Introduction to Orchid Appreciation: A Detailed Explanation of Key Terms

Orchid appreciation has its own specialized terminology. In general, for leaf appreciation there are terms such as leaf character, leaf art, and line art; for flowers there are terms such as head shape, sheath, lip, and column; and one also often sees appreciation of the "shoulders," which refer to the form of the lateral petals, namely flat shoulder, drooping shoulder, flying shoulder, and greatly drooping shoulder. You can learn gradually and do a good job of orchid appreciation.

Key Terms for Orchid Appreciation

In order to better appreciate orchids, people have created a series of standards for them, mainly for appreciating orchid leaves, colors, flowers, and their shapes, which is what is commonly called appreciation of color, shoulders, petals, column, lip, and so on.

In leaf appreciation, commonly used terms include leaf character, which refers to the posture of orchid leaves such as upright or slanting; leaf art, which refers to changes appearing on orchid leaves such as raised ridges on the leaf surface, dwarf varieties, and rounded leaf tips; and line art, which refers to the various white or yellow markings and line patterns appearing on the orchid leaf surface.

In flower appreciation, commonly used terms include head shape, which refers to the shape of the orchid bud and flower bud; sheath, which refers to the bract carried on the orchid flower bud; lip, which refers to the centermost petal of the orchid and is often the most beautiful petal in the orchid flower; and column, which refers to the gynostemium on the orchid flower.

When appreciating orchids, people also often appreciate their shoulders. Shoulders refer to the growth form of the lateral petals among the orchid petals. If it is in a horizontal form, it is a flat shoulder; if it is in a drooping shape, it is a drooping shoulder; if it forms an upward soaring shape, it is a flying shoulder, which is the best state; and of course, if it is a triangular greatly drooping shoulder, then it is the worst form among orchids.

The key points of orchid appreciation are quite intricate. Generally speaking, beginners can appreciate them from the leaves and flowers, and can roughly observe the form of the shoulders to judge whether the orchid's form is good or poor. If they want better appreciation, then they should gradually learn by reading books.