Jiyuan Cymbidium goeringii Variety Characteristics and Appreciation Introduction

Cymbidium goeringii, plum petal, traditional famous variety. Jiyuan is also known as "Shiyuan" and "Lao Shiyuan". In the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1850 AD), a eminent monk named Yiliu dug it up; by the second year of the Xianfeng reign of the Qing Dynasty (1852 AD), Zhang Shenglin of Yuyao, Zhejiang selected and bred it. It was brought to Mr. Xu Jilou's place and named "Shiyuan", hence the name. Later, Mr. Gao Junfu of Hangzhou also produced a plum petal of the same form, called "Jiyuan". Jiyuan is called one of the four great famous flowers among Cymbidium goeringii (Song Mei, Jiyuan, Long Zi, Wang Zi). In Japan, the "Four Great Heavenly Kings" are Song Mei, Jiyuan, Long Zi, and Wan Zi, which shows everyone's praise for Jiyuan. The ever-changing Jiyuan has great variation in bloom quality; when it blooms well it is quite beautiful, and when it blooms poorly it looks like an ordinary flower, so the current price of Jiyuan is about 10 yuan per seedling, making it the first choice variety for beginners in Cymbidium goeringii.

Characteristics: New shoots are purple-green. Sheath leaves are light green, not light red, and on careful observation have very fine pink-purple vein lines. The leaf shape is somewhat similar to Song Mei, slanting upright and spreading, with the tip semi-drooping, tall-waisted and graceful, and also with side leaves semi-drooping, with 1-2 narrow slender leaves in the middle, leaf texture thick and glutinous, feeling relatively soft to the touch, and also feeling hard, leaf stalks thick and strong, medium-long and broad, veins deep, apex slightly blunt, about 26-29 cm long, about 1.1-1.3 cm wide, deep green, glossy. Bract leaves are green with red coloration or purple-red mixed with green coloration, and also red-green with a purple-red base, the upper part with a green background and purple vein lines, while the green coloration gradually intensifies from outside to inside. Bracts are emerald green, with a purple-red base, with white tips, and also purple-red tips with green coloration. The 3 sepals are rooted and rounded, short, round, broad and large, hence the name Jiyuan, with tight edges, spoon-shaped, in plum petal form, though sometimes it also blooms in plum-form narcissus petal form, with the two lateral sepals appearing somewhat longer, tender emerald green tinged with yellow, with white edges, but not as obvious as Song Mei, and with hidden green vein lines, the petal base with a light red halo and purple-red color bars, exceptionally gorgeous, the lateral sepals forming a single line. Silkworm moth-shaped column, thin and soft in texture, almost transparent, with tight edges, gathering into a pouch shape, base somewhat rounded, apex bluntly rounded, tender green, surface smooth, the pouch head sometimes slightly showing a light purple-red halo, the two pieces connected. Liu Hai tongue, also blooming as a Ruyi tongue, upright, with bright vermilion dots in a pin-shaped arrangement, and also with disordered red dots, the lip margin curling upward, with an upward pouch, extending flat, the tip slightly swooping downward, so compared with Song Mei the lip appears slightly looser and the spirit slightly inferior. Jiyuan blooms a few days later than Song Mei, with a long flowering period, and slender flower scapes, about 15-20 cm tall; perhaps due to light or soil composition, the flower scape color shows two variations: blue-green and purple-red. The flower shape is sometimes as variable as Song Mei, and can have five petals separated, with a flower diameter of over 5 cm. With a dignified and elegant flower appearance, the Jiyuan orchid stands tall above the leaves, elegant and freely poised, with considerable charm.