No name cymbidium

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by SouthPark

Very nice flower indeed. I've been searching for a name for this other pink flower - but didn't make any head-way yet!

pink Cymbidium

SouthPark, that one in the link reminds me a lot of Cym. Claude Pepper, an old hybrid that has lots of progeny. I have Cym. Claude Pepper 'Purple Splendor' (it is a lot more pink than the photo on my website) You'll never be able to identify your plant with any certainty - there are just too many pink Cymbidium hybrids out there. But I would not be surprised if Cym. Claude Pepper was in its ancestry someplace. Still, it must remain a NOID.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by Roberta

SouthPark, that one in the link reminds me a lot of Cym. Claude Pepper, an old hybrid that has lots of progeny. I have Cym. Claude Pepper 'Purple Splendor' (it is a lot more pink than the photo on my website)

That was awesome Roberta. That particular orchid you mentioned is by far the closest in terms of the features ..... such as the lip colouration, including way that the dividing red-line (down the middle of the lip) is broken ..... as in not a single unbroken straight reddish line. I'd be more than satisfied to find a Cym. Claude Pepper 'Purple Splendor' to grow over here!!!

Thanks for mentioning that orchid name Roberta. Greatly appreciated.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by SouthPark

That was awesome Roberta. That particular orchid you mentioned is by far the closest in terms of the features ..... such as the lip colouration, including way that the dividing red-line (down the middle of the lip) is broken ..... as in not a single unbroken straight reddish line. I'd be more than satisfied to find a Cym. Claude Pepper 'Purple Splendor' to grow over here!!!

Thanks for mentioning that orchid name Roberta. Greatly appreciated.

Good luck! Best way to find the classic hybrids is to be active in an orchid society - they live in collections of older folks. And because Cyms are so vigorous, people divide them and contribute them to auctions and other society functions. Make friends with the older members.... help out when it's repotting time. You, too, may score some classic plants.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by Roberta

Good luck! Best way to find the classic hybrids is to be active in an orchid society - they live in collections of older folks. And because Cyms are so vigorous, people divide them and contribute them to auctions and other society functions. Make friends with the older members.... help out when it's repotting time. You, too, may score some classic plants.

Thanks very much Roberta! You are absolutely right about ways to find classic hybrids and classic orchids. To increase otherwise slim chances of acquiring very specific kinds of classics ----- the long-time growers from some orchid societies and orchid nurseries can definitely help - even giving possible paths to go on.

If not part of an orchid society, then getting in touch with long-time orchid-growers in any which way we can --- is a really good start. Even if we end up don't finding it ----- I definitely know that continued effort in looking and asking can certainly lead to amazing surprises.

[mkallen81]

Oh thank you so much for all your replies! I did not see them come through! I think you maybe be right about the claude pepper! What a good hunch. In any case you all are also right that there is no way to really identify her. So sad but its ok. I will love her just the same. I would definitely like to be part of an orchid society but I think they are not popular in France, as I have been unable to find one in my area and never hear talk of any.

[JScott]

Not to harp on semantics here, but plants which have flowers with both male and female parts are called monoecious, not heterosexual. Plants whose flowers are either male or female are dioecious.

And I refer to some of my plants with masculine pronouns, and others with feminine pronouns. Some plants just seem more masculine than others. There's no hard and fast rule, it's just a feeling I have. This plant seems like a she, that plant seems like a he. Those of us with smaller collections (I have about 50 plants) have time to get to know each plant on an individual basis, and we almost become friendly with them. Calling a plant "it" just seems so impersonal. Some of mine even have names that I have given them (not the official names on the tags, more like a nickname).

One of my favorite Phals which I've had for years and years goes by the name Rubella, because she is white with lots of tiny purple/red spots (that and rubella is that Latin diminutive for the adjective rubus, meaning red, and in Latin when you form a diminutive of an adjective it means "kind of adjective", and she is kinda red, so Rubella). I have another Phal I call Drusilla, after the daughter of Herod Agrippa. I can't completely explain that one, but it just seemed to fit.

[SouthPark]

Regarding other people referring to their orchids as a 'he' or 'she' ----- that's fine with me. People are generally free to do what they like, except for cases where actions cause hurt, harm etc.

But we can certainly see the interesting progression - such as 'I have a USB stick ..... and he is very reliable'. Or 'I have a Brother P-touch label printer for orchid tag labeling ..... and she is very useful'.

I'm an 'it' person when it comes to plants. Although, I'm not against anyone using 'she' or 'he' when referring to their orchids.

And now ------ back to the original thread topic.

[JScott]

I have a very good friend in Brazil who grows orchids. In Portuguese, the word for "orchid" is "orquídea", which is grammatically feminine, so he refers to all of his plants as "she".