What variety of orchid is the Qiubang Molan?
Representative Qiubang red flower
In people's impression, Molan (Cymbidium sinense) generally blooms and sends forth fragrance around the Spring Festival, so it is also called Baosui Lan or Baisui Lan. However, there is also a kind of Molan that blooms around the 9th lunar month (October in the Gregorian calendar), which is when the imperial court posted the results in ancient times, so it is also called Bangmo, Baoxi Mo, or Qiubang.
Characteristics: Qiubang is a variant of Molan. Although it belongs to Molan, it is different from Baosui Molan. Although both Qiubang and Baosui are large-leaf orchid types, Baosui has wide and thick leaves, with large flowers held above the leaves, clearly much more imposing than Qiubang, while Qiubang has thinner leaves, and its flowers are mostly held level with the leaves.
In terms of flower color, Baosui's flowers are mostly dark brown, while Qiubang's flower colors are rich and varied, especially white, white-green, and red. In terms of fragrance, Baosui belongs to that kind of light sweet fragrance, also somewhat like sandalwood, while Qiubang is mostly delicately fragrant, that is, similar to the fresh fragrance of Sijilan (Cymbidium ensifolium).
Qiubang is mainly produced in southern Yunnan Province (south of the Tropic of Cancer) in the border area where China, Laos, and Myanmar meet, in the two areas of Pu'er and Xishuangbanna, with a few distributions in southern Guangxi and in Yunnan's (Wenshan Prefecture, Honghe Prefecture, and Lincang Region). It is also called Yunnan White Molan, and because its flowering period is in autumn it is called Qiumo------Qiubang.
Qiubang is mostly white-flowered, with buds mostly plain buds, and the petals mostly bearing red veins. The leaves are about 55 cm long and about 2 cm wide, with a fresh fragrance.
Next is the purple flower, whose purple petals have deeper-colored vein lines. The leaves are about 80 cm long and about 3.5 cm wide, with a darker leaf color, and the fragrance is like that of Baosui Molan.
Then there is a small portion of red flowers, with bright colors, and the vein lines on the petals are even deeper red. The leaves are about 60 cm long and about 2.5 cm wide, with a fresh fragrance.
The leaf length and width introduced above only represent the general, ordinary meaning. They do not represent the whole or special cases.
Qiubang blooms easily, with bright and diverse flower colors, multiple flowers per stem, flowers mostly held level with the leaves, and a large-flowered type. Through development in recent years, the practice of orchid growers in various places has proven that Qiubang has strong adaptability to environmental climate and can be grown all over the country. Its flowering period is from August to October, and every year's National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival are the main flowering period of Qiubang, so it can be called the flower that welcomes National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is a very excellent variety among orchids.
Qiubang Lan belongs to Molan, and Qiubang also has three varieties: White Molan, Purple Molan, and Green Molan. Its flowering period is from August to October. It is a mutant variety of Molan, blooming during the two major festivals of the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day, adding to the festive atmosphere. The reason it is called Qiubang is that in ancient times it bloomed just when the imperial court posted the results, so it was called Qiubang! The production areas of Qiubang include Yunnan Province, Guangxi Province, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Laos, and it is mainly produced in Pu'er City, Yunnan (note: Simao City was renamed Pu'er City in 2007) and Xishuangbanna Prefecture. At present, most of the famous varieties of Qiubang come from these two places, and it is also distributed in Wenshan Prefecture, Honghe Prefecture, and Lincang City in Yunnan.
Qiubang White Molan has white flowers, with petals bearing red veins, and a small portion are red flowers. The fragrance of the flowers is fresh, and it is also called Yunnan White Molan. The flowers are somewhat similar to Jianlan (Cymbidium ensifolium), so many people think it is a naturally hybridized mutant variety of Molan and Jianlan. Its leaves are relatively thinner than those of Baosui Lan, and the flowers are mostly held level with the leaves. The buds and flower buds are mostly plain, and some are red buds; buds and flower buds with red veins are mostly red flowers. Among the three varieties of Qiubang, it has the richest mutant varieties.
Qiubang Purple Molan is close to Baosui Lan, with purple-brown flowers, and the flowers are held above the leaves or well above the leaves. Its fragrance is more fragrant than White Molan, and its leaves are relatively wider and thicker than those of White Molan, with a darker leaf color. The tallest Purple Molan is said to reach 2 m high; I myself have grown one about 1.5 m tall. Its roots are slightly thinner than those of White Molan, and its flowering period is earlier than that of White Molan, basically blooming in August. Its distribution in the mountains is mostly separate from that of White Molan.
Qiubang Green Molan has green flowers, and in both leaves and flowers it is somewhat close to Hanlan (Cymbidium kanran). It should be a mutant variety from natural hybridization of Molan and Hanlan, with fresh fragrant flowers and leaves slightly narrower than those of White Molan, and it is relatively rare in distribution.