What orchid variety is Cuiyu Mei (Jade Green Plum) Douban Lan?

Cuiyu Mei was purchased by Mr. Zhang Qilin, a famous orchid grower from Dali Prefecture, Yunnan Province, in early 2002 at the Dali City orchid market, when it was just a single seedling with a flower collected from the wild. After Mr. Zhang's careful cultivation, this endangered variety was preserved, and over the years the number of seedlings increased year by year. After flowering for the third time in 2007, it was consistent with the previous two times, with pretty and beautiful flower color, outer petals of the plum-petal type, flying shoulders, and tongue petals with obvious crystal-glass bodies, resembling jadeite jelly, hence the name Cuiyu Mei.

Cuiyu Mei has a well-developed, thick and round root system. The leaf posture is elegant, blending softness with hidden strength; the leaf surface is light green and glossy, with leaf length of 30-50cm and leaf width of 0.4-0.7cm, with 4-5 leaves per plant, upright and slightly arching. The leaf buds are plain-colored, the leaf margins have obvious serrations, the midrib is translucent, and the leaf groove is deep and V-shaped, with strong cultivation adaptability. It blooms in early spring every year, with one flower per scape, the flower rising above the leaves, belonging to the large-flowered type; the three outer sepals have no red streaks or miscellaneous spots, sparkling like jadeite, broad and moist with a fine base, the main sepal is upright, all three sepals are rounded with angled corners, plum petals with hard column, the two lateral sepals tilt upward with excellent bone strength, and the flower is quite good; the inner column is moist, deep and round, tightly embracing the column. The tongue shape resembles a jade carving, with red spots on the tongue neatly and distinctly arranged, making the flower color especially pretty and eye-catching, presenting a crystal-glass body, a round tongue with absolutely charming grace, truly delightful; the entire flower has a full sense of strength in its form, magnificent and noble, with an enchanting charm, earning unanimous praise from many orchid enthusiasts, and is the rarest of the rare among Douban Lan.

Cuiyu Mei is an excellent orchid art masterpiece discovered and selected from Douban Lan. Because of its excellent quality, ease of cultivation, strong adaptability, appreciation of both flowers and leaves, easy petal identification, and stable traits, it is one of the excellent orchid varieties with high ornamental value and the greatest market potential among Douban Lan. As more orchid enthusiasts come to know, love, study and explore Douban Lan, Cuiyu Mei will display its elegance, reveal its full charm, and radiate its deserved brilliance.