Introduction and Appreciation of the 'Yuqian Mei' Spring Sword Orchid Variety

A variety that was hyped back in the day, its flowering performance is extremely unstable. Among orchids, the fine variety 'Yuqian Mei' belongs to the Spring Sword (Chunjian) class and originates from the Daba Mountains in Tongjiang, Sichuan. In 2002 it was collected from the mountains by local villagers and cultivated by an orchid grower in Deyang; it bloomed again in 2005 and was named 'Yuqian Mei'.

The 'Yuqian Mei' plant is 4055cm tall, with leaves 1.5cm wide in a soft, drooping form, 5-7 leaves per plant, and a leaf cross-section shaped like a "V"; the leaf veins are clear, the leaf sheaths are thick and substantial, with distinct purple veins in the middle, and the leaf color is dark green; the flower scape is upright, with the flowers held above the foliage; the flower form is a plum-petal type, and the flower color belongs to the red-flower series. This flower has a dignified appearance, with a structure that is rounded, thick and waxy in texture, and smooth and full; the stork's-bill tip is broad and rounded, the sepal body is short at a ratio of 1.2 to 1, the sepal margins are tightly edged and strong, and the sepals are richly and brilliantly colored; the petals (the pong petals) form a hood, with the tips of the pong petals drawn in and curled inward into a bag-like shape, with rich coloring; the lip is solid, short and round, positioned below the lower end of the pong petals. This flower breaks away from the monotonous flower color characteristic of Spring Sword orchids and is a rare fine variety bestowed by nature upon orchid growers.