CSA-Journal-2016-04

produced seven fragrant white flowers, the
smaller spike having only three flowers. We
were pleased to have Mr. and Mrs. Holguin
visit us to see the flowers, for I do not think
the plant had flowered for some years. The
accompanying photograph gives an idea of
the unusual flowers, quite different from
any other Cymbidium species we had ever
seen. The white medium-sized flower had a
rather long lip, heavily banded and marked
with reddish brown. It agreed reasonably
well with the original drawings and with
the Royal Horticultural Society painting
by Nellie Roberts, Certificate #894, which
certificate states that the plant was "identified
and named by Kew." In our collection
we have a colored photograph of the award
painting.
It was decided to self two flowers and
to remove the smaller raceme before its
flowers were fully opened. Before pollinating
the flowers, photographs were taken in
color and in black and white on March 27,
1963. Of the expected capsules, one was to
be embryo-cultured before ripening, in case
this procedure might give better germination.
The other capsule was to remain until
ripe. On removing the pollen from the
flowers of the larger raceme, it was found
to be gray and apparently moldy. However,
the pollen from the partially opened flowers
of the smaller raceme which had been
removed appeared good, and this was used
on two flowers of the larger raceme on
March 27, 1963.
On September 2, 1963, before leaving
for the Fourth World Orchid Conference
at Singapore, the contents of one of
the capsules were sown, five months after
pollination. There was no germination in
this planting. On January 12, 1964, the few
seeds from the second capsule were sown
to six bottles. After some months, two to
six protocorms in each bottle became green
but were tantalizingly slow. By late November,
1964, they had not developed leaves.
A few protocorms are being grown by meristem
tissue culture to produce a multiplication
of each clone, if possible. Later, apical
meristem culture of a backbulb growth will
be attempted in the hopes of propagating
the original clone.
The experience of poor germination
is not unusual for selfed species, which are
believed sometimes to have an inhibitor to
prevent self-fertilization. The fact of poor
germination may be slender evidence that
parishii 'Sanderae' is a true species and not
a natural hybrid, as is sometimes conjectured.
Much may be learned if and when
the selfed seedlings flower.
The plant now has two leaved bulbs
and one dormant bulb. There are three racemes,
one on either side of the lead bulb
and one on the middle bulb. There is no
sign of a new growth, and to induce one,
it is probable that on flowering all racemes
will be removed.
Cymbidium parishii, both the original
type and the 'Sanderae' variety, appear to
require more heat than some of the north
Indian species of Cymbidiums. The greatest
disadvantage and, no doubt, that which accounts
for parishii's rarity, is the slow growth
and poor production of new growths. In
our experience, this may have been due
to the profusion of flower racemes and to
seed capsules which were probably a drain
on the plant. There usually have been only
two bulbs with leaves, for the leaves on
the oldest bulb persist only until the new
growth is fairly well developed as a new
bulb. With few or no new growths a season,
the plant remains small, although the bulbs
and leaves are well developed.
The history of the acquisition of Cym.
parishii 'Sanderae' by Armacost & Royston
is not known to us except that it was in the
collection in 1952 and probably sometime
before. It is said to have come from the late
D. A. Cowan of Surbiton, England. However,
we were intrigued by the label on the
Armacost & Royston plant, for in addition
to the name parishii 'Sanderae', there was
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