Discussion

With over 28,000 orchid species in the world, there is potentially a lot that could be said about orchids. For our purposes, we will consider only two. Both are different from the shunran (spring orchid) that we discussed last week in that instead of having only one blossom per stem, these both have multiple blossoms per stem or inflorescence.

Vanda falcata (fūkiran)

Vanda is an orchid genera comprised of 90 species. Most Vanda orchids are epiphytes; they grow on tree branches or stumps without being parasites. They have two root systems; one that securely binds the plant to its host, and another comprised of swollen, exposed roots that absorb moisture from atmospheric humidity. Many Vanda orchid plants can grow to be quite large.

One Vanda species has special cultural significance in Japan. It is native to Japan's Amami Islands as well as the Asian mainland. The natural V. falcata is called fūran (wind orchid) in Japanese. It is a perennial that begins to blossom in the late summer.

The white color, unusual shape of the blossom, and strong aroma made it a favorite among Japanese aristocrats. Fūran became Japan's first house plant.

Here is a fūkiran anatomy sketch.

Note that there is a stalk (an inflorescence) that, after a few inches, branches out to several smaller stalks, each with its own blossom. There can be anywhere from two to ten blossoms per stalk.

There may be several such stalks emerging from a single plant as can be seen in the example below.

This hybrid is also distinctive in that there is some color in the blossoms. The blossom below has a faint greenish tint on the petals. The descending spur, a feature of all fūkiran blossoms, is easily seen.

About Keiran

This week's painting subject, autumn orchid, (keiran in Japanese) is another orchid that has multiple blossoms sprouting out of a single stalk or inflorescence. (The syllabus also says shῡran. The two words are used interchangeably and mean the same thing; Autumn orchid.) I have been unable to identify the exact orchid species that is meant by keiran, but it is probably a member of the Cymbidium genera. Its appearance in paintings bares a rough resemblance to Cymbidium suave, though that orchid, a native of Australia, has a lot more blossoms per stalk than paintings of keiran. It, too, is an epiphyte.

Common names for Cymbidium suave are snake orchid and grassy boat-lip orchid. It can be seen from the photo that it has clumps of grass-like leaves. Stalks have from five to fifty blossoms. Blossoms emerge from August through January.

Here is a front view of a Cymbidium suave stalk.

Here is a corresponding rear view.

Here is a close-up view of a Cymbidium blossom. See what parts you can identify before you look at the anatomy chart below.

The parts of the blossom are identified here.

Note the buds at the end of this Cymbidium stalk. Buds, and later flowers, appear toward the end of the stalk as it grows longer. The oldest blossoms are at the base of the stalk; the newest ones at the tip.

This is a view of a complete Cymbidium suave plant.