An extraordinarily beautiful orchid flower from Cymbidium banaense, an eburneum-like Cymbidium, found in southern Vietnam and named for the area (Bana) near where it grows. This orchid was honored by having its portrait displayed at the juried Filoli Art Exhibition in January 2019.
The Cymbidium eburneum complex has considerable diversity amongst its members, and raises many questions regarding the species status of included varieties. I purchased this orchid from a CITES-approved export from Vietnam, and the well-regarded nursery labeled it as Cymbidium banaense. That’s as far as I will journey into the taxonomic status of this orchid. Regardless of its nomenclature, this Cymbidium banaense is a magnificent orchid to have the opportunity to photograph.
We grow this species outdoors in the shadehouse from April-November, with lower (2500-3000 fc) light than other Cymbidium. With our other lower elevation and temperature sensitive Cymbidium species, it spends the winter in our LED grow light cool room (minimum 50F/10C nights).
Interested in more unique and beautiful orchid images?
My vision to create orchid portraits emerged from my appreciation for the “whole orchid.” So many photographs of orchids focus only on the flower. But orchids are not flowers: they are entire plants and living beings. Connect more deeply with the many dimensions of orchids …
