What are the Suxin varieties of Jianlan (Cymbidium ensifolium)? A deep dive into Suxin Jianlan
The Rongxian Snow-white variety with a touch of pale red on the peach cheeks is even more charming. This variety generally does not exceed 30 cm under natural cultivation; the ones I grow are basically around 25 cm, with leaf width just under about 1.3 cm, the leaves tending yellow-green, the flowers easily rising above the foliage, and the flowers large, fully 4 cm - a typical small-plant-big-flower type, with very broad petals; even weak seedlings when they bloom...
I recommend a few with high value for money: Yinbian Dagong, Tiegu Huangya, Yandang Su, and Ruanjian Renhua Bai - all have good fragrance, leaf shape, and overall effect. If you like petal forms, I recommend Datang Gongfen!
Suxin Jianlan varieties are numerous, with a long history and widespread circulation. Historical records state that Jianlan was cultivated as early as the Qin Dynasty; Qin Shi Huang was very fond of orchids, and especially fond of Jianlan, and afterward imperial relatives and nobles of successive dynasties favored Jianlan even more. Within the Suxin family of Jianlan there appeared several "tribute" names, namely: Yinbian Dagong, Yong'an Gongsu, Yushen Dagong, Renhua Bai, and others. Although there are no detailed records, the later character "gong" (tribute) perhaps has an inevitable connection with "tribute items," and it also shows that the taste and aesthetic charm of Jianlan at that time were self-evident. Historical records note that Zhao Kuangyin, the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty, was uniquely fond of Jianlan and once issued a decree that famous Jianlan varieties be presented to the palace each year from Fujian, Lingnan (Guangdong), and other places; the book records that most of the tribute varieties were famous Jianlan flowers. Since even emperors loved Jianlan so much, literati, prominent families, gentry, and common people all followed suit, and thus the cultivation of Jianlan entered a flourishing period. In the late Southern Song Dynasty (AD 1233), in the book Jinzhang Lanpu by Mr. Zhao Shigeng of Fujian, more than half recounts famous Jianlan flowers, and Suxin Jianlan also occupied a considerable proportion. What Mr. Zhao highly praised was Yushen Lan, pointing out that "it has twelve sepals (blooms), the flower segments are clear as fish roe (fish eggs); picked and sunk into water, no shadow can be pointed to; the leaves are rather strong and green - a wonder among white orchids." The text explains Yushen Lan very thoroughly: the flowers are like fish roe in glutinous texture, and when placed in water they are basically close to the water, while "no shadow can be pointed to" is merely describing the transparency of the flower. Some ask whether "no shadow can be pointed to" means that when placed in water the flower is invisible; this is probably unlikely, because even glass placed in water still shows a shadow, let alone egg white placed in it. I have done experiments, and only thin ice cubes placed in water come close to leaving no shadow to point to. If orchid flowers were the color of ice cubes, then compared with vividly colored orchids, ice cubes would naturally be much dimmer, so one can infer that if an orchid placed in water leaves no shadow, it is not the high-grade orchid we want to appreciate. Beautiful things can be likened to or described by other objects, but they absolutely cannot be used as a measure.
I love orchids, am partial to Jianlan, and especially love Suxin Jianlan. The orchid garden at home is mainly for collection; there are no fewer than 50 Suxin Jianlan varieties, with elegant, robust, oil-green leaves, blooming every year with fragrance overflowing and scent filling the whole courtyard. Different varieties differ in flowering period, flowering time, fragrance, and color. Yushen Lan has been highly praised by orchid growers through the ages. In actual orchid cultivation, the author has observed and compared, and indeed Yushen Dagong is the foremost treasure among white-flowered Jianlan; at present, no white-flowered Suxin can replace it. Because only a few people have the authentic variety of Yushen Dagong, and its growers love quiet and are unwilling to pass it on, its original "flower-like face and moon-like beauty" is unknown to others. After years of effort, the author has confirmed the authentic variety. With the strong support of Chinese orchid experts and professors, photographs of Yushen Dagong were published in Lan, Zhongguo Lanhua, and Yilan Wang, fulfilling the urgent wish of the broad community of orchid friends and the dream of having a reference for obtaining the true variety.
The orchid garden at home has provided me with a place for study and experimentation. In the process of cultivation, I have found that Suxin Jianlan has very profound connotations. It contains many unique essences that require us to explore and study. In the process of collection, I have discovered many unprecedented and truly excellent varieties, such as: Siji Su Tuanban, Zhenggé Shuixian Su, Siji Su Meiban, Siji Su Heban, and others. The Siji Su mentioned here is not the ordinary folk Siji Su; the Siji Su I speak of is the same Siji Su as the upright-leaf green-stem Sijilan, whereas the folk Siji Su has a plant type like Longyan Su or Longyan Shibakai; the two are entirely different varieties. In Fujian, Sijilan and Jianlan are clearly distinguished (this is a local custom): Jianlan plant type tends to be shorter, mostly medium-short soft leaves, like Longyan Su. Sijilan has an upright-leaf plant type and is robust; it can bloom 2-3 times each year from April to October. Because of its high propagation rate, thick and sturdy leaves, ease of blooming, ease of cultivation, and strong disease resistance, it is relatively widely promoted, but such a truly orthodox Sijilan Suxin is extremely rare. The author has traveled to many places and entered hundred-mu orchid-producing areas without finding it, so evidently what has currently been collected is only the very first clump obtained from the mountains.
Suxin Jianlan has many varieties, and there are still many excellent varieties that have not yet been promoted. Suxin Tuanban, Meiban, and Heban are still in the "infant" stage and need careful tending; only after a certain period can they be promoted. I hope the broad community of orchid friends will join our ranks and jointly conduct in-depth research on Suxin Sijilan, with the goal of collecting and cultivating more and even more excellent varieties, and striving to provide high-grade new sources for the broad community of orchid lovers.