Notes from the Orchid Wind Hall: Appreciating the Beauty of Butterfly-Petal Orchids

Chinese Cymbidium outer butterfly orchids' leaf shape has neither the ethereal elegance of the plum-petal and immortal-petal types, nor the imposing presence of the lotus-petal type, but with careful observation one can still discern features that set them apart from other types, and the flower buds of outer butterfly orchids are quite distinctive as well. Below I will share my understanding and experience regarding the leaf shape and flower buds of Chinese Cymbidium outer butterfly orchids.

(1) Leaves: Although most of the registered old varieties of Chinese Cymbidium outer butterfly orchids have lotus-petal-shaped petal arrangement, their leaf shape is slightly more slender than that of lotus-petal orchids, and leaf texture varies from thick to thin. But regardless of thickness, narrowness or width, length or shortness, the leaves all share one common trait: poor symmetry. In most outer butterfly orchids, the midrib of the leaf is slightly off-center, sometimes extremely so, and the asymmetry at the leaf tip is even more pronounced. On the same leaf, the lateral veins differ in thickness, the spacing between lateral veins and the midrib is unequal on the two sides, and the spacing between lateral veins and the leaf margin is also unequal. The grooves on the leaf surface are likewise asymmetrical, varying in depth, width and narrowness, and they have a directional quality. The marginal serrations along the leaf edges are unevenly spaced. On the same leaf, the serrations on the two edges differ in thickness, and sometimes the rear half of one side of a marginal leaf may show no serrations or interrupted rows of serrations, but toward the leaf tip the serrations on both sides become noticeably thicker. The greater the difference in serration shape between the front end and the rear half of a marginal leaf, the greater the proportion of lip-like (labellum) transformation in the lateral petals of that outer butterfly orchid.

(2) Sheaths: The leaf sheath of outer butterfly orchids also has a slightly off-center midrib, so the sheath tip often appears curved or slightly slanted. The uneven distribution of veins on the sheath is similar to that of the leaf veins. Sheaths generally have little sand-like speckling (sha yun) but are rich in color.

(3) Buds: For the flower buds of outer butterfly orchids, shape is emphasized more than color and sand-like speckling. Generally, long bud sheaths predominate, with relatively little sand-like speckling, and the color on the bud is divided by the midrib into darker and lighter zones. If some bud sheaths show no obvious color, one can examine their translucency, which also shows slight differences divided by the midrib. The overall roundness of the flower bud is poor, with irregular raised points and sunken points, manifested both between the paired veins and in parts of the bud as a whole. The midrib of the bud sheath is slightly off-center, the spacing and thickness of the lateral veins are unequal, the intercalary veins (jia jin) vary in length and thickness, the vein pattern is uneven, and the veins do not run straight through.

(4) Shoots: New shoots of outer butterfly orchids are often pointed and slender when they emerge from the soil, with the shoot tip slightly slanted, though this does not affect the direction of shoot growth. If the bud color is deep, the shoot color is also deep; if the bud color is pale, the shoot is usually faintly tinged with light color.

(5) Stems: The pseudobulbs (lu tou) of outer butterfly orchids are relatively round and neat, with slightly flattened-round ones being the majority.

The above is purely my personal opinion and is for reference only. I welcome everyone's corrections and additions regarding any errors or shortcomings. Thank you.