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Xuetoumei was collected from the wild on January 2, 2001, by an orchid farmer surnamed Liu on the mountain of Xuetou Village, Xiaojiang Town, Xinchang County, Zhejiang Province. When it was collected, there was only one and a half shoots of grass with a few old pseudobulbs, and it is a standard plum-petal new flower. Because it was collected from the wild on the mountain of Xuetou Village, Xiaojiang Town, Xinchang County, Zhejiang Province, it was named Xuetoumei in commemoration. Xuetoumei has a semi-drooping leaf posture, dark green leaf color, leaf width of 0.8-1 cm, leaf length of 30-40 cm, and an elegant and graceful leaf posture; the white tip of the new bud is extremely obvious; the flower bud is green with a purple tinge, with a glutinous color and distinct sandy mottling. As a famous wild-collected plum-petal variety of Chunlan, Xuetoumei's highlights are mainly reflected in three aspects: First, the outer petals are excellent. Xuetoumei is a standard plum-petal flower, with three outer petals that are round-headed, level-shouldered and cupped, with extremely good tight edges, and thick petal flesh. Its color is fresh and tender, a superior tender green, delighting the eye. Second, the center is perfect. Xuetoumei's petaloids are silkworm-moth petaloids, round, smooth and glossy, and the lip is a ruyi lip, with bright color markings on the lip. The lip and the two petaloids match harmoniously, and the entire center is round and compact, conforming to traditional aesthetics and giving a strong visual impact. Third, the flower scape is tall and the flower holds extremely well. Chunlan generally has relatively short flower stalks, lower than the leaf surface, which affects its ornamental value. Xuetoumei's flower stalks are generally between 15-25 cm, level with or above the leaves, standing gracefully, truly standing out from the crowd. What is even more commendable is that its flowers do not deform after blooming for a long time, and when old they still remain level-shouldered and cupped without losing their true character, which is truly rare. It is precisely because Xuetoumei's flower quality is extraordinary and refined that it attracted special attention as soon as it emerged. Since its first rebloom in 2005, its flowering quality has been stable for four consecutive years, winning gold and silver at orchid exhibitions and repeatedly receiving major awards. In the spring of 2005, at its first rebloom, it won the Silver Award at the Wenzhou Orchid Exhibition. In 2006, it won the Silver Award again at the Xinchang Orchid Exhibition. In 2007, it won the Gold Award at the Shaoxing City Orchid Exhibition, becoming a superb new Chunlan flower that orchid enthusiasts competed to introduce, with promising prospects. At present, the surviving quantity of Xuetoumei is very small, and most of it is cultivated by Lu Deyun of Ru'ao Town, Xinchang, growing vigorously with healthy grass and healthy flowers. It is a new Chunlan variety with great prospects and a famous flower to pass down through generations.
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