Characteristics and Appreciation of the Chunlan 'Zhenzhu Xian' Variety
In January 1972, it was selected by Chen Xuexiang of Yixing, Jiangsu, in the back hills of Chengze, his local area. Chen treasured it like a pearl in his palm and named it 'Zhen He'; it is in fact a floating-type lotus-form narcissus, and later Shen Xuebao of Shanghai renamed it 'Zhenzhu Xian'. The new shoots are light purple; the leaves are narrow and slender, 20-28cm long and 0.6-0.8cm wide, jade green in color, with a semi-arching leaf posture. The flower...
In January 1972, it was selected by Chen Xuexiang of Yixing, Jiangsu, in the back hills of Chengze, his local area. Chen treasured it like a pearl in his palm and named it 'Zhen He'; it is in fact a floating-type lotus-form narcissus, and later Shen Xuebao of Shanghai renamed it 'Zhenzhu Xian'. The new shoots are light purple; the leaves are narrow and slender, 20-28cm long and 0.6-0.8cm wide, jade green in color, with a semi-arching leaf posture. The flower stalk is light purple, turning green at the topmost node; the three outer petals are broad, of the lotus-form narcissus petal type; the two lateral sepals are level-shouldered; the front ends of the petals curl backward, with a narrow base. The inner petals are cat-ear-shaped, with the tips also curling backward. The lip is a round tongue, adorned with brilliant red blotches on its surface.
[Petal type]: Narcissus petal.
[History]: Selected and bred by Chen Xuexiang of Yixing in 1970.
[Characteristics]: The three outer petals have pointed tips and a narrow base, slightly floating; cat-ear inner petals; a liu-hai tongue. There is a bright red round dot in the center of the tongue. Level shoulders, tall flower stalk, upright leaves.
