Teaching and Analysis of the Morphological Characteristics of Orchid Plum-Petal Flowers

From ancient times to the present, in the course of its continuous development and evolution, Chinese orchid appreciation has gradually established a theoretical system that takes petal type, flower color, leaf type, and leaf color as the main criteria for evaluation. This theory is an established convention rather than a standard verified by botanists; it is a habit, a habit integrated into Chinese culture. This set of petal appreciation standards summarized by veteran orchid growers has been widely recognized by everyone and has formed a nationally unified standard. It has also provided an important reference basis for the breeding and selection of Chinese orchids and has had a profound influence on later orchid cultivation.

Standard plum-petal flower of Cymbidium goeringii - Song Mei

We often use the petal type of orchid flowers to measure the quality of an orchid. This is also basic knowledge that orchid enthusiasts must master when getting started. According to the petals, orchids can be divided into three major categories: standard-form petal flowers, strange-petal flowers, and colored flowers. Standard-form petal flowers, as the name suggests, are flowers with regular, well-proportioned petal forms that do not deviate from the standard. Among them, standard-form petal flowers are further divided into: plum petals, lotus petals, and narcissus petals; strange flowers are divided into: butterfly flowers, peony, chrysanthemum petals, tree-form, lion's head, and crystal; colored flowers are divided into: white, green, red, orange, yellow, black, and so on. These 3 classifications of standard-form flowers were first applied to spring orchids and cymbidiums in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and then gradually spread nationwide. In addition, there are also folk terms such as super petals and clustered petals. Today we will only discuss plum petals among standard-form flowers. The other petal types will be explained to you step by step in later lessons, so remember to keep following!

Cymbidium goeringii 'Zhizu Sumei'

Generally speaking, an orchid flower is composed of 3 outer petals, which are called sepals in botany, 2 petals, and 1 lip. The flower shape of an orchid plum-petal flower resembles a plum blossom that has just opened. Its ideal standard can be summed up in one sentence: the three outer petals are short and round with tight edges, the petals are short and round with a pouch and clasp the column, and the lip is short and firm and does not curl backward. The details are as follows:

1. The three outer petals have a thick texture and a rounded structure (some petal tips may have a pointed peak), the sepal body is short (a length-to-width ratio of 2:1 is preferred), the sepal edges are tight and strong, that is, the sepal edges contract inward and curve inward, forming a spoon shape, and the sepal base is constricted (about one third of the width of the sepal tip), resembling the petals of a plum blossom.

Cymbidium kanran hard-pouch plum

2. The petals must have a pouch. This is the most important standard. Those without a pouch cannot be called plum petals. The pouch refers to the form of the fleshy tissue at the tip of the petals. The front end of the pouch has a white edge, also called a "white head," and curls inward, giving the petal mass a thickened feel, also called masculinization. According to thickness, it can be divided into soft pouch and hard pouch; according to the depth of the space formed by inward curling, it can be divided into deep pouch and shallow pouch.

Cymbidium tortisepalum soft-pouch plum

3. The lip is short in shape and round in form, must be firm, extends straight without curling backward, and does not turn upward. The ruyi tongue is preferred.

Cymbidium faberi plum butterfly

People today have further subdivided them. Those that strictly meet the above 4 standards are called standard plum petals; those that do not strictly meet them and have slight shortcomings are called plum petals; those with various defects are called plum type. For example, according to the length of the three outer petals, they can be divided into four types: oval, long-sepal, egg-sepal, and fan-sepal; according to the degree of masculinization of the petals, they can be divided into hard-pouch plum and soft-pouch plum; those whose petals and tongue meet the standard but whose three outer petals are lacking are called plum-form narcissus; those whose petals have butterfly transformation are called plum butterfly; those whose tongue is uniform in color without other variegation are called plain plum; those whose three outer petals curl backward and turn upward are called floating plum; those whose petals have crystal are called crystal plum; and then according to petal color they are further divided into yellow plum, red plum, green plum, and so on. Because there are not yet specific and strict defining standards at present, I will not discuss them too much here. It is enough for everyone to know that such a thing exists!

Cymbidium goeringii plum-form narcissus - Xi Shen

In short, the key requirement of plum-petal flowers for the petals lies in whether the petals have a pouch. If they do, then it can be established; if not, then it cannot be called so. As for the size, length, and width of the three outer petals, that is a matter of the grade of the variety, and is not pursued very strictly. In the past, discussions of petals looked at the three outer petals; now importance is placed on the central structure. Nowadays, judging plum and narcissus is very simple: those whose petals have a pouch and form a mass are plum; those whose pouch forms a spoon are narcissus; then the three outer petals are discussed for shape. If the three outer petals are round, it is plum form; if slightly longer, it is narcissus form; if constricted at the base and broad at the corners, it is lotus form. Author: Mei Fei (founder of the Chinese Orchid Forum and Orchid 8 Bar), written on June 4, 2018. Reprinting is welcome, please indicate the source when reposting! I publish orchid knowledge and pictures every day, taking you to understand orchids in depth and teaching you how to easily grow orchids well. If you have anything you do not understand about orchids, you can ask me at any time or leave a message below. If my knowledge has helped you, I hope you can give me a like or repost it to help more people!