My first ever orchid (in 1974) was a Cymbidium and I have a real soft spot for the genus since seeing so many wonderful cymbidium species in their forest homes. This stunning deep red flowered Cymbidium is native to lowland forests in the state of Sabah (on Borneo). Cymbidium angustifolium is generally considered a synonym of Cymbidium dayanum which more usually red and white (see our more standard plant flowering  below)

Cymbidium dayanum has a very large range from Sikkim in the Himalayas through China, South East Asia, the Philippines and Borneo and so it would be a surprise if it was not a variable species. However to our eye Cymbidium angustifolium is rather significantly different from the Cymbidium dayanums that we have seen with much smaller and thinner leaves, smaller flowers, and a differently shaped lip, as well as the obvious colour difference.

Whether the plant is an extreme variant within the range of Cymbidium dayanum or a separate species doesn’t matter too much as both types are very beautiful, but we chose to keep our Cym. angustifolium separate and will produce seed from a selfing, avoiding crossing with the more typical striped form and losing the distinct features.

Our striped Cymbidium dayanum will be flowering again soon and so we can do a close comparison between flowers and plants when that happens.