The Naming of Orchids
The orchid family is divided into genera (singular “genus”) and the first part of the orchid’s name, written in italics, is that of the genus, for example Cymbidium.
There are naturally occurring genera such as Ocontoglossum and Cymbidium, and artificial genera that can be a combination of two or more, for example:
Odontoglossum x Cochlioda = Odontioda Cattleya x Laelia = Laeliocattleya.
The name following the genus is that of the grex (all siblings of the same seed cross), which may be species or hybrid. If a species, it is written in italics, for example: Cymbidium lowianum; if a hybrid it is written in roman type, as in Cymbidium Cherry Blossom.
The third name can belong to the individual clone or plant, and not to all plants from the same species or hybrid, in which case it appears in single quotation marks, for example Dendrobium Stardust ‘Chyomi,’ or it may be a botanically recognized variety as in Cymbidium lowianum var. concolor.
Seed-raised plants of the same grex can vary in color because seedlings from one cross will all be individual; hence they also have a third, varietal, name to distinguish them, for example: Cymbidium Cherry Blossom ‘Perfection.’ Mass-produced plants will all be identical, as in Vuylstekeara Cambria ‘Plush.’
June 4, 2007
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