The smallest of the Cattleya species, C. luteola flowers well, not only in a greenhouse, but also under ordinary fluorescent lights, in a confined area with virtually no air movement. Cattleya luteola is an adorable little plant with pseudobulbs only 2 inches (5 cm) tall and flowers often less than 2 inches (5 cm) across. It usually produces two to five flowers on a stem, although it can produce as many as nine flowers on a stem. Flowers are normally a lemon or sulfur color, but greenish-yellow clones also exist. The anterior lobe is whitish on occasion, and the front of the lip can have a few purple streaks or spots, but generally, C. luteola gives the impression of being a concolor yellow flower. Cattleya luteola has only one leaf on top of the pseudobulb, and the flowers have no cuts in the lip, unlike so many of the other small-flowered Cattleya species. Cattleya luteola is reported to have fragrant flowers