Er Hong Su Orchid: A Classic Variety Like a Fair Maiden from a Humble Home

Er Hong Su isLianbana famous variety in the red-lip series of Lianban orchids. This plant is a narrow-leafLianbanorchid, with 5-9 leaves, relatively deep leaf grooves, leaf width of about 0.5CM, leaf length of about 25-35CM, drooping leaves, and light green leaf buds. It blooms from January to February each year, with 2-3 flowers per scape. The lip is red with a golden velvet texture, and the patches cover the entire tongue and cheeks, except for a thin white line at the base of the tongue, which is why some orchid growers also call this variety "Yi Xian Tian" (A Thread of Sky). This variety has a delicate and elegant fragrance, brilliant flower colors, and a beautiful plant form.
 Baidu Baike's introduction to this variety states: "Narrow petal red lip. Narrow petal red lip belongs to the Lianban orchid variety. 'Narrow petal red lip' is an intuitive name. Different strains of Lianban orchids differ in petal width; those with petal width below 1CM are considered narrow-petaled. The main petal and secondary petals have a red blush, with faint light red veins along the main vein. The inner side of the petaloids is red, the column is red, and the lip is red. The base of the lip is almost entirely red, with only a trace of faint white showing through. The degree of red on the lip approaches that of red plain-heart varieties, so orchid growers call it Er Hong Su, meaning the second red plain-heart among Lianban orchids. It was discovered only recently, just two or three years ago." (From "Appreciation and Identification of Yunnan Orchids" by Chen Gui, Yunnan Science and Technology Press)
Er Hong Su is robust and easy to grow, with a high propagation rate. Mr. Fei Taiyuan, an orchid grower from Yuxi, purchased two and a half plants of this variety in 2003. Now he has sold nearly a hundred plants and still has nearly five hundred plants in his greenhouse. Of course, he is an expert orchid grower, and such a high propagation rate is not universal, but the high propagation rate of this variety can be seen from this example.
Lianban orchids, like most Chinese orchids, have rich and varied varieties, and multiple varieties can even form series. In addition to the petal-type flowers, colored flowers, exotic butterfly flowers, leaf art, and plain flowers that most Chinese orchids have, Lianban orchids also have a variety series that other Chinese orchids do not have, namely the red-lip series. This is not to say that other Chinese orchids have no red-lipped varieties, but it can be said with certainty that no other Chinese orchid has as many red-lip series varieties as Lianban orchids.
The book "BaoshanOrchids" published in 2003 records:

In the early 1990s, orchid enthusiasts from Baoshan discovered a patch of Lianban orchids with red lips on the mountain behind Xinzhai Village, Lujiang Township, Longyang District (the eastern foot of the southern end of the Gaoligong Mountains, on the west bank of the Nujiang River), and collected over a hundred clumps totaling several hundred plants. This series of red-lipped flowers varies in plant height, leaf width, and form. The taller ones can have leaves over 60CM long and 1-1.2CM wide, with a majestic and magnificent presence; the shorter ones have leaves no more than 20CM long and about 0.8CM wide, delicate and beautiful. This series has a riot of flower colors, including red, green, white, and mottled, with a full range of petal types, including lotus, narcissus, and willow-leaf forms. Their common feature is that the lip has large areas of red patches covering more than two-thirds of the lip, mostly heart-shaped patches, forming a brilliant red lip. A few individual plants have red patches covering the entire lip, making them particularly rare red plain-heart varieties. The lip colors within this series also vary, including bright red, vivid red, scarlet, and purple-red.
The red-lip series, because of its unique aesthetic style, gives people a refreshing feeling. ... At present, the red-lip series has spread widely in orchid circles at home and abroad. It is a famous orchid variety that many orchid enthusiasts eagerly collect. Baoshan's orchid circles have also successively developed a number of red-lip series orchid varieties... In recent years, some orchid enthusiasts have bred red-lip varieties with leaf art from this series, making orchid growers long for them day and night.
Red-lip series orchid varieties have also been found sporadically in other places of origin, but the emergence of such a large number of red-lip series varieties with different colors and petal shapes as in Baoshan is unprecedented. At present, the mountain where the red-lip series orchids grow has been named "Red Lip Mountain" by local orchid enthusiasts.

The book then published images of Lianban red-lip varieties such as Hong Shuang Xi, Lie Yan Hong Chun, Qian Xi Hong, Sheng Cao Hong, Xin Xin Xiang Yin, Chun Xiao, Ru Yi Hong Chun, He Xing Hong She, San Jiang Lan Xian, Hong Hua Hong She, Xia Gu Hong, Bai Hua Hong She, Dan Ding He, and Lu Yu Hong Su. Other Yunnan orchid monographs have also introduced dozens of red-lip Lianban orchid varieties with text and images, including San Jiang Mu Dan Hong, Jian Chuan Hong, Cai Hong, Xue Li Hong, Xue Hu, Hong Bao Shi, Shui Hong Fei, Bao Sui Hong, Lan Jing Hong She, Bi Long Hong She, San Jiang Jing Hong, Long Nv, and Bi Long Chun Xiao, fully demonstrating the abundance of red-lip varieties among Lianban orchids.
But among so many red-lip varieties, most have not formed brands that are "famous and valuable." Among the numerous Lianban red-lip varieties, the most famous is undoubtedly Bi Long Hong Su. This variety, called "Er Hong Su," also does not live up to its name in vain.
Besides Bi Long Hong Su and Er Hong Su, another relatively famous one in the Lianban red-lip series is Xin Xin Xiang Yin. This variety is a medium-wide-leaf Lianban, with leaf length of 30-50CM and width of 0.6-1.0CM; the leaf buds are round and full, with pink tips; it blooms from January to March each year, with 2-4 flowers per scape, flowers held above the foliage, lotus-type, large flowers, with a huge heart-shaped red patch on the lip.
Regarding which of the two varieties, Er Hong Su and Xin Xin Xiang Yin, is superior, some orchid enthusiasts hold this view: in terms of red lip, Er Hong Su is superior to Xin Xin Xiang Yin; in terms of petal type, Xin Xin Xiang Yin is superior to Er Hong Su.
But aside from Bi Long Hong Su (some orchid enthusiasts separate it from the red-lip series into the plain-heart series), Xin Xin Xiang Yin is undoubtedly the chief representative of Lianban red-lip orchids. Some orchid enthusiasts believe that in Chinese orchid appreciation, Lianban orchids are known for their rich colors, and the dazzling red-lip series is a highlight among them, once the focus and hot spot of the market, with Xin Xin Xiang Yin being the most representative. Xin Xin Xiang Yin, together with Er Hong Su, Long Nv, and others, forms the highly distinctive and brilliant red-lip series among Lianban orchids, and Xin Xin Xiang Yin has always been the most popular in the red-lip series.
This variety also had its moment in the spotlight in recent years: on January 21, 2008, at the 4th China (Yuxi) Orchid Trade Fair, delegations and orchid growers from dozens of cities and counties within and outside the province as well as from South Korea participated in the exhibition. The exhibition hall was packed with visitors, orchid sales booths were densely arranged in the trading area outside the hall, and there were many orchid buyers and sellers. This orchid fair featured over 1,000 pots of orchids including Lianban orchids,Chunlan, Douban orchids, Chunjian,Molan、Hanlanand other varieties. There were many fine orchids, strong attendance, and active trading, with in-hall transactions alone reaching over 10 million yuan. The actively traded varieties were Huang Jin Hai An, Yu Tu, Jian Yang Die, Xing Hai Die, Qi Hua Su, Dian Cang Mei, Xin Xin Xiang Yin, Da Xue Su, and others. Unexpectedly, out of a total of 123 transactions, Er Hong Su emerged prominently with 8 transactions, accounting for 6.50% of the total transaction volume, making it one of the varieties with relatively large transaction volume. Subsequently, in March 2008, the author visited Mr. Chen Shaomin in Shantou, Guangdong, and heard him say that two months earlier he had gone to Dali, Yunnan to purchase over 700 plants of Er Hong Su, and they sold out within a few days of bringing them to Guangdong.
Most of the Er Hong Su sold at this Yuxi orchid fair belonged to Mr. Fei, an orchid grower from Yuxi. After the fair ended, some orchid enthusiasts also visited his orchid garden and selected dozens of plants of this variety.
The price of Er Hong Su once reached tens of thousands of yuan per plant at its peak; for example, when Mr. Fei Taiyuan introduced it in 2003, the price was 12,000 yuan per plant; a year or two ago it was two to three thousand yuan per plant, and now the price is generally several hundred yuan per plant.
To be honest, when Er Hong Su is in bloom, its colors are pleasing to the eye, its fragrance is delightful, and its charm is alluring, like a fair maiden from a humble home. It is a fine ornamental variety.
This article was published in "Orchid World" 2008 Issue 7, and Editor-in-Chief Mr. Hu Ronghua composed a poem for it. Mr. Hu has considerable attainments in classical literature, and his work added much luster to this article. It is reproduced here for the enjoyment of all readers:

Dipped in red clouds to moisten the fragrant lips,
Just like Feiyan intoxicated in the spring sun.
The artistic name is hard to change from Er Hong Su,
A fair maiden from a humble home is also enchanting.

Good flower, good poem!

June 2, 2008, at Tianxiang Yuan
Correspondence: Culture Bureau of Hongta District, No. 38 Dongfeng Middle Road, Yuxi City, Yunnan Province  Postcode: 653100  Phone: 13887751616