CYMBIDIUM ZALESKIANUM

CYMBIDIUM. Vide Lindenia, vol. II, p. 209 et vol. Ill, p. 240.
Cymbidium Zaleskianum An C.Tracyani varietas?
Cymbidium Zaleskianum L. LIND., infra.

This interesting Cymbidium was said to have been imported by the firm of Moortebeek in a batch of Cymbidium iridioides from Assam. Based on this origin, as well as the coloration and other characteristics, Linden felt that it was likely that this plant was a natural hybrid between C. iridioides and C. hookerianum. He ascribed the spike habit and colour to the former species, the size of the flower, width and colour of the lip having come from the second parent.
Linden also considered the possibility that the plant could be Cymbidium tracyanum, and asked the reader to refer to his earlier published plate of this species (t. 514 of 1895). He remarked that the form painted earlier was much darker, with the markings dominating the tepals. In this form, the flowers were much lighter.
The plant was named for Monsignore de Zaleski, the Archbishop of Thebe.

Cymbidium Tracyanum, Foliis elongatis. lineari-ligulatis, acutis, subtus distincte carinatis ; pedunculo robustissimo, deflexo, 10-20-floro, foliis longiore; floribus amplis; bracteis minutis ; sepalis late oblongis, aculis, dorsali saperne incurvo, lateralibus patulis; petalis patulis, anguste oblongo-ligulatis, acutis; labello petalis satis breviore, distincte trilobato, lobis lateralibus erectis ovato-triangularibus acutis margine denticutatis. lobo terminali late oblongo reflexo margine laciniato-crispo, disco a basi usque ultra medium carinis geminis carnosis dense villosis instructo ;columna elongata, incucva, exalata.

Cymbidium Tracyanum (Traceyanum} Hort.; Gard. Chron, ser. 3, VIII. p. 702 et 718 (l890); IX, p. 137, fig. 34 (1891). — Journ. of Hortic., XXI, p. 535, fig. 71 (1890). — Journ. des Orchid., 1, p, 326 (1891), — Veitch, Man. Orch. Pl., part. IX, p. 22, cum icon. (1893). — L. Lind., Les Orchid. exot., p. 684 (1894). — Williams, Orch. Grow. Man., edit. 7, p. 224, cum icon. (l894). — Orchid Rev., III, p. 360 (1895).

This splendid species, whose flowers exceed in width those of all its congeners, is still extremely rare in cultivation. The forerunner was introduced a few years ago by Mr. H.A. Tracy, of Twickenham (England); amongst of a batch of Cymbidium Lowianum, with which it was readily confused, because its foliage can hardly be distinguished. Only at the moment of the first flowering, at the end of 1890, was this confusion first recognized; the plant was then shown to the Meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society of the 9th December of this same year, and there obtained a First Class Certificate. A few days afterwards, it was put on sale at the rooms of Messrs. Protheroe and Morris, in London, and was acquired by Baron Schroeder, of The Dell, for the sum of 1968 francs.
C. Tracyanum is a very robust plant, bearing many linear-ligulate, acute, leaves keeled on their lower surfaces, and of 60 to 80 centimetres in length. The scape is one meter and more long, very robust, somewhat angled, producing from sixteen to twenty flowers, which can be up to 14 centimetres in diameter. Bracts are apprimées (can't translate this, GR), narrowly oval, very acute, 1 cm long. The sepals are largely oblong, acute, about of the same length, of a pale greenish yellow, marked with a great number of stripes and small spots, of a crimson colour, laid out in nine to eleven almost continuous longitudinal lines; the dorsal sepal is erect below, with the top part strongly incurved; the lateral sepals are very spread out. The petals are almost as spread out as the lateral sepals, acute, of the same color and about of the same length as the sepals usually bearing seven crimson stripes.
The lip is notably shorter than the petals, of a yellow cream, distinctly trilobed; side-lobes rather large, erect, oval-triangular, acute, toothed or sometimes almost crenulate on the edges, marked obliquely with rather numerous crimson lines; mid-lobe longer, largely oblong, obtuse, strongly reflexed, distinctly crisped and a little cut out along the margin, covered with small closely-spaced crimson spots; disc furnished, from the base to the lower part of the mid-lobe, with two longitudinal, fleshy and densely hairy keels. Column elongated, broad, slightly curved, wingless, greenish with small red spots. C. Tracyanum is close to C. grandiflorum Griff. (C. Hookerianum Rchb.f.), this remarkable variety being illustrated in this collection (vol. IX, pl. 389), and to which certain authors seem disposed to view as a geographical form. It indeed approaches this species in form and dimension of its flowers; but it differs considerably in colour, because in its typical form, C. grandiflorum has sepals and the petals entirely of a slightly yellowish green, the lip being marked with large crimson spots. The latter has as its fatherland Nepal and Sikkim; while C. Tracyanum probably originates in Burma, the country from which C. Lowianum comes, seeing that it was introduced with the latter. Other authors are rather inclined to regard it as a hybrid, perhaps between C. grandiflorum and C. giganteum, because it almost has the very special colouration of the latter, but with flowers much larger. This assumption is far from being established, seeing that it would require that it grows naturally in the company of these two species, which does not appear probable. In all cases, it is a plant of uncommon beauty, and its great scarcity in collections is regrettable.

• Cymbidium tracyanum has one of the longest pedicel/ovaries of any species in the genus, up to 75 mm. Although the rhachis is not very evident in the painting, one gets the sense that the pedicel/ovary is on the short side. Additionally, the flower of Cymbidium tracyanum is very upright; an examination of the column will show that it is virtually vertical. As a result of the column presentation, the pedicel/ovary also becomes vertical towards the point of attachment to the base of the flower. This plate does not exhibit flowers of that nature; the failure to represent these features has made the arrangement of the spike uncharacteristic.
  
• The dorsal sepal is more strongly keeled than usual and the characteristic "gutters" created by the revolute edges are not evident.
  
• The petals are broader than normal and not as falcate as one would expect. The normal Cymbidium tracyanum pattern on the petal consists of 7 longitudinal lines, the outer two being wider and coalescing with the next innermost lines. The central three lines tend to be unevenly pigmented or broken up into spots or small patches; or something between the two. There are nine lines on the petals of the flowers in this plate and the other characteristics mentioned are not exhibited.
  
• The lateral sepals are uncharacteristic in a similar manner to those of the petals, however the left lateral sepal of the top right-hand flower approaches that expected for Cymbidium tracyanum, although the lines are a bit too even.
  
• The lip is a big problem; the lateral lobes do not resemble those of Cymbidium tracyanum, or any other Cymbidium species for that matter. They are rounder than would be expected and they do not exhibit the acute front apex that is always seen in this species. As far as the marking on the side-lobes are concerned, they normally show through from the inside being more prominent along the top edge; but in the plate, they are not visible lower down, and it appears that there is a solid pigmented edge along the outside at the top, which is totally erroneous.
  
• The lip crests and indumentium are very indistinct, although their very nature makes it difficult to depict them in paintings. (See "Tracy's toothbrush" above.) The whole lip looks "broken down", the carriage being too low. The longitudinal stripes on the mid-lobe are uncharacteristic, the markings normally being in a more random pattern.
  
• The column in the plate appears to be only lightly pigmented on the ventral surface, whereas Cymbidium tracyanum has rows of deep red-brown dashes prominently displayed here. The patch of colour above the anther cap is also not typical, in most Cymbidium tracyanum flowers, there is a thin line of deep colour, which widens abruptly to make a small flare of pigment at the centre.
  

I grew Zaleskianum in New Zealand. It was basically a small grandiflorum. It has become much more common now because it is being collected in some area of China. I have seen it in Japan at the Tokyo Dome Show but always in the Toyoran classes (native orchids).

Yes, this is the flower I knew, providing the size is reduced about 35% from normal grandiflorum. I am sure the hybrid is natural and I think the Toyoran judging requirements allow only species and natural hybrids.