"three looks" in Orchid Variety Identification

Variety identification is the identification of the comprehensive quality of orchids, and it is a subject that can best show the skills of orchids. Therefore, all previous dynasties of Yilan were particularly cautious about this, never jumping to conclusions, and always adhering to the principle of "three looks". A look at the leaf shape "watch the flowers for a while, appreciate the leaves all the year round".

In the non-flowering season, the main basis for the identification of famous orchids is to look at the leaf shape, including leaf bud, plant shape and so on. The color of orchid sprouts unearthed can be used as a reference for the appreciation of orchid varieties, and the bud stage should be carefully observed. Generally speaking, where the new buds are white, white-green, or green, the spring orchid is generally a vegetarian variety, and most of the cymbidium are vegetarian or green; the bud tip with a white rice-shaped "white peak" may produce fine flowers. Most of the traditional famous orchids are relatively stable, and their leaf shape also has a certain regularity. After long-term practice, the Yilan family can generally identify the varieties with obvious leaf shape at first sight, such as Wang word of erect leaves, Taisu, old best products, Songmei and Da Yipin of hanging leaves, the wealth of fat ring leaves, the green clouds of twisted leaves, and so on. However, due to the different planting environment, the leaves of orchids are not the same year after year, so orchids are often combined with buds to identify varieties. Second, the traditional famous products of flower bracts and orchids not only have their own characteristics, but also have their own characteristics. Therefore, people should not only look at the leaf shape, but also look at the bud. With regard to the identification of flower buds, predecessors summed up the "nine-shaped eight styles" of the head shape of orchid cymbidium and the "five-door eight styles" of small rows of bell of cymbidium. These valuable experiences are of great benefit to us in identifying varieties and are worthy of our good digestion and absorption.

Things are developing and changing. In the practice of Yilan, it is found that even if the same pot of orchid, sometimes the color of the bud is different in different years, even in the same year. I know something about that. After years of observation, the buds of famous orchids such as Dafu Gui and Yuan characters I cultivated are sometimes different in different years, with darker color in some years and lighter in some years. According to Mr. Chen Yaoming in Wuxi, sometimes the scape of his set circle is "crimson", and sometimes the scape is "purple in green". One year his large pot set circle pulled out five scape, three of which were red and two purple in green.

It can be seen that simply from the color and shape of the bud to identify varieties has its limitations, we must also look at its opening products. Third, the most direct and effective way to identify Lanhui varieties is to look at its opening products, which is also the main reason for the introduction of introduced varieties to see flowers. Generally speaking, as long as the product is in place, you can identify the variety when you see the flower. However, everything has its own particularity, and the flowers of the same variety are sometimes different because of different planting methods. For example, Song Mei can produce four or five flower shapes, and Luyun and Xishen can also produce several different flower shapes. but we can't conclude that they are different just because they are different. Therefore, Wu Enyuan, a member of a generation of Yilan, said: "because of the good or bad of the planting method, the opening products have high and low ears." That's what I'm talking about. True knowledge of breed identification. The identification of orchid varieties should be dialectical and comprehensive, and should not be blinded by one leaf, fail to see Mount Tai and jump to conclusions. The correct way should be to look at the leaf shape, the bud and the opening product.