Plum Blossom Appreciation: Miscellaneous Notes from Lanfeng Hall, Part Two

JiyuanCymbidium goeringii (spring orchid)The leaf form of plum-petal (mei ban) flowers is the most pleasing to look at among all petal forms, and the curves of the plant shape are extremely graceful. The flower buds of plum-petal flowers are also the most elegant among all types of buds. Below I will share my experience and understanding of the grass form and flower buds of plum-petal flowers.

(1) Leaves: Most plum-petal orchid plants have two to three outer leaves that are bow-shaped or sickle-shaped. This is because the leaf veins of plum-petal plants are relatively strong, so plum-petalflowers'tongues never curl backward. The leaf stalks are thin but thick in substance and hard, the leaf blades spread fairly evenly in the middle, the leaf ends gradually taper, and the leaf tips are relatively sharp. The tips of the outer leaves have a hood, and the width-to-narrowness ratio between inner and outer leaves is relatively large. The marginal teeth along the leaf edges are fine and sharp but not very regular; sometimes the local marginal teeth on the leaf edge are hard to notice because the leaf edge curls backward, and the spacing of the teeth is also sometimes uneven. The midrib is rounded and not very protruding outward, while the lateral veins are slightly hidden and the gloss is restrained. Thick plum-petal leaves are not hard but soft and smooth; thin ones are not soft but glutinous-like and tough.

(2) Sheath: The leaf sheath of plum-petal flowers is thick in substance, glossy, and glutinous in color with a firm nature. It tightly wraps the leaf stalk, the sheath tip projects obliquely, and the sheath end has a white tip or gathers a watery color. The sheath veins are rounded, and color and sand-like haze can also be seen around the new sheath veins.

(3) Bud: Plum-petal flower buds come in many colors, and plum-petal flowers can emerge from many kinds of shell colors. However, the bud sheaths of plum-petal flowers of every color are dotted with sand-like haze, including the Suoxin plum-petal type. The bud sheath veins are fine and glutinous, soft, bright, and smooth; the veins are neatly arranged, the vein paths are even, and the interveinal lines are relatively fine and restrained. Color gathers into haze on both sides of the veins, and watery color gathers into sand on the bud sheath. There is a relatively large color difference between the upper and lower parts of the bud sheath. The bud head generally has a white tip, and the white tip has texture; however, some bud heads do not appear white-tipped but instead gather color and concentrate at the tip, and their texture is also quite good and contains a watery color. The bud scales change color section by section, presenting a rich variety of hues.

(4) Shoot: Plum-petal leaf shoots are pointed and round, sometimes appearing white-tipped and sometimes appearing color-gathered. New shoots are also covered with sand-like haze, and their colors are attractive and glutinous and smooth.

(5) Stem: The pseudobulb (lu tou) of plum-petal flowers is slightly smaller than that of lotus-petal flowers, but it is still round and neat.

The above is only my personal observation and is for reference only. I hope everyone will correct and supplement any deficiencies or errors.