This week’s Orchid of the Week is… Cym. Geneva H. Thornton ‘Woodside’
Parentage: This is a cross between Cym. Ruth Kallman × Cym. Joan’s Charisma
Registered: 2017
The reason why it’s our Orchid of the Week:
Our Orchid of the Week this week is a lovely crisp clean elegant white. Cym. Geneva H. Thornton was bred and registered by George Hatfield in the U.S. George is a very experienced grower who has brought us some great Cyms over the years.
The pollen parent for this cross, Cym. Joan’s Charisma, registered in 1995 by Bryants Orchids, is a lovely pristine white in itself, widely available in Australia, and used often in breeding. On the other hand Cym. Ruth Kallman is a 2009 registration by New Horizon Orchids, and has just two registered offspring. But in this case, the mating has produced a classic white that will be very popular indeed!
The image used above was sourced from the Planet Cymbidium Facebook page, taken by Pierre Pujol, a very good Cym. breeder in the U.S. The second image here was taken by George Hatfield and taken from the Orchid roots website.
Looking back at the original species ancestors of this plant, using Orchid Roots, Cym. insigne, Cym. lowianum and Cym eburneum are the major contributors present in the distant background.