Cymbidium (genus, "Shinbijiumu")

Japanese name: シンビジウム
Scientific name: Cymbidium

[Overview]
A large evergreen perennial orchid, with about 60 species known in the wild, centered on Asia.
The pseudobulbs are spindle-shaped or oval.
The roots are thick and cord-like.
The leaves are alternate, long and narrow, linear and leathery, and stand upright or arch.
The inflorescence is often pendent in epiphytic species, ascending or curved in semi-epiphytic and semi-terrestrial species, and upright in terrestrial species.
Each flower stalk bears 5–20 flowers.
The flowers are large and showy, because the sepals and lateral petals are nearly identical in shape and color.
The lip is 3-lobed with a broad middle lobe, and has a characteristic pattern depending on the type.
There are a great many hybrids, and it is an important group among the orchid family grown as potted plants.

[Cultivation]
It is generally grown in unglazed earthenware pots, planted in sphagnum moss or in bark mixed with pumice.
A minimum winter temperature of 10°C is desirable.

[Notes]
The abbreviation of the genus name is "Cym."
In the orchid family, which has many intergeneric hybrids, abbreviations of the main genus names are sometimes fixed to simplify hybrid formulas and prevent confusion.

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