“If you find it growing wild along the Rio Negro in Brazil, and it glitters in lavender, orange, pink and white in the sunlight, it may well be worth its weight in gold.” (Chadwick and Son).

When I read the above statement about the “Old Gold Kid” of the Cattleya clan, I knew I had to have this one, especially since it is pretty hard to find in the US as it is not grown by any US nurseries.

My quest for C. eldorado was somewhat akin to the age-old quest for Eldorado. As it grows in a very limited range in Brazil, and as no one really grows it here in the states, most website searches sent me to the orchid nursery sites in Brazil. A few polite inquiries convinced me that the only way I could order a plant was to place my order and then wait when one of the Brazilian nurseries come to the states to attned a show: that is when they bring the plants with them. This mean waiting about an year and then arranging for them to ship the plant for me. This, considering my impatience when on a quest, was not the ideal mode of action.

I also searched Ebay, but only one C. eldorado had been sold on Ebay in the last year. I emailed the seller of that plant. The seller wrote back and said that he had only one plant in his greenhouse but could not sell it to me as the plant was not really doing well. But he also gave me a few leads about other orchid growers in the States. Sadly, all those leads also pointed me elsewhere: but it is great to know that all those I contacted in the Cattleya grower community were exceptionally helpful and were always able to point me to someone else who might have a plant. The quest, thus, really became a quest for Eldorado.

I also asked my friends if anyone of them knew anyone in Brazil who would be willing to acquire and send a plant to me through regular export channels. No luck there as well.

As a trained ex-soldier, though I was single-minded in my mission, my quest was multi-pronged and had many dimensions. While I was contacting individual collectors and growers, I was also searching orchid nursery websites and sending them messages through their websites. Many of them did not bother to respond, and those who did, informed me that they do not grow or import C. eldorado.

But finally, on my sixth day of searhcing, I got a message from The Orchid Trail from North Carolina. They informed me that they had three different kinds of species C. eldorado and could sell them to me for a very fair price.

I ordered the plants immediately. The plants arrived in three days. These are all very established plants and one of them is in sheath. I have placed them in the warmest part of my greenhouse and they, despite the fact that they are in their dry season, seem to be doing well.

So, overall this was the most exciting and rewarding Cattleya venture for me and I will keep you posted about the progress of my plants. You can find the details about my four C. eldorados on my “My Collection” page and if you want a C. eldorado of your own, feel free to contact Paul at The Orchid Trail.

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