The Cymbidium is an orchid for the living room or on the terrace in the summer months. It is a fairly tall plant with long, narrow leaves and one or more long flower spikes with up to six or more flowers. The flowers of the cultivated Cymbidium (hybrids) can be red, purple, pink, white, orange, yellow, green or bi-colored. There is even a Cymbidium hybrid with blue flowers for sale. The Cymbidium orchid originates in the temperate climate of the Himalayas and subtropical climate of Northern Australia.
- Orchidaceae
- The Cymbidium subfamily
- Origin Cymbidium
- From ancestor Cymbidium to hybrid Cymbidium
- The Cymbidium hybrid can be divided into three groups
- The offer of the hybrid Cymbidium
- Leaf and roots hybrid Cymbidium
- Flower
- Bought or received a Cymbidium
- After flowering
Orchidaceae
The Cymbidium, or boat orchid, belongs to the Orchidaceae (orchid family). Worldwide, the orchid family has more than a thousand genera, which are divided into dozens of subfamilies, such as:
- Phalaenopsis or Butterfly Orchid;
-
Dendrobium or bamboo orchid;
- Oncidium or tiger orchid;
-
Paphiopedilum or Venus Slipper;
- Cymbidium.
The Cymbidium subfamily
One of the orchid subfamilies is the Cymbidium or boat orchid. The Cymbidium subfamily has about sixty botanical (native) species, sixteen natural hybrids (spontaneous pollination) and up to 1,000 different hybrids (hand pollinated by growers). The plant may owe the name ‘Cymbidium’ to the lip in the heart of the flower. The lip resembles a hollow boat what in Greek ?? kymbos ?? and the name is probably derived from it.
Origin Cymbidium
The ancestors of the Cymbidium come from the so-called ‘Asian Cymbidium belt’. The Asiatic Cymbidium Belt is found around the southern foothills of the Himalayas and runs from the mountains in India to China, Korea, Japan to the warmer south. The plants grow in the wild at an altitude of 330 meters to 2800 meters. Most plants grow with the roots in the soil (terrestrial plants), but there are also Cymbidiums that grow with the roots on trees and rock walls: the epyphites. Epyphites grow on trees, among other things, without extracting food from them. The first plants in the Netherlands were introduced around 1980 and were crossed by growers (the hybrid Cymbidiums).
From ancestor Cymbidium to hybrid Cymbidium
The original wild Cymbidiums (the botanical species) have a brownish, yellowish or greenish color in bloom and consist of about 60 botanical species that grow from high in the mountains to the tropical savannah. Since 1985, different varieties have been cultivated in the Netherlands (hybrid varieties) and there is plenty of choice in color, size and quantity of flowers. The flowers come in red, black, white, orange, apricot, yellow, blue (Cymbidium Dyed Blue) or are bicolor. A number of flowers on one branch, several flowering branches and the most exotic lip, give a living room an exotic look.
The Cymbidium hybrid can be divided into three groups
The Cymbidium species that originate from the Asian Cymbidium belt (the Asian Cymbidiums or Chinese Cymbidiums) need a cool period to form flowers and are called the cool orchids. In the wild, Cymbidium grows from the tropical rainforest to the temperate climate of the Himalayas, where there are also places with winter frost. The Cymbidium which originates from the temperate climate needs a cool period to flower. Because the original Cymbidium had a natural difference in day and night temperatures, the hybrid Cymbidium forms new shoots in a cooler rest period where the flower spike (or branches) grows. When the first flowers on a flower spike open, the plant is allowed in the living room or conservatory.
The other two groups, from the warmer parts of subtropical Asia and Australia, do not require a markedly cool period to form flowers. Most hybrids that are cultivated today originated from the originally cool orchids.
The offer of the hybrid Cymbidium
The Cymbidium varieties in the Netherlands are always hybrid varieties and the range of the hybrid Cymbidium consists of:
- the mini-Cymbidium. It can best tolerate room temperature;
- the large-flowered Cymbidium. This Cymbidium is mainly used as a cut flower;
- the cascade Cymbidium. This one has long, hanging flower stems. The flower stalk with flowers can be guided around an arch and thus gives a waterfall (cascade) of flowers. The original ancestors grow in rock walls and dead trees. It was not necessary for the plant to stick the flower stems above the leaves, resulting in the long hanging flowers. This Cymbidium also always has a visible thickened and flat bulb between the leaves. or flat tuber.
Leaf and roots hybrid Cymbidium
The cultivated Cymbidium can be recognized by the long, narrow, green leaves and the abundance of flowers on one stem. The Cymbidium has a creeping rhizome and shoots are essential for regular flowering. From the shoot of the cool Cymbidium grows a flat green bulb ?? (bulb) and next to the bulb axillary buds grow between the leaves to develop into a flower spike with numerous buds. The hybrid Cymbidium from the regions of tropical to subtropical Asia and Australia does not have a bulb, the flower branches grow from the shoots.
Flower
The hybrid species of Cymbidium orchids produce an average of more than 15 (sometimes as many as 30) beautiful flowers on a stem, some of which are fragrant. The Cymbidium orchids bloom for up to ten weeks and can bloom from November to April. The flowers have a waxy texture and have three sepals and three petals where the middle petal is formed into the striking lip, which is often different in color. In the wild, the lip serves to lure pollen seekers. The pollen seekers fertilize another Cymbidium with the pollen from one native Cymbidium.
Bought or received a Cymbidium
Place the Cymbidium in a place with a lot of light but no direct sunlight. When the danger of night frost has passed, the Cymbidium can also go outside in a shady spot on the terrace. Water a blooming orchid about every seven to nine days. Another option is to immerse the orchid in water for ten minutes once a week and let it drain well. Feed once a month during the flowering period. After a few years the plant can be torn and the best period for this is early spring.
After flowering
You can cut off the dead branch of the Cymbidium to the bottom. Put the Cymbidium in a cool but light place for about 10 to 12 weeks. When resting, give a Cymbidium less water and no food until the new shoots start to grow. The new shoots give new flower stems after about 8 to 12 weeks and as soon as the first bud starts to bloom, the Cymbidium can be moved to a warmer place.