Introduction to the Characteristics and Cultivation Methods of the Huzhou Mei Huilan Variety

Huzhou Mei was discovered in the mid-spring of 2004 in the Dahong Mountains, an offshoot of the Wudang Mountains in Hubei Province, a popular tourist destination in Hubei with particularly beautiful scenery. It was first obtained by an orchid enthusiast surnamed Li from Zhongxiang, Hubei, who brought it to Huzhou, Zhejiang, to sell. Orchid grower Chen Guanshan fell in love with this flower at first sight. At that time there were only 3 wild-collected plants bearing a single scape of flowers, which he purchased at a high price and named "Huzhou Mei."

After 9 years of careful cultivation, it bloomed again for the first time in 2013, and was then entered in the Huzhou Huilan Expo, where it won unanimous praise from attending experts and orchid enthusiasts and was awarded the Special Gold Prize. Everyone who admired this flower said that for a new huilan variety to produce such a fine flower truly lives up to the name Huzhou Mei: grand yet refined, exquisite, with unmatched charm, truly tasteful. Chen Guanshan then sent it to Taicang to compete in the 23rd China Orchid Expo.

I admired Huzhou Mei in mid-April 2013 at the Taicang Orchid Expo, where Huzhou Mei won the Gold Prize. As it was the first time a national orchid exhibition was held for huilan, one had to admire the award-winning varieties to make the trip worthwhile. There were about fifty famous varieties that won Gold Prizes, and when I came to Huzhou Mei my eyes lit up at once. The plant has an elegant, refined air, with jade-green, drippingly verdant leaf color, proving excellent cultivation skill. The silvery-red sheaths emerge with layer upon layer of green-tinted peaks, and the sheath bracts are adorned with pink and pale green hues. The flower stalk is slender and round, rising above the leaves, a jade-green wick-type stalk. The flower pedicels are purplish-red, long and held high. The small triple-headed form, with 9 to 11 flowers per scape, falls between the standard and superior forms of jiuhua lan; the buds are spaced airily, and the flowers open in all directions, turning round for full appreciation.

When the flower first opens it is very small and delicate, then gradually the petals widen and enlarge, with an open diameter exceeding 3.3 cm, making it a medium-sized flower. The three outer petals are even, symmetrical, short and round, with tightly constricted bases. The main petal is upright, the side petals form a level horizontal shoulder, and the three petals cup inward with excellent tight edging. The center and the three outer petals are well proportioned, and the silkworm-moth spathes embrace in dignified form. The ruyi round tongue is open without drooping, upright and proper in the center, with bright red spots in a rimmed pattern, much like a young girl's rosy lips smiling prettily. The flower color is jade green with emerald accents, thick and glutinous in texture, with fine grain. The flower's appearance is exquisite and generous, possessing a grand air, with an elegant and nimble bearing. Even after being open a long time the color does not fade nor the form wilt; the flower holds exceptionally well with extraordinary substance. Its fragrance wafts far and gently, refreshing to the heart. Its bearing is noble, its charm unmatched; the flower is like green jade with a red hairpin, worthy of lingering admiration.

I have admired many new and old varieties of red-turning-green huilan, and those that turn as cleanly as Huzhou Mei are rarely seen; even rarer is such exquisite, elegant form, thick glutinous texture, fine grain, superb substance, and noble charm, which is truly uncommon. It is fully deserving of being deemed a superior red-turning-green huilan. This flower is certain to be passed down through generations, and will surely bring honor and luster to Huzhou's orchid industry. (Text by/Ding Yongkang）