This week’s Orchid Wise Orchid of the Week is… Cym. Little Swan
Parentage: This week’s Orchid of the Week is a cross between Cym. Suan Luang x Cym. Osborn
Registered: 2021
The reason why it’s our Orchid of the Week:
I love plants with a strong species influence, and this offering from Pakkret Floriculture certainly delivers on that front! I do quite like the primary hybrid of Cym. Osborn so this cross adds another option in the line for collectors.
The Cym. dayanum species influence runs deep and unmistakably through this plant — that much is clear straight away. Adding to its appeal, the plant produces good flower counts on arching and semi-cascading spikes, while the miniature to intermediate sized flowers strike a lovely balance between delicacy and presence.
The image above comes directly from the Cymbidium Thailand Facebook page, where the originator of the plant, Kobsukh Kaenratana, shared it himself. Kobsukh is currently producing some wonderful heat tolerant plants, and as a result, his breeding program deserves serious attention from collectors who are looking to extend their flowering seasons.
Cym. Little Swan stands as yet another lovely addition to Kobsukh’s already fantastic breeding lines. Admittedly, these flowers may not appeal to the hard-line modern tetraploid fanatics — and that’s perfectly understandable. However, deliberately weaving different and more unusual Cymbidiums into your collection creates a wonderful point of difference that sets it apart from the crowd. Moreover, doing so extends your flowering season considerably, and ultimately, that makes your collection so much more fun and rewarding. After all, variety is the spice of life — and in a Cymbidium collection, it really does show!
Tracing the plant’s heritage, as registered, using Orchid Roots, its primary species ancestors are Cym. insigne, Cym. erythrostylum and Cym. dayanum.