Characteristics and Appreciation of the Cymbidium faberi 'Konggu Zuyin'

Floral art: lotus-type green-moss pure flower

    Origin: Kang County, Longnan City (southern slopes of the Qinling Mountains)

    History: Discovered in 2005 in Kang County, selected and cultivated by Mr. Tan Yongkang, introduced in 2008 by Yang Anshan, vice president of the Shanghai Orchid Association, and named after it rebloomed in 2011. "Konggu Zuyin" means: hearing footsteps in a silent valley. A metaphor for an extremely rare treasure.

    Characteristics: The plant form is elegant, with semi-drooping leaves interspersed with slanting upright leaves; the leaf texture is thick and glutinous with a strong fleshy feel; the leaf margins have fine, dense serrations; the leaf color is dark green; the leaves are stiff, narrow and finely grooved, with a "V"-shaped cross-section and sharp tips, occasionally showing swallowtail; new shoots are pure green with obvious white tips; the leaves usually number about 7-8, about 30-40 cm tall, reaching up to 50+ cm at most, about 0.6-0.8 cm wide, up to 1 cm at the widest; under normal conditions, when the plant is healthy with about 6 leaves and a leaf length of about 30 cm, a medium-to-large plant of three or more shoots in a mother-and-child structure can produce flowers. (The data on this flower in this article all refer to values for medium-to-large plants cultivated in the north); the flower bud has a white-green shell with faint green veins, fine dense mottling, crystal clear, with a long shell and pointed bud and a rounded bulge in the middle; the flower scape is a lamp-wick stem, emerald green, slender and round, upright and tall, about 0.4-0.5 cm thick and about 70-80 cm tall, usually bearing about 9-12 flowers; (when the plant is robust and in a large clump, the scape is taller and the flowers more numerous); the small flower stalks are slender, about 3.5-4 cm, with good joint turning, and the overall arrangement is sparse and open; the petals are glutinous and fine, the flower color is jade-green and dripping with emerald, lustrous and glossy; when first opened the petals are short and broad, with the main petal forming a cap, the side petals embracing, the clam-shell holdfasts tightly clasped, and the green-moss lip slightly resting, the center of the flower extremely round and neat; as it opens further the outer petals extend at the corners, the petal tips have tight edges and pockets, forming a level one-line shoulder, slightly arching inward, presenting a long-footed lotus type, with the lip drooping and curling below, the holdfasts not opening a window, and the flower holding well; the petal diameter is 5-6 cm, and the widest part of the outer petals is about 1.2 cm; the fragrance is refreshing and reaches the heart, mild and pure; the roots are slender, round and well developed, and with proper cultivation antler-shaped roots often appear. This flower is easy to grow and blooms freely, having rebloomed many times with stable flower quality and strong resistance to stress.

    Appreciation:

    Strengths: Overall: the leaf form is elegant, a small plant with large flowers, the scape rises above the leaves, the arrangement is sparse and open, well interspersed, the flowers like wind chimes, clear, beautiful and purely elegant, calm and composed.

       In detail: long-footed lotus type, tender jade-green color, large lip with mossy texture, holdfasts tightly clasped, dignified flower appearance, flower holds well, gentle and modest, calm and restrained.

    Weaknesses: 1. Insufficient taper, the root constriction is not obvious; if the root constriction were a little finer, the lines of the whole flower would appear more crisp and brisk; 2. The flower scape is too tall, and the combination of flowers and leaves is not ideal.