This week’s Orchid of the Week is… Cym. Starbright
Parentage: This week’s Orchid of the Week is a cross between Cym. floribundum x Cym. Lyoth
Registered: 1964
The reason why it’s our Orchid of the Week:
Time warp time for this week’s Orchid of the Week….!
We’ve certainly passed this era of Cymbidium Orchid by…….however, I found this Cym. Starbright ‘Capella’ in a local collection last year and had to photograph it, and thought it deserved a mention. And I like to show everyone as wide a range of plants as I can, old and new…
This plant had numerous spikes and an abundance of flowers and looked very appealing for its age
It might be very old, and might not score too well on the show bench these days, however, as a plant for the hobbyist orchid grower it provides something different in shape and colour. Tall upright spikes displayed 18 large intermediate flowers above the foliage, although the spike was marginally crowded. It could have done with being slightly better spaced….however for the hobbyist grower, a fantastic number of flowers to a spike which is really the only thing that counts if you aren’t on the show bench!
I didn’t mind this plant, just for the number of flowers on the spike and hearing that the plant flowered reliably every year. I do have a soft spot for Cym. i’ansonii and Cym. Ceres, two of the plants in the background, and it was an interesting choice to pair Cym. floribundum with Cym. Lyoth which was registered in 1928. Greenoaks registerd 117 Cymbidium Orchid hybrids and registered the Primary Hybrids Cym. Kuranda, Cym. Cherry Blossom as well as the famous Cym. Cricket, all of which I have in my collection.
The red(ish) colour if the flower obviously comes from Cym. Ceres and Ceres and is a plant I love to see in flower. I’m very lucky to have one.
I’ve never seen Cym. Lyoth, and I doubt anyone has these days, but it has been used 26 times as a registered parent, so if I ever get the chance, I’m going to remake it! I’m too much of a vintage diploid tragic! Please don’t hold it against me!
Tracing this plant’s original species ancestors using Orchid Roots, Cym. floribundum, Cym. insigne and Cym. i’ansonii are the major species contributors of this plant!