Orchid fragrance is remarkably unique and endearing
Orchidsare among the few fragrant flowers with high ornamental value, just as Wang Guixue of the Song Dynasty said: "Among the upright flowers and plants, bamboo has nodes but few flowers, plum has flowers but few leaves, pine has leaves but little fragrance; only the orchid possesses all of these."Orchidsexcel in four aspects: fragrance, color, spirit and charm, and with their unique fragrance they become the foremost of all plants; it may be said that one fragrance alone is enough to surpass a thousand red blooms. When speaking oforchidsone must speak of their fragrance; in writing about orchids, describing their fragrance is the finishing touch, for fragrance is the soul of the orchid. Orchids are beautiful, but even more beautiful is their fragrance. Orchids have the fine titles of "ancestor of fragrance" and "first fragrance." As Confucius said: "The orchid is the fragrance of kings." During the Spring and Autumn period, the Zuo Zhuan, Duke Xuan, Chapter Three records: "The orchid has a national fragrance, and people wear it to charm others thus." The Song Dynasty literary figure Huang Tingjian said: "When a scholar's talent and virtue surpass the whole state, he is called a national scholar; when a woman's beauty surpasses the whole state, she is called a national beauty; when the orchid's fragrance surpasses the whole state, it is called a national fragrance."
The orchids artificiallycultivatedin our country are mainly terrestrial orchids, and the vast majority can bloom and release fragrance. Most Chinese peoplegrow orchidsbecause they admire orchid fragrance. Among all the flowers, the orchid's fragrance is unique; orchid fragrance is subtle and carries far. Since ancient times there has been the saying, "The pine and the cedar have their own thousand-year lifespan, while orchids and huilan orchids vie to spread their fragrance for ten li." The fragrance is elegant, pure and upright; orchid fragrance is always appropriate whether light or strong, refreshing the heart and spleen when smelled; after long exposure one no longer notices the orchid fragrance because one has become one with it. A poem says: "With orchids in the room, no incense need be burned; only when butterflies fly does one know the fragrance is in the room." Its fragrance is not as heavy and overpowering as osmanthus, jasmine or night-blooming cestrum, which can even be pungent and unbearable, nor is it as bland and faint as winter plum, narcissus, peach or plum. Thus orchids have been called fragrant herbs since ancient times.
Among orchids, the fragrances ofChinese Cymbidium、Huilan orchidandJianlan orchidare the finest; wild orchids on the mountains have fuller fragrance than domestic orchids; newly opened orchids are more fragrant than those about to wither; white flowers with plain centers have longer and fuller fragrance than variegated flowers. Orchids generally release fragrance from morning to night.
As the saying goes: "A great tree lasts a thousand years, orchid fragrance lasts all four seasons." Relatively speaking, the fragrance is better in the early morning or at dusk.
Orchid fragrance is wondrous; botanists have not yet clearly determined the specific parts of the orchid flower that release fragrance, and chemists have not been able to clarify the chemical composition of orchid fragrance, still less synthesize artificial fragrances or essences from it as with chrysanthemums, jasmine, violets and other flowers. Scientists from Japan, the United States, Switzerland, China and other countries have tried every possible means to reveal the mystery of orchid fragrance. Swiss chemist
Orchid fragrance is mysterious and unique, inspiring people to take a deeper interest in exploring orchids, treating orchids well, and continually unfolding their wondrous stories.