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Orchidaceae
Cymbidium Orchid
Cymbidium lowianum
Nobility and Confucian virtue.
- Family
- Orchidaceae
- Genus
- Cymbidium
- Native to
- Tropical Asia, Himalayas, China, Japan, Australia
- Bloom season
- Winter, Spring
- Type
- perennial epiphytic orchid
- Height
- 1-3 ft
- Sunlight
- part shade
- Soil
- epiphytic orchid bark mix
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- 9-11
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Cymbidium orchids have been cultivated in China for over 2,500 years — Confucius himself compared a virtuous person to the cymbidium's subtle, refined fragrance, and the plant features prominently in classical Chinese poetry and painting.
- Unlike tropical orchids that need year-round warmth, cymbidiums require a cool autumn to initiate flowering — they must experience nighttime temperatures below 55°F (13°C) for 6–8 weeks to trigger bud development.
- The genus name Cymbidium derives from the Greek 'kymbe' (boat), referring to the hollowed, boat-like shape of the lip — a critical pollinator landing platform for the bees and insects that visit the flowers.
- Cymbidium orchids are among the most commercially important orchids in the world — they are a major cut flower crop in Asia, and Australia exports hundreds of thousands of cut spikes annually to Japan and China.
- Researchers have decoded the complete genome of Cymbidium goeringii, revealing that cymbidiums gained their floral scent genes relatively recently in evolutionary terms through transfer from fungal partners.
Color meanings
0
nobility
1
virtue
2
friendship
3
integrity