This week’s Orchid of the Week is… Cym. Floreat Eagland
Parentage: This is a cross between Cym. mastersii × Cym. elegans
Registered: 2019
The reason why it’s our Orchid of the Week:
For this week’s Orchid of the Week I again get to talk about one of my favourite subjects – primary hybrids! And to honest, two of my favourite species plants too – Cym. mastersii and Cym. Elegans. Cym elegans is still very tightly held in collections and getting hold of a piece is not that easy. So I’m still without one. However I have two very lovey specimens of Cym mastersii and they are wonderful in flower!
Together, Cym. mastersii and Cym. elegans make pretty much what you would expect to see from their mating really. A spike habit resembling Cym. elegans, and flowers, that once fully open resemble Cym. mastersii. Spikes carry a large number of flowers and are pendulous or semi-pendulous, so a high position on a bench or a hanging pot is best to get the most out of this plant whilst in flower.
The photo on the right is of a plant in my collection from a flowering in 2022. At first the flowers had a yellow/green tinge to them, but as the spike developed and the flowers opened fully, they turned white.
It is a lovely display, and something very different to the normal modern hybrids of today!
This crossing is still available if you look hard enough and I recommend obtaining a piece to create some variety in your collection.
Given this is a primary hybrid, it’s no surprise Orchid Roots will tell you we have 50% Cym. mastersii and 50% Cym. elegans here!