Cymbidium ensifolium '市長紅'/'Shi Zhang Hong'

This Cymbidium ensifolium cultivar was a recent pick-up from Redland. Easy grower and is supposed to be heat tolerant, although it probably will not survive the 100F Davis heat if grown outdoors. This plant did not mind the repotting at all, and what I thought were growths turned out to be two spikes, each carrying six flowers. The blooms are very fragrant and fills the room with its distinctive fragrance, oddly reminiscent of Pledge lemon furniture polish.

The distribution of this species is quite widespread, reported to be found throughout Asia, with some accounts from Borneo. Along with Phalaneopsis amabilis, Cymbidium ensifolium was also described in Species Plantarum by Linnaeus in 1753 (Ned Nash, Orchids September 1996) and was already well known during time of Confucius (500 BC). In fact, the Chinese word for orchids, 蘭花, is synonymous with Cymbidium ensifolium, which attests to the historical appreciation of this species.

Cymbidium ensifolium '市長紅'

Phalaenopsis violacea fma. semi-alba from Orchidview

This is the first successful flowering for Phalaenopsis violacea in the grow space and it has turned out to be a very pleasing flower. The previous spikes had simply stalled, but it may just have needed a year or so to acclimate to the less than ideal conditions in the home versus that of a humid greenhouse.

Phalaenopsis violacea fma. semi-alba (NO857 'Morning Star' x 'H.P.')

There're also two other highly fragrant species currently in flower, ie Phalaenopsis bellina and Phalaenopsis corningiana, and it's a nice exercise to compare the three rather different scents.