How many varieties of orchids are there? How to distinguish Hanlan, Jianlan, Molan from their leaves?

Orchids can be seen everywhere on the roadside. The most common ones are those with white and slender petals, but in fact, this is only one type of orchid. Orchids are a large family, and according to biology, there are many species in them. So how many varieties of orchids are there? How to distinguish the three orchids, Hanlan, Jianlan, and Molan, on the leaves?

How many varieties of orchids are there?

In traditional culture, orchids generally refer to Chinese orchids, which are terrestrial orchids. However, orchids are a large family in botany, with a total of 700 genera and 20,000 species. my country has 171 genera and 1,247 species, as well as many subspecies, variants and transformations. They are divided into three categories: terrestrial orchids, saprophytic orchids and epiphytic orchids. Common Chinese orchid varieties include Chunlan, Huilan, Jianlan, Hanlan, Molan, Chunjian, Lianbanlan, etc.

To distinguish orchids, we mainly identify them by the shape and number of flowers, and then by leaves, pseudobulbs, rhizomes, flowering period, etc. The biggest difference is that Chunlan has one flower or two flowers per stalk, Huilan has one stalk and multiple flowers (more than 5 flowers), Jianlan has one stalk and 3-5 flowers; Chunjian has one stalk and 2-4 flowers; Molan has more than 10 flowers, and Lianbanlan has 2-4 flowers. Of course, this is not absolute.

How to distinguish Hanlan, Jianlan and Molan from their leaves

Cold orchid and black orchid are somewhat similar, but if you look closely, you will find obvious differences. The veins of cold orchid are more transparent than those of black orchid. The veins of cold orchid are more prominent on the back of the leaf, while the veins of black orchid are opaque and light green. The leaf bead of cold orchid is relatively tight and not forked. The shape of the leaves is mostly upright, with a pointed tip, a relatively rough leaf surface, and a very thin petiole and a relatively high leaf foot.

The leaves of Jianlan are larger and wider, very similar to those of Chunlan, but if you observe carefully, you will find that the serrations of Jianlan's leaves are not as obvious as those of Chunlan, and Jianlan's leaves are also much fewer than Chunlan's. The leaves are flat and shiny, with blunt tips, bright yellow and shiny, and a good waxy texture; the midrib bulges toward the back; the rhizome is smaller and oval.

The most obvious difference of Molan is that its petals are generally dark in color, and one flower stem can produce many flowers. The leaves are very smooth, with very sharp tips. The leaves are large, thick and relatively wide, showing a "sword" shape, and the leaves are bright green and shiny.

There are several varieties of Chinese orchids

There are five major categories of Chinese orchids: Chunlan, Huilan, Jianlan, Hanlan and Molan. To distinguish these varieties, you just need to look at the leaf shape, the flower buds and the quality of the blooms.

Chunlan

The roots are fleshy and white. The leaves of Chunlan are hard and rough with obvious serrations on the edges. The plant is small, the leaves are thin and narrow, the height of the leaves is about 6 to 25 cm, and they are slightly curved and drooping. Chunlan has one flower per arrow, and occasionally there are two flowers. The flowering period is from February to March every year.

The famous varieties of Huajian Chunlan include: Luyun, Dafugui, Zhang Hesu, Songmei, Chunyipin, Longzi, Wangzi and so on.

Whelan

The flowers are light yellow, the lip is green and white with red and purple spots. There are 5 to 7 leaves on each seedling, the length of the leaves is about 70 to 90 cm, and some can even reach a height of about 1 meter; the leaves are relatively narrow, and they bloom from March to May each year; the flower arrows are about 30 to 70 cm high, and each flower arrow has 7 to 13 flower buds.

Its famous varieties include Chengmei, Guanding, Dayipin, Wenzhousu, etc.

Cymbidium

Also known as "Autumn Orchid" and "Four Seasons Orchid", it is the first choice for beginners. The flowers are green to light green with dark purple textures. The overall plant shape of Jianlan is medium-short, with thick and forked roots; Jianlan blooms in autumn or multiple times in the four seasons, and each flower arrow can bloom more than 3 flowers; with proper maintenance, it can bloom multiple times a year.

The famous varieties of Jianlan include: Longyan Su, Renhua Bai, Baodao Fairy, Jinsi Mawei, Yinbian Dagong, etc.

Cold orchid

The flowering period of cold orchid is from October to December. The flower arrows of cold orchid shoot up very high, the flower buds are arranged in an orderly and sparse manner, and the flower colors are diverse. Because cold orchid grows together with other varieties of orchids, through honey pollination and hybridization, there will be varieties of cold orchid that bloom in summer, so people also call it "summer cold orchid".

Black orchid

The flowering period of Molan is around the Spring Festival every year, so it is also called "Announcement of the New Year Orchid". One arrow has several to dozens of flowers, and the flower color is darker. The pseudobulb of Molan is oval, and the root of Molan is long and strong. The petals are mostly purple-brown stripes, and one arrow can have several or more than a dozen flowers. The most obvious difference of Molan is that under normal circumstances, its petals are dark in color, and the color is relatively dark. It can have many flowers on one flower stem. Famous varieties include: Qimo, Damo, Datun Qilin, etc.