This week’s Orchid Wise Orchid of the Week is… Cym. Madison Falls
Parentage: This week’s Orchid of the Week is a cross between Cym. tracyanum x Cym. madidum
Registered: 2007
The reason why it’s our Orchid of the Week:
It’s time for another Cymbidium Primary Hybrid for this week’s Orchid Wise Orchid of the week!
Cym. Madison Falls is is a primary that took a while to grow on me. I think the first few I saw were average combinations of the parents and the blooms were underwhelming in both shape and colour….
Primary hybrids are unique in that they have only two parents and no other generational influence. But like any seedling, this can make for some very ordinary results. Comparing Cym. Madison Falls seedlings shows the different parent influence in a striking way!
Cym. Madison Falls ‘Best Boy’ has probably become the pick of the bunch, and the most popular with hobbyists.
It has been cloned and is widely available all over the world.
The headline image of Cym. Madison Falls ‘Best Boy’ was borrowed from the Krull Smith website and can be purchased here.
The resultant spikes of the cross are arching and cascading with an abundance of blooms, up to around 40 when flowered really well. However, it’s an interesting hybrid and the cross itself can be a tricky one to flower. Cym. tracyanum flowers in winter, and Cym. madidum in the summer. This no doubt creates some confusion within the plant and can make it harder to bloom in the colder climates, and I’m told it is easier to flower in the warmer areas.
Cym. Madison Falls ‘Best Boy’ isn’t my pick though!
My favourite of the cultivars, however, is something different. I found this on an Etsy listing, and is one I prefer a little more due to the shape and lip markings….
The final image was taken from a Facebook post showing a very similar flower.
Tracing the plant’s heritage, as registered, using Orchid Roots, its primary species ancestors are obviously only Cym. tracyanum and Cym. madidum.
