Introduction to the characteristics of the Chunlan 'Zhizu Sumei' variety
Selected in Zhushuiting, Shaoxing County, and sold to an orchid enthusiast in Huzhou. In 1997, when the Nantong Diesel Engine Factory hosted the Third East China Orchid Exhibition, Mr. Feng Rumei of Huzhou named it 'Zhizu'. The leaf habit is semi-pendant mixed with slanting and arching, the leaf width is narrow and slender, and the leaf texture is thick and hard. The flower bud is white-shelled, and the sheath is soft with a pale green base. The flower stalk is slender, round, tall and upright, rising above the leaves. The three outer petals are long-stalked...
Selected in Zhushuiting, Shaoxing County, and sold to an orchid enthusiast in Huzhou. In 1997, when the Nantong Diesel Engine Factory hosted the Third East China Orchid Exhibition, Mr. Feng Rumei of Huzhou named it 'Zhizu'.
A pure-hearted plum-petal variety of Chunlan produced in Zhejiang. It was dug up in 1988 (another account says 1992) by Xu Quanlin and Hu Hejin from Xiamen, Zhoushan, Zhejiang. Some were sold to orchid enthusiasts surnamed Zhu and to orchid enthusiasts in Huzhou. Mr. Feng Rumei of Huzhou purchased this flower from the orchid enthusiast surnamed Zhu. In 1997, when the Nantong Diesel Engine Factory hosted the Third East China Orchid Exhibition, Mr. Feng Rumei of Huzhou named it 'Zhizu', meaning that being able to obtain this pure plum in one's life is enough to make one content. The name Zhizu Sumei was thus settled. The leaf habit is semi-pendant mixed with slanting and arching, the leaf width is narrow and slender, and the leaf texture is thick and hard. The leaves are about 27 cm long and about 0.6 cm wide. The flower bud is white-shelled, and the sheath is soft with a pale green base. The flower stalk is slender, round, tall and upright, rising above the leaves. The three outer petals have long stalks, round tips and contracted bases. The front ends of the petaloids have white tips, ear-picking petaloids, and a pure white ruyi round tongue. The tongue surface is completely pure. The flower color is clean green, the flower shape is upright and elegant, and the fragrance is delicate.
The leaf habit is semi-pendant mixed with slanting and arching, the leaf width is narrow and slender, and the leaf texture is thick and hard. The flower bud is white-shelled, and the sheath is soft with a pale green base. The flower stalk is slender, round, tall and upright, rising above the leaves. The three outer petals have long stalks and round tips, the front ends of the petaloids have white tips, ear-picking petaloids, and a pure white ruyi round tongue. The flower color is clean green, and the flower shape is upright and elegant, with a refined and graceful charm, an outstanding one among narcissus-type pure-hearted flowers.
Advantages and disadvantages of Zhizu Sumei Yixiangju
Advantages:
1. The petal type is neat and stable. Those with hard petaloids often open with hard petaloids, and can also produce soft-petaloid flowers; those with soft petaloids almost every year open with soft petaloids. Which is better or worse depends on one's personal appreciation.
2. The plant form is elegant and unrestrained, the leaf width is just right, and the tail sway is moderate, so the flowers rising above the leaves and the plant as a whole give a very comfortable impression.
3. The propagation rate of Zhizu is 100%--200%, so buying it in at a suitable price, plus its established reputation, makes it easy to earn a little money, with no regrets. But those who introduce it at a high price that is hard to sustain must rely on the amount they propagate; sometimes spilt water (money) is hard to recover.
Disadvantages:
1. The flowers have peach cheeks, sometimes rather heavy
2. The petal veins are obvious
3. The tongue coating has almost invisible water-stain tongue spots
Zhizu Sumei has its advantages, but its disadvantages are not small either. Overall, it is not as reliably consistent as several traditional old pure-hearted varieties that are "valid everywhere." But among plum-petal pure-colored flowers, perhaps only Zhizu Sumei can stand up and speak as a pure-hearted one; after all, nothing has surpassed it yet. In this currently popular "pure" series, I think the best is pure purity: the tongue coating should be white as snow and bright as crystal. Even one grade lower with color should be green coloration, not water stains, pink coloration, yellow coloration, etc. The petals should be glutinous and moist, and the veins must not be exposed. If such a pure-hearted flower has a suitable petal type with proper opening and closing, then it is a pure-hearted flower with a very good appearance!
