This week’s Orchid of the Week is… Cym. Geno’s Gem
Parerentage: This week’s Orchid of the Week is a cross between Cym. Mad Hatter x Cym. Kalimpong
Registered: 2007
The reason why it’s our Orchid of the Week:
Another plant heavily influenced by its Cym. devonianum grandparents is this week’s Orchid of the Week, with the image courtesy of Catherine Obillo in the United States. Catherine has a very fine collection of Cyms that sometimes makes even me envious! And more of her plants will be shown in the future.
With Cym. devonianum a grandparent on each side of the cross, it is no surprise the result is small flowers on long pendulous spikes and really good flower counts. Some spikes have produced up to 38 blooms!
Going back even further in the family tree, on one side we find great grandparent, Cym. Esmerelda, which is a plant I really like.
Bred by Tony Velardi, Cym. Geno’s Gem has been awarded a First Class Certificate and a Certificate of Cultural Excellence by the American Orchid Society. The exact plant that was awarded is not shown here, however, this is a great example of what the grex looks like. Other cultivars have also been awarded at various U.S. Orchid Shows.
Clones and seedlings are still widely available in the U.S. for those that want to grab an awarded cascading plant.
Looking back at the original species ancestors of this plant, using Orchid Roots, Cym. devonianum, Cym. lowianum and Cym. maddidum are the major contributors in the distant background.