatic cavity.

Colors

In nature, when we examine the flowers, we can analyze them accord to the colors of each species. Thus we see that every flower has a "basic" color which covers practically all surface of the floral segments, sometimes complemented by one or more "secondary/basic" colors.
Most part of the orchid flowers present, superposed to the "basic" color,  "printed" colors on the lips (labellum print) and some also presented in the petals and sepals (petal-sepals print).

Basic colors of Cattleya intermedia
1. Alba - white color;   2. Type - several combinations inside the rose-lilac-purple colors in many hues; 3. Bluish - many hues; 4. Wine– many hues.

Secondary basic colors of Cattleya intermedia
Yellow and/or white color observed on the lips and neo-lips.

yellow - white

Labellum prints The engraved colors situated on the lips and neo-lips. Petal-sepals prints The colors situated on the petals and sepals. Due to the fact that they have different origins, the labellum prints are different from the petal-sepals prints.

Labellum prints/Petal-sepals prints


Groups with basic colors deciding the nomenclature
Alba, semi-alba, albescens, semi-albescens, suavissima, concolor, coerulea, coerulenses , vinicolor, types, rubras (red) and sanguíneas (blood color)





Groups with denominations coming from the printed colors on the lips



- Reddish colors:  types (rose/lilac/purple) and their variants - suave (rose/lilac) and rubra (red);
- Bluish color: amethyst, amethystine and purple-violet
- Wine colors : wine, frezina (cherry coloured) and bordeau
- Another colors: lilac, roxo-bispo (purple bishop robes), magenta and brown.



Standards of the petal-sepals prints used to denominate the cultivars in the classifications of the species



a- punctata; b- striata; c- maculata; d- veined; e- flamea

Denomination of the groups according to the drawing observed in the lip prints


a) The shapeof the "type" drawing (the most found in the species) is characterized for having a homogenous color filling practically all the anterior lobe of the lip. It starts in the anterior edge and extends itself towards the atrium without reaching it.

b) The other drawings in the labellum print which don't have the "type" drawing, we nominated them "multiform" according to each visualized form:

b1) Pseudotype multiform A type drawing which coloring is interrupted in the horizontal line in the second third of the anterior lobe.

b2) Integral multiform The coloring of the lip covers all the anterior lobe reaching the atrium.

b3) Multiform mandaiano Flowers which lips do not present veins (striae) in the labellum print, except for the concolor and irrorata cultivars which present phenotypes hierarchically more remarkable.

b4) Multiform atro Flowers vivid coloring in the exterior of the tube, practically with the same intensity of the anterior lobe,clearing showing up the basic color of the flower.

b5) Multiform sp (without particularities) Flowers without denominated drawings in the anterior lobe of the lip (former multiform).

b6) Multiform oculata Drawing with two rounded separated blotches, situated in the anterior lobe of the lip.

b7) Multiform veined flowers with well visible veins in any lobe of the lip.

b8) Multiform orlata Type drawing which color extends covering the anterior edges of the lateral lobes.

b9) Multiform marginata - The color of the anterior lobe is extended on the lateral lobes until the insertion petals/sepals.

b10) Multiform irrorato - flowers presenting just a margin in the anterior lobe of lip, in general 'roxo-bispo' (purple bishop robes). The color of the petals and sepals can be alba or albescens.

b11) Multiform striate - flowers just presenting the veins in the labellum print, on the anterior lobe of the lip.

b12) Multiform albo-marginata - flowers having the secondary basic white color covering the margins of the lip.