Christmas Orchid
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.
Also called Flor de Mayo, May Flower and Winter Cattleya.
Toxicity is partly unassessed
- Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
What the sources say about its care
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shadeRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Well-drained or Moist but well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H1A — warmer than 15°C 15 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Toxic to cats
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.RHS · read 13 September 2026
Routine care
- Watering
- Through the growing season, water and feed regularly. Let all excess water drain so the plant is not left standing in it. In winter, cut back on water and feed and keep it somewhere bright and sunny.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- Through the growing season, water and feed regularly. In winter, cut back on watering and feeding, and keep the plant somewhere bright and sunny.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Repotting
- Repot roughly every 2-3 years: only once the plant has outgrown its pot, or before the mix starts to break down. Wait until new growth appears in spring before repotting.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- By division or seed.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Once a mature plant outgrows its pot it can be divided. Give each piece no fewer than 3 older growths holding enough stored energy and water to feed new growth and ease stress after repotting.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Pruning is not needed.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by Boisduval scale, hemispherical scale and greenhouse thrips.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Can be troubled by mealybugs, scale insects and glasshouse red spider mite, and thrips can damage flowers. Diseases: usually none. Poor air movement can lead to bacterial or fungal rots; virus diseases are kept from spreading by good hygiene and sterilised cutting tools.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
Cattleya trianae, also known as Flor de Mayo or "Christmas orchid", is a species of flowering plant in the family Orchidaceae. 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.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- NE. & C. ColombiaWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026ColumbiaNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026ColombiaRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- wet tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- pseudobulbous epiphyteWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Epiphyte, Herbaceous Perennial, Perennial; habit erectNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Clump forming (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 3–24 in; width 3–24 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 0.1-0.5 metres; spread 0.1-0.5 metres after 5–10 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers gold/yellow, purple/lavender, whiteNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers pink in spring and winter; yellow in spring and winter; white in spring and winter; purple in spring and winterRHS · read 13 September 2026
Other Cattleya
More of the Orchidaceae family
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Moth orchidCrisp margins that appear in winter
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Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.