Cymbidium goeringii 'Jinzun Honghe' (Jixiang He) Variety Introduction
A premium Yunnan orchid, 'Jixiang He'; a lotus-petal variety of Wenshan Cymbidium goeringii, once widely known among orchid enthusiasts as 'Jiangshi Dahe'. It is an excellent Yunnan orchid variety that became very famous in central Yunnan after Jiangshi He, and has won awards at orchid shows many times. In fact, today this flower is mainly concentrated in central Yunnan, and its numbers in Yunnan are very few. Under normal cultivation, this flower's plant type...
Background story: It is said that around 1998 it was collected from the mountains in Zunyi, Guizhou, from the same mountain as the Guizhou Cymbidium goeringii 'Zhangshang Mingzhu'. Later it entered Kunming, Yunnan, and was collected by an orchid enthusiast surnamed Zhang. Among enthusiasts it was once called 'Jixiang He'. Later it gradually spread among enthusiasts year by year. At first, this plant in some people's hands was infected with severe root rot, and the shoots could not develop. In most people's hands it dwindled day by day, so the name never became well known. Only veteran orchid growers knew this name that had once been used among enthusiasts. In 2011, another plant that entered Kunming from Wenshan, Yunnan, became famous at the 2012 orchid show and quickly became popular, and was later named 'Jixiang He'. Jixiang He now refers to the plant from Wenshan.
In 2014, Mr. Zhao Shan (a Kunming orchid merchant originally from Guizhou) named it again as 'Jinzun Honghe', also to distinguish it from the Wenshan plant. At the beginning of 2014, the existing stock of 'Jinzun Honghe' in Yunnan shops was just over 100 plants, with Mr. Chen Song, an orchid grower from Yuxi (originally from Kunming, now living in Chengjiang, Yuxi), holding the lion's share (about 100 plants). In 2014, Mr. Chen released the bulk onto the Kunming market, and this flower quickly spread explosively through the Yunnan market, and because of this it truly gained market recognition. Only then did its name become well known in central Yunnan.
Characteristics and appreciation of 'Jinzun Honghe': A premium lotus-petal variety of Cymbidium goeringii. Under normal cultivation, this flower has a graceful and compact plant type, with leaf length generally reaching about 12--20CM, leaf width about 0.7-1.0CM, and mostly 4-5 leaves, occasionally 7. The new shoots have tightly clasping leaf bases; when taken out of the pot, the clasping sheaths are numerous and curve inward. After the leaves unfurl, starting from the basal leaves, the leaf tips lift upward, and the central leaves may even be upright. The leaf tips are leathery, with a slight rough feel. Even without flowers, the variety is relatively easy to identify from the plant. This variety flowers readily, with a rich, full, strong fragrance that lasts a long time. The color is water-pink (the depth of color varies depending on the growing environment and cultivation habits). The tongue is noticeably long, making it a standard central-angle lotus. The flowering form is stable, the petals are thick and hard, and strong plants readily produce double flowers.
Because of its small existing stock, after being introduced to the market in recent years, it has gradually gained recognition from orchid growers in various places. Enthusiasts in Zhejiang, Sichuan, Guizhou, and western Yunnan have been introducing it one after another, and the price has climbed steadily. It is said that this year this flower, with its outstanding flowering performance in Lincang in western Yunnan and Shuicheng in Guizhou, drew admiration from many orchid growers, and also won the pursuit and favor of many orchid growers and enthusiasts.
