An Introduction to the Characteristics of the Cymbidium goeringii cultivar Jiangnan Xue

Plum petal, a famous cultivar.  History: In 1983, Mr. Huang Xiaojin of Hangzhou selected it from orchids dug by a flower farmer from Tonglu from the Qingyuan Mountain on the border between Tonglu and Fuyang, and named it "Jiangnan Xue" because its tongue is as white as snow.

In 1983, Huang Xiaojin, a well-known orchid-selection expert in Hangzhou, selected it from orchids dug by a Tonglu mountain farmer from the Qingyuan Mountain on the border between Tonglu and Fuyang (the "Qingyuan Mei" was selected at the same time). From a bag of orchids brought by the mountain farmer, Old Huang first picked out the "Qingyuan Mei"; afterward, as the sky had darkened and he could not see the color of the bud shell, he felt out a short, round flower bud by touch and judged from past experience that it was something good. After returning home, he busied himself examining it closely under the lamp and found that the shell color was emerald green and the vein patterns and sandy halo were both excellent, so he knew it was a flower of the pure-hearted plum or immortal type. After it bloomed, it indeed proved to be a pure plum, and because its tongue was as white as snow, he immediately named it "Jiangnan Xue."

Characteristics: The three outer petals are even, tight and round, thick and glutinous in texture, with excellent tight edges, the flower color is extremely emerald green, soft separated-socket silkworm-moth petals, a pure white ruyi tongue, and on the middle-lower sections of both sides of the three outer petals there is a small cicada wing, making it very easy to identify. Unfortunately, the flower stalk is not very tall, only about 7-8 cm, which is one shortcoming. The leaves are 30 cm long and 0.8-1.0 cm wide, and the leaf posture is rather upright, especially in new plants; in old plants, the upper half of the leaf blade begins to curve, the leaf surface has a shallow V-shaped leaf groove, the leaf surface near the leaf tip is relatively flat, the leaf tip is bluntly pointed, the marginal leaves are mostly fish-belly shaped, the leaf color is emerald green and glossy, and the midrib is translucent when facing the sun. The plant form has a narrow base, and usually the leaves of strong plants are somewhat wider, while the leaf sheaths are slender and tall. New shoots are jade green, with a white tip on the bud point. The flower bud is emerald green with vein patterns of light green reaching the top, and the vein patterns on the inner bud shell appear raised, as if ridged. Between the vein patterns, fine white sand and dark green halo patches can be seen, and the shell tip has a white tip, slightly inward-hooked.