The Genera and Species of Orchidaceous Plants: 116 (1833)
Upland type: plump, short pseudobulbs with relatively short upright leaves and 3-5 dark lavender flowers on a stem. This is found on the western slopes of the Andes from southern Colombia into northern Peru and Ecuador at elevations of 3000 to 6000 feet above sea level.
Lowland type: up to two feet tall with 12-21 flowers on a spike, collected at sea level in Ecuador. Color intensity is pale to medium lavender flowers with none of the intense dark purple of the upland type,
Notable varieties:
Cattleya maxima has a lovely fragrance, and all the color forms of the large-flowered Cattleya species. Lowland type: there are albas, semialbas, lovely pale pinkish-lavender forms particularly in the tall-pseudobulb. Upland type: there are intense dark purple of the short-pseudobulb. There are also some attractive coerulea clones.
- C. maxima ‘Virginalis’ – upland type
- C. maxima ‘Malouana’ – upland type
- C. maxima ‘Hrubyana’ – lowland type
- C. maxima ‘Floribunda’ – lowland type
Unifoliate Cattleyas 