What are the rare and precious orchid varieties? Detailed introduction to the main varieties

Shen Yuanru's "Orchids" Part 28: Introduction to the Main Rare and Precious Varieties (1)

After long-term cultivation and selective breeding by the working people, our country's orchids have very many varieties. Many rare and precious orchids are named according to the special forms of their petal types, such as "XX Mei", "XX He", "XX Shuixian", "XX Su", "XX Qiban", etc. Some are described according to their colors, such as "Luyun", "Cuigai", "Lüying", "Zishou Jinzhang", "Cui Yipin", "Chifengqiao", "Xianlü", "Dalühe", "Lükui", "Cuichan", "Zihanzan", "Bai Baosui", etc. Some use the names of cultivators, anecdotes from the selection and breeding process, or place names as their names, such as "Songmei", "Duanmei", "Tangmei", "Zhanghesu", "Xiehesu", "Chengmei", "Cuimei", "Yangshi Hesu", "Yangshi Sudie", "Da Yipin", "Xiaoda", "Changshusu", "Suzhou Chun Yipin", "Yuyao Diyi Mei", "Shanghai Mei", "Songjiang Dahe", "Wenzhou Su", "Juzhou Su", "Jinao Su", "Longyan Su", "Guanyin Su", "Yong'an Su", "Yongfu Su", "Jianlan", etc. Some are named according to their forms, such as "Jiyuan", "Yingge Mei", "Hai'ou", "Duoyun", "Fengqiao", "Cuidie", "Efeng Mei", "Duanmei", "Jipin", "Yushen Lan", etc. Some are named according to the number and appearance of the flowers borne on the flower stem, such as "Shisan Taibao", "Shiba Dafeng", "Daimei", "Huilian", "Hehe Die", "Sixi Die", etc. In order to let readers understand in detail the history, characteristics, and petal-type systems of our country's main famous orchid varieties, a detailed introduction is now given below:

 

 

(1) Cymbidium goeringii group

1. Songmei

Petal type: Mei petal

History: Selected during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty from the family of Song Jinxuan in Zhejiang, hence also called Song Jinxuan Mei.

Characteristics: When it blooms as a Mei petal type, the three petals are especially tight and round, with silkworm-moth shen and Liuhai tongue; sometimes it can also bloom as a lotus-form Shuixian petal or Mei-form Shuixian petal; if the orchid plant is strong, it occasionally has twin flowers. Old leaves are mostly bow-shaped, the bract leaves are light red, the leaf color is deep green, the leaf width is relatively broad, and the leaf tips are blunt. It is an outstanding famous variety among the Mei petal types of Cymbidium goeringii, and has been listed as the first of the four great famous varieties of Cymbidium goeringii.

 

2. Yuyao Diyi Mei

Petal type: Mei petal

History: Selected by Xu Ling of Yuyao during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty. Also called Diyi Yuan.

Characteristics: The three petals are short and round, the petal flesh is thick, and the five petals are divided into separate nests. Slightly drooping shoulders. Ruyi tongue. The flower stem is thin. The flower color is not pure green. Old leaves are slightly sickle-shaped. The bract leaf tips are light red. The leaves are somewhat thick.

 

3. Xiaoshan Caimei

Petal type: Mei petal

History: Selected by the Cai family of Xiaoshan, Zhejiang, during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, and afterward lost during wartime; during the Xianfeng period, orchid enthusiasts in Ningbo selected a similar Lümeisu to replace it, but the outer three petals are slightly narrower than the old variety, with hard shen, and compared with the old variety, the flower form is poorer.

Characteristics: The outer three petals have tight edges, flat shoulders, and mostly fully closed shen (fused together with the column, commonly called three petals and one nose). The slender stem is tall. The color is emerald green. When it appears in Mei form, the flower form is slightly smaller and is called Caimei. If it blooms as Mei-form Shuixian, it mostly has five petals divided into separate nests, and the flower form is larger, called Caimei Shuixian; because the lip petal is slightly white-green, it is also called Caimeisu. Old leaves are slightly bow-shaped, the leaf veins are somewhat deep, the foot sheaths are low, and the bract leaves are green. This flower, from strong grass turning lean, mostly blooms as Mei-form Shuixian; after lacking fertilizer, when the orchid plant is lean it often blooms in Mei form, and only after becoming strong again can good flower grades bloom.

 

4. Yumei

Petal type: Mei petal

History: Selected in Shaoxing during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty.

Characteristics: The five petals are relatively short and round, with flat shoulders, flat-edged short shen, white tongue, and near the base of the lip petal on both cheek edges there is occasionally a slight pinkish blush. The flower stem is relatively short. Early-blooming habit.

5. Qinmei

Petal type: Mei petal

History: Selected during the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty in Jiashan, Zhejiang.

Characteristics: The five petals are short and round, with tight edges, divided nests, hard shen, Ruyi tongue, thin flower stem, and flat shoulders. Old leaves are sickle-shaped, the leaf tips are blunt, and the bract leaves are light red.

6. Yuanhu Diyi Mei

Petal type: Mei petal

History: Selected during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, also called Wanzi.

Characteristics: The three petals are round and long, with tight edges, flat shoulders, thick petal flesh, glutinous texture, emerald green color, and the heads of the shen petals have tiny reddish dots; small Ruyi tongue; old leaves are bow-shaped, the bract leaves are deep green, the leaf veins are deep, and the foot sheaths are low.

 

7. Xiaodamei

Petal type: Mei petal

History: Selected during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty in a Suzhou flower cellar; because people fought over it, it was named thus.

Characteristics: The petals are short-footed with round heads and flat shoulders, tight edges, half-hard shen, round tongue, and the flower stem is thin and long. Old leaves are slightly sickle-shaped, and the bract leaves are deep red.

 

8. Daimei

Petal type: Mei petal

History: Selected during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty by a flower peddler in Ningbo.

Characteristics: The three petals are round and long, with half-hard shen and a small Ruyi tongue. It often blooms two flowers on one stem (opening stacked one above the other); after lacking fertilizer, it occasionally blooms one flower on one stem. Old leaves are bow-shaped, the leaf tips are blunt, the leaf veins are shallow, and the leaf texture is thick. The bract leaves are red-purple.

9. Jizi

Petal type: Mei petal

History: Discovered in the Tianmu Mountains of Zhejiang in the Jiashen year of the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty by Sheng Aguan of Suzhou.

Characteristics: The three petals are short and round with contracted bases, flat shoulders, tight and neat, divided nests with half-hard hooded shen, and round tongue. The flower stem is thin and long, with a water-red sheath and entirely green tips. Old leaves are semi-drooping, and the leaf texture is relatively thick. 

10. Yongfengmei

Petal type: Mei petal

History: Selected by a flower peddler before the War of Resistance.

Characteristics: The three petals are tight and round, with short feet and contracted bases, Ruyi tongue, half-hard hood, and a tall flower stem. Old leaves are obliquely drooping, and the leaf tips are sharp.

11. Jiyuan

Petal type: Mei petal

History: Selected at the beginning of the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty by an orchid cultivator in Yuyao, Zhejiang. Also called Lao Shiyuan.

Characteristics: The outer three petals are knotted and round at the base, hence the name Jiyuan. Sometimes it blooms as Mei-form Shuixian petals, and then the three petals are slightly longer and rounder. The five petals are divided into nests, with a small Liuhai tongue, and the flower color is slightly yellow-green, with flat shoulders and thick petal flesh. The flower appearance is dignified; stiff and upright, with a long flowering period. Old leaves are obliquely drooping, the leaf tips are blunt, the leaf veins are relatively deep, the leaf texture is thick, and the foot sheaths are low. The bract leaves are green with a slight red tinge. This variety is robust, easy to flower, and fast to propagate, so it is one of the most widely spread varieties among Cymbidium goeringii. It is one of the four great famous varieties of Cymbidium goeringii.

12. Xihumei

Petal type: Mei petal

History: Selected during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty by the Gong Maoxing flower nursery in Huoyaoju Hutong, Hangzhou.

Characteristics: The three petals are short and round, with contracted bases, divided nests, half-hard hooded shen, and a small round tongue. Early-blooming habit. Old leaves are sickle-shaped, and the leaf texture is thick. The bract leaves are light purple.

13. Tianxingmei

Petal type: Mei petal

History: Selected in the Yiyou year of the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty by a flower peddler surnamed Shen.

Characteristics: The three petals are short-footed with round heads, the petal width is especially broad, the texture is glutinous, the petal flesh has a particularly substantial feel, the petal tips often carry hooked points, the color is green, the shoulders are flat, the tongue is large, and the red dots on the tongue may be one, two, three, or four. The leaves are relatively broad, semi-drooping, the leaf surface is glossy, and the leaf tips are blunt. The bract leaves are purple-red.