Variety identification of Cymbidium

The identification of cymbidium varieties is seldom discussed in all kinds of orchid theories, and it is known as "ghost flower" and "Hui without foreign minister". However, the author still thinks that an orchid is like a human being. If you don't look at your face and figure, you will definitely know that this person is thin. Needless to say, those who watch their hands as fat will know that they are fat. For the identification of the variety of Cymbidium, the author talks about his own views in the post of "looking at the bud to identify the variety of Cymbidium". For Huilan, the author also talks about some views here. Please correct me.

In the daily management of fine flowers of Cymbidium, compared with the grass, leaf buds and buds of Cymbidium flowers, the author found that there are some slight differences between fine flowers and row flowers on Cymbidium. After combing these differences, we can draw a conclusion: like Cymbidium, the different characteristics of row flowers and fine flowers will also be exposed on the body and bud of Cymbidium, but not obvious. For this reason, the author selects some photos to analyze, and finds out the main points of variety identification of Cymbidium, which can be used as a reference for those who are new to Lanmen to identify and select Cymbidium.

Cymbidium: Cymbidium, also known as Cymbidium, Cymbidium, blossoms generally nine with one arrow. The root is stout and long, and the pseudo-bulb is not obvious. The leaves are 9 pieces, 25--80cm long and 1cm wide. The cross section is V-shaped and the edge is coarsely serrated. After long-term cultivation, the leaves of wild Cymbidium will become shorter and wider. It is precisely with this character that it is difficult to identify Cymbidium varieties according to the leaves, so that it often happens that the old famous products go down the mountain and pretend to be new varieties after they have been settled in the mountains.

It is difficult, and it is not without some characteristics to follow. after careful examination, it is found that the leaves of a certain cymbidium are very different from those of normal cymbidium leaves, such as extra fat and wide, so fat and wide that they are not commensurate with the proportion of leaves; extra thin and narrow, of course, it is also very disproportionate to the proportion of leaves; and those with extra hard or soft leaves and extra leaves can be selected, and the probability of fine flowers with the above characteristics is very high.

Due to excessive mining and digging of orchids, in recent years, there have been few cymbidium grass in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces in Nanjing flower market, and most of them are downhill cymbidium in Anhui, Henan and Hubei mountainous areas. the folk saying of "hard plum and soft immortal" is also confirmed by the results of orchid friends' selection over the years. "it is a folk saying that cymbidium varieties are identified by the leaves of Huicao. Such as the photo posted on the website of Wei Xinglin Lanyou (see the attached photo of "Cymbidium Lanqi Leaf"), this kind of cymbidium with butterfly central leaves is very easy to produce butterfly flowers. in addition, such cymbidium is generally very likely to have strange flowers as shown in the photo of "extra-narrow and extra-long leaves". In case of such leaves, Cymbidium should be firmly selected and should not be let off easily.

Photo of "Huilan Qiye"

Photo of "extra-narrow and super-long leaf cymbidium"

Cymbidium bud: when the leaf bud of Cymbidium opens at the beginning of the bud tip, the subtle characteristics of the difference between fine flower and row flower will more or less appear on the leaf tip, as long as we seize the opportunity, careful observation and discrimination, we can also gain something.

The author posted a post on the Internet, "viewing leaf buds, debating varieties, and selecting new grass". It is written in the post that "through the observation of leaf buds over the years, it is found that most of the leaf buds sent by the old species of Chunlan plum and daffodils have an obvious milky white spot." this point is slightly smaller than millet grains and is bead-shaped, which can be seen more clearly with a magnifying glass. Such as' Tianxingmei', 'Tianlu Mei', 'Ruimei', 'Qinghe Mei', 'Yao Shixian', 'Cuitao' and so on, but some of them are not or are not obvious. If plain plum is like 'Cai Xiansu', it is pure green bud with small white beads. After practice, grass is selected according to this method (when the flower fails or there is no flower), as long as the leaf bud is not damaged, you can see the bud tip clearly. if the bud tip has this milky white bead, it can be taken. It must be daffodils or plum petals. I have selected several according to this method. After flowering, 100% are plum and fairy petals, and if pure green buds take this, they must be plain plum and fairy petals. " It has been observed that this phenomenon also exists in Cymbidium, and it can also be found in the butterflies that are easy to open up. The white-headed appearance of daffodils and Cymbidium on the tip of leaf buds is not as obvious as that of Cymbidium, but if you look closely with a magnifying glass, there is still a difference between fine flowers and row flowers. For Cymbidium grass with a tendency of daffodils and plums, its leaf tip should be like the crystal and translucent shape of glutinous rice and spread downward from the bud tip. This phenomenon is also found in the photos of "Huilan Xinmei 1 Leaf Bud", "Huilan Xinmei 2 Leaf Bud" and "Cymbidium Butterfly Leaf Bud". Of course, it is more difficult to identify the varieties of Cymbidium by leaf buds than Cymbidium. Cymbidium is a fine flower, which usually has some characteristics on the leaf tip. On the other hand, it is not necessarily the fine flower that shows these characteristics on the leaf tip. It can only be said that the cymbidium with these characteristics on the leaf tip can first choose to stay as the desired grass, and if the asking price is high, it can be combined with its bud for more detailed analysis before deciding to abandon and stay.

Photo of "Huilan Xinmei 1 Leaf Bud"

Photo of "Huilan Xinmei 2 Leaf Bud"

Photo of Huilan Butterfly Leaf Bud

Huibao: for Cymbidium, like Chunlan, the better way to identify varieties is to watch the bud, whether it is the old species or the new grass down the mountain, as long as you grasp the main points of identification at different stages of flower and arrow. combined with the characteristics of orchid leaves or leaf buds to identify, then the grasp will be greater.

According to the color of bract shell, the bud of Cymbidium can be divided into green shell, white green shell, mercury red, red shell, red to green and intermediate color between the above shell color. There are 9 buds and more buds tightly wrapped in the shell. Due to the different length, width and narrowness of the outer bract shell of the bud, the time of bud emergence of the flower arrow in the process of uplift is also different. Similarly, the bud of fine flower and row flower is different in the appearance of the bract shell.

First, the bud is not out of the bud stage 1, short bract shell: after the short bract shell is unearthed, the flower bud will emerge from the bract shell, as shown in the photos of "Old Best Bud (courtesy of Lanyou)" and "Cymbidium Butterfly Bud". The part of the two photos circled by a red box is the main point that we pay attention to in the selection. There are white heads on the top of the buds of all plum and immortal flowers. To grasp this point, if there is a white head on the top of the buds exposed outside the bud of Cymbidium, we should choose to stay. For the bud exposed to the bud of the cymbidium of butterflies, if you examine the side of the bud carefully, there must be butterfly spots on the side of the bud. Therefore, for the bud with short bract shell, we must grasp this point, carefully examine the exposed bud and find out the special point of the fine flower.

Photo of "Old Best Bud 1 (courtesy of Lanyou)"

Photo of "Old Best Bud 2 (courtesy of Lanyou)"

Photo of Huilan Butterfly Bud

2. Long bract shell: a bud wrapped in a long bract shell, and buds of different shapes appear differently outside the bract shell. Because the flesh head of the pocket is thick and round, and the top of the outer three petals also has a white head, the top of the bud is large, and the bud is hammer-shaped or the tip of the outer triple petal is turned out in the shape of a pomegranate head. Gathered in the bud, this kind of bud will open the bract shell like a magpie mouth. See the attached photo of "Cymbidium bud showing magpie mouth shape (new plum bud)". Of course, this phenomenon can also be seen in some big-nosed Cymbidium flowers. For the magpie-mouth-shaped bud, it is necessary to carefully observe the sand and halo on the bract shell. Generally, the sand and halo appear on the bract shell of this kind of inner petal (strong masculinization), but the sand halo of the bud is not obvious, especially the tip of the shell is not translucent from top to bottom. See the close-up of the big-nosed bud (cymbidium flower) and the photo of sand and halo on the bract shell of the cymbidium (new plum bud). Orchid friends can take a closer look at the photo. There is also a kind of flower bud which is wrapped and especially tight because of the longer bract shell. For the bud of Cymbidium, the bulge of the pocket will make the surface of the bract coat tightly wrapped in the bud have bead-like protuberance. See the photo of "bead-like bulge on the surface of the bud (Cymbidium releasing Peimei bud)". The downhill cymbidium with such a bud can be selected.

Photo of "Cymbidium bud in the shape of magpie mouth (new plum bud)"

The photo of the magpie mouth (row flower bud) of the flower bud of the big nose flower.

Photo of "sand and halo (new plum bud) on the bract shell of Cymbidium"

"there is a bead-like bulge on the surface of the bud (Cymbidium Xiepeimei bud)" photo

3. Colored mottled shell: the color of Cymbidium with various colors fades from the top of the shell to the bottom, during which there will be sand and halo on the shell. Sand and halo are also an important feature of the varieties we identify. This point has been discussed above, not in detail. In addition, we also found that, in addition to sand and halo, very few bracts have color spots, pigmented spots and halo spots on the bract shell. For colored bract buds and flower buds with excellent patches inside, see "White patches appear on the bract shell (Huilan green butterfly bud)" and "excellent patches inside the bud (Cymbidium butterfly bud)" photos, the selection experience tells us. This kind of Cymbidium has a higher probability of producing butterfly, which is the manifestation of the butterfly phenomenon on the bract shell. Cymbidium with such a bud can also be selected.

"White patches appear on the flower bract shell (Huilan green flower butterfly bud)" photo

Photo of "excellent patches inside the bud (Cymbidium butterfly bud)"

Second, the bud has been out of the bud stage the bud has been extracted from the bract shell, for those who have entered the orchid gate, whether it is a plum, an immortal or a flower can be distinguished at a glance. According to the shape of the top of the flower bud, the predecessors divided the flower bud into five categories: skillful planting door, wrinkled angle door, official kind door, Guan Fang door and Xing Hua Men. For all kinds of subdivision: (1) skillfully planted door centipede forceps: two side lobes of flower buds close into pincer shape. After the Shu flap, there are tight edges, thick flaps and hard backs, and this kind of small tongue plum is mostly; if the nest is big tongue, the daffodil valve is few; if the nest is soft, the big tongue plum is mostly, which is the first of the top grade, such as Cheng Mei, Lao Jie, and so on. Big flat cut: the head of the flower bract is cut flat like a knife, with a flat edge and thick flesh. Most of them have big tongues and split their nests and support them. If you split your head and close your back and hold it hard, the small tongue plum is less. This form is found in plum petal and daffodil petal, which is the second best, such as freshman, Yuan Zi Xian and so on. Small flat cut: the three petals are slightly longer, with a flat edge and round head. If the nest is divided, the big tongue is the majority; if the back is closed, the small tongue is few. Narcissus petal is mostly in this form, which is the third in the top grade. For example, Xiao Dang, Da Chen Zi and so on. (2) wrinkle angle door melon seed mouth: the wide edge is wrinkled, the flower blossoms the daffodil petal is more, the plum petal is few. It belongs to the fourth in the top grade. Pomegranate head: wide-edged Wu wrinkle, flying hand, square lack of tongue, this kind of plum valve, daffodil valve have, for the fifth in the top grade. For example, bee Qiao, moth bee plum, Duoyun and so on. 3) the type of official: the pocket is shallow and thick. Slippery mouth shape: slightly shallow pocket. Almond shape: wide-edged pu fan, small tongue. Most of these are daffodils, which are the sixth in the top grade. (4) Guofang door is commonly known as putty block. When budding, the foresight is admired and looks like a rigid whole. The outer three valves are curled and wrinkled when the outer three valves are flattened, which cannot be stretched flat. Where it belongs to this form, most of them hold the valve and close the back with their heads parted. Such as holding the flap and lip flap adhesion into a piece, commonly known as three valves a nose, is the plum valve, daffodil valve in the worst opening. 5) the flower door where the buds are acute, narrow, after the petals, petals are pointed narrow chicken claw shape, this form is commonly known as coarse flowers or row flowers, is a general orchid without petals. However, if the bud is shorter and the top is deep, sometimes there can be general lotus petals.

In addition to the above-mentioned "five-door and eight-style" core shape, there are many forms in Cymbidium, but most of them are not as good as the best flowers.

The above is the previous discussion that the bud has come out of the bud stage to identify the essence of Cymbidium varieties according to the shape of the top of the bud. According to the main points in the discussion, we can not only tell whether the cymbidium in hand is a fine flower or a row flower. Moreover, it can also distinguish the level of flowers, which is indeed a classical theory. However, for those who first entered the orchid gate and did not carefully observe the flowering process of the cymbidium, they took a handful of cymbidium in their hands and looked at the bulging buds one after another. what is "centipede clamp", "big flat cut", "small flat cut", what is "melon seed mouth", "pomegranate head", "slippery mouth", "almond shape"? what kind of flower buds can be regarded as sharp, narrow and long? There may be nothing I can do. In fact, for beginners who want to select fine flowers from the downhill cymbidium, the purpose of the selection is not to distinguish the quality of the top cymbidium, but to pick out the fine flowers from 1/10000 or 1/100000 of the downhill cymbidium. As long as you can quickly pick out the fine flowers from the downhill cymbidium, that is victory. Therefore, the author believes that when the bud is out of the bud stage to identify and select cymbidium flowers, we must grasp the unique characteristics of cymbidium plum and fairy petals at the top of the bud, that is, there is albinism at the top of the bud (commonly known as white head). See "Cymbidium Cheng plum flower bud white head phenomenon (Lanyou website post)", "Cymbidium plum flower bud white head phenomenon (Lanyou website post)", "Cymbidium Yu Huamei flower bud white head phenomenon", "Cymbidium pomegranate flower bud white head phenomenon (Lanyou website post)", for Cymbidium flower line flower, there is no white head phenomenon, see "Cymbidium flower line flower (orchid friend website post)". With this unique feature, we can put the fine flowers of plum and fairy in the downhill cymbidium into the bag as soon as possible, as for the appearance of the plum and fairy flowers singled out, then you have enough time to go home according to the above-mentioned classical theory to slowly compare, to distinguish the level of quality.

Photo of "White head phenomenon of Huilan Cheng Mei Blossom Bud (posted on Lanyou website)"

Photo of "Huilan Xie Peimei Bud White head phenomenon (posted on Lanyou website)"

Photo of "Huilan Yu Huamei White head phenomenon"

Photo of "Whitehead phenomenon of Cymbidium pomegranate Bud (posted on Lanyou website)"

Photo of "Huilan Xinghua (orchid friends posted on the website)"

For the cymbidium butterfly, it is still to see if there is a butterfly phenomenon on the side of the bud. For the butterfly, it is slightly more difficult to see the flower bud. Generally, the bud shape of the butterfly is sharp in the upper part and bulging in the lower part. The reason is that the lower part of the bud is composed of three tongue root lobes, which are two more lobes than the row flower. Some flower buds will reveal more than one serrated tongue tip. The buds with the above phenomena can be selected to stay.

Finally, incidentally, I would like to mention the particularly sharp, thin and narrow buds. See the photo of "particularly pointed, thin, narrow buds (few odd flowers" sand gull "buds)". People see that there are not many such buds. Mountain farmers or orchid merchants will not charge more for this kind of Cymbidium than ordinary Cymbidium. The author thinks that you can gamble with a small amount of money, and it is very likely to bet on rare species.

"particularly pointed, thin, narrow buds (few odd flowers" sand gull "bud)" photo

There is less discussion on the identification and selection of flower buds that can produce lotus petals. To be honest, the lotus flowers shown in all kinds of orchid books, such as "Victory Big Lotus", "Green Crown Lotus", "Green Kui", "Green Huihe Ding" and so on, take a closer look at all the large lotus-shaped petal flowers, but only the tongue of "Ding Xiaohe" still looks good, but after careful identification, it is found that it is a lotus petal, but it is actually a good species of floating daffodils. It's not really a lotus cymbidium. If there is no real lotus valve, of course, there will be less control, and of course no subtle features will be found. However, from the experience of selecting Cymbidium from the mountain for many years, when there are two leaves on the outside of each plant of Cymbidium, the leaf tip is round and obtuse, the leaf shape is fat and thick, the leaf surface is dragon or has sand-like fleshy protuberance, the outer bract shell of the bud is broad, and the outer bract shell of the bud is inverted to another bract shell, if the bud is exposed, the flower bud is in the shape of a peanut kernel and so on. The probability of lotus-shaped flower is higher. When you can't choose a real lotus cymbidium, it's okay to replace it with a lotus-shaped flower. If you want to find a lotus cymbidium with big bangs, such as Chunlan "Zheng Tonghe" or "Global Lotus Ding," it's really: it's enough to have such a flower. It's a miracle indeed.

The author talks about the main points of variety identification and selection of Cymbidium by using the photos of the old varieties of cymbidium and some new flowers from the mountain, such as grass, leaf bud, bud and bud. The purpose is to provide a reference for orchid friends who are new to the orchid gate or who do not know much about the cymbidium when they identify and select the cymbidium. Of course, the above can also play a role in distinguishing the true, the false and the fine flowers when buying the old species of Cymbidium. To achieve the goal of being less fooled or not fooled. Now it is in the early stage of cymbidium selection, if the above-mentioned "Cymbidium variety identification and selection essentials" can give orchid friends some inspiration when selecting cymbidium, take fewer detours and spend less silver to pick up leaks from the cymbidium down the mountain. I will be happy for you at the same time.