This week’s Orchid Wise Orchid of the Week is… Cym. Paradisian Ochre ‘Eureka’
Parentage: This week’s Orchid of the Week is a cross between Cym. Paradisian Bullseye × Cym. Devonianum
Registered: 2015
The reason why it’s our Orchid of the Week:
This week is a Cymbidium orchid that is one of those novelty Cyms that some like and some dislike! One thing is for sure, it will attract attention whereevr it goes and it will also create discussion!
There are several cultivars of Cym. Paradisian Ochre, and ‘Eureka’ is by far the most ‘interesting’! A cascading spike carrying intermediate flowers is always an eye catching plant. One with a labellum heavily influenced by the species Cym. devonianum and very unusually marked petals and sepals certainly makes for a lot of opinions!
Bred by Paradisia Nursery in Australia, this plant flowers earlier than Cym. devonianum, around the main Spring flowering time and can multi-spike on a bulb. The above photo was taken from their website – www.collectorsonline.com.au.
The flower count is a little low for a Cym. devonianum hybrid at 10-15, however, if the plant multi-spikes, then it really doesn’t matter as there will be a multitude of flowers to dazzle the eye!
Another quite close example of Cym. Paradisian Ochre ‘Eureka’ is below and was borrowed from the Southern Suburbs Orchid Society website in New South Wales.
The other parent, Cym. Paradisian Bullseye also has Cym. devonianum in the background and is a plant made up of quite old hybrids, so the breeding isn’t as complex or extensive as some of todays plants can be.
Tracing the plant’s heritage using Orchid Roots, its primary species ancestors are Cym. devonianum, Cym. lowianum and Cym. hookerianum.