An introduction to the characteristics of the Chunlan (Cymbidium goeringii) cultivar Sheng'an Mei
"A Brief History of Orchids and Huis": "In the Gengshen year of the Republic of China, a new variety obtained by Zhu Sheng'an of Shanghai. The three petals have large heads and fine taper, tightly rolled edges, thick flesh, a large and round lip, level shoulders, and a long stem; if the color could be pure green, it could be called absolutely perfect." A single black-and-white photograph remains. "Continued Record of Orchid and Hui Harmony": "Sheng'an Mei, a new variety of the Gengshen year. Mr. Zhu Liwo, master of the Renlan Studio, obtained it at Shenpu...
"Continued Record of Orchid and Hui Harmony": "Sheng'an Mei, a new variety of the Gengshen year. Mr. Zhu Liwo, master of the Renlan Studio, obtained it at Shenpu. In the spring of the Jiazi year, I traveled to Shanghai, and the gentleman showed me the flower: a Guanyin hood, a large spread lip, lustrous, fine and supple, with dark green slender ringed leaves, the flower held above the foliage; its graceful bearing can well be imagined."
The floral characteristics recorded in the "Anonymous Orchid and Hui Manual" are basically the same as those in "Continued Record of Orchid and Hui Harmony."
Wang Shuping records in the "Secret Orchid and Hui Manual": "Sheng'an Mei, Guanyin hood, large spread lip, lustrous, fine and supple, with dark green slender ringed leaves, the flower held above the foliage."
"Fifty Years of Orchid Growing Experience" describes Sheng'an Mei rather simply: "The three petals have large heads and taper to the base, the lip is large and round, the shoulders are level, and the color is slightly inferior." In "My Orchid Growing Life," Zhu Youren recorded only the cultivar name "Sheng'an Mei."
Mr. Gu Shuqi says in "Chronicles of the Orchid Garden": "Mr. Zhu Sheng'an of Shanghai, a native of Jiaxing, worked as a lawyer. He loved orchids and Huis in ordinary times, but had no clear idea of how to select and plant them, so he sought to make more contact with orchid friends, asking for advice and visiting to learn from their experience, and thus came to understand a little about selecting varieties. Later he obtained a fine flower from a flower peddler. After planting it, he arranged it on the flower shelf and carefully observed its changes, such as the shape and color of the flower bud, the bracts, and the form of the leaves. Thus for three years he accumulated a great deal of experience. Hard work pays off, and in 1920 he finally picked out a plum-petal flower; its three petals were round-headed and finely tapered, with tightly rolled edges and thick flesh, delicate in texture, a Guanyin hood, level shoulders, a tall stem, and dark green leaves; the flower's appearance was excellent, and so it was named Sheng'an Mei."
"Orchids and Huis of Jiangsu and Zhejiang": "The new shoots are purplish red; the leaves are 20cm-28cm long and 0.6cm-0.8cm wide, dark green and lusterless in color, with an obliquely drooping posture. The flower scape is tall, rising above the leaf surface; the flower stalk is pale pink, and the bud sheaths are purple-green. The outer three petals have large round heads, fine bases, tightly rolled edges, and thick, delicate, moist flesh; the two lateral sepals form a straight-line shoulder. Each sepal has a short red line at its center. The petals form a semi-hard hooded holding-heart, with heavy white tips on the holds. The lip is a large round tongue; on the lip surface are red heart-shaped patches, very bright and beautiful. The flower's quality is well-formed; its one shortcoming is that the color is not pure green." It also includes one orchid photograph provided by Mr. Chen Yaoming, but that photograph should be Erqi Mei.
Mr. Ding Yongkang's "Three Hundred Questions on Chinese Orchid Art": "The leaf posture is obliquely drooping; the leaf stalk is tight and slender; the leaf tips are long and pointed; the leaf groove is not deep; the slender narrow leaves are 0.5cm-0.8cm wide. The leaf color is dark green with little luster. The new shoots are purplish red; the old plants live long and can retain whole seedlings for 5-6 years. The flower bud has a green shell, green veins, and purple mottling; the ovary bracts are all green with rich color. Before the flower opens, the outer petals have heavy white tips; the outer three petals are round and neat, thick and delicate in texture, with extremely good tightly rolled edges. The front of the petals is green and the back has red veins; on the front, each petal has a short red line at its center, with straight-line shoulders. It has a thick Guanyin hood holding-heart; the front half of the holding petals is entirely white; it has a large spread lip, with the lip tip slightly pointed. The heart-shaped red dots on the lip are vivid. The flower stalk is pale pink, and the topmost section of the stalk turns green. The flower stalk rises above the foliage. The flower's quality is well-formed and its substance thick and delicate; if the flower color were pure green, it would be yet another fine specimen among the plum-petal class."