When does the Longyan Su orchid usually bloom?

Longyan Su is famous because its origin is in Longyan, Fujian. There are very many varieties of Longyan Su; almost everyone who grows orchids has grown Longyan Su. So when does Longyan Su bloom?

1. When does Longyan Su bloom?

Longyan Su usually blooms from July to September. The flower scapes of Longyan Su rise above the leaves, usually bearing 5-7 flowers per scape, and some can bear as many as more than 10; the petals are relatively closed, somewhat like the broad lotus-type petals of Cymbidium faberi; the flower posture is elegant; the flower color is milky yellow or white with a green tinge, with the green tinge deeper at the petal tips, and the lip is spotlessly white, slightly rolled back; it belongs to the small drooping-shoulder flower form.

2. Characteristics of Longyan Su

Longyan Su is a type of plain-hearted Cymbidium ensifolium (jianlan). Its plant form is exceptionally elegant, its leaf color is emerald green and glossy, its leaf posture is well spaced and orderly, with a handsome structure, swaying in the wind and graceful in many poses. It is said: “Viewing flowers lasts a day, viewing leaves lasts the year.” So orchid leaves are also an important part of the overall beauty and the artistic beauty of orchids. In the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Yu once wrote the verse “Weeping dew scatters the light in disorder, shadows slant by themselves in the wind; how can ordinary people understand this? Viewing leaves is better than viewing flowers” to praise the beauty of orchid leaf posture. Its plant form is exceptionally elegant, its leaf color is emerald green and glossy, its leaf posture is well spaced and orderly, with a handsome structure, swaying in the wind and graceful in many poses. Its flower scapes are upright, the inflorescence has 5-7 flowers, the flowers are narcissus-form lotus petals, the lip is rolled outward, the flowers are milky white with a green tinge, plain-hearted and spotless. Although it does not have the opulent and magnificent bearing of the peony. Its floral fragrance is sweet, strong but not muddy. Nor does it have the dazzling, vivid beauty of the rose, but that dignified and upright temperament, like a fair-skinned, jade-clean, gracefully standing young woman, is enough to make people fall for it. A poet once intoned: “A green shell with green veins all around, the green veins run through the top in fine clarity, the green mist of clouds is like smoke protecting it; it is truly authentically passed down and surely plain-hearted.” This shows that plain-hearted orchids truly have unusual ornamental value.

Its floral fragrance is sweet, strong but not muddy. Everyone who appreciates orchids has had the experience that “with one pot in the room, the whole house is fragrant.” This kind of delicate fragrance mostly gives people a feeling of purity and distant elegance.

Among plain-hearted Cymbidium ensifolium (jianlan), Longyan Su is one of the top-grade varieties possessing posture, charm, color and fragrance all at once, and is also a traditional famous variety among Chinese orchids; no orchid grower fails to grow it. It is just that in recent years the amount planted has increased, so its price has remained very low. It is nevertheless a choice for orchid enthusiasts who lack this variety. Some new orchid varieties reach tens of thousands of yuan or even hundreds of thousands of yuan per seedling, simply commanding a price for being novel and rare, but their posture, charm, color and fragrance may not necessarily surpass those of traditional famous Chinese orchid varieties. Therefore, people who grow orchids for the appreciation of orchids need not pursue novel and expensive orchids, and should choose some with ornamental value that possess posture, charm, color and fragrance.

Longyan Su is a very traditional orchid and is very suitable for growing at home; it can both cultivate character and add a touch of elegance to the home.