Hi all,

I couldn't find a thread on noids and the previous Cymbidium thread (The thread "Cymbidiums - Impressive Orchids for the House and Garden" in Orchids forum) hasn't been touched in 5+ years, so I thought it might be a good idea to start a new thread for NOID Cymbidiums (as I have been given a few and I'm sure others have NOIDs that it may be possible to identify) (mods - please let me know if you'd prefer something else).

The first one to bloom is this one I just received from my grandmother (apologies for the snail damage - she's had a lot of issues with snails this year - only one bloom was unaffected):



According to my grandmother, it is over 40 years old, so I doubt it can be identified. However, it never hurts to ask - hopefully somebody is familiar with it!

I will hopefully have another two to post in a few weeks when a few more (from the other side of the family) bloom (not to mention the large number that my mother-in-law has that she'd like to try getting IDs for).

Kind Regards,
Joshua.

Hi Joshua!
Welcome to our happy group!
I wish I could help you ID your gorgeous flower, but maybe one of our other members can..
Failing that, there is another community that a few of us belong to...Its on FaceBook and is
called 'The Crazy Orchid Lady'. One of her members lives in Australia and grows an ASTOUNDING
number of Cymbidium. If you are not a Facebook member I can try and copy your photo and post
it there for you?

Hi Lindsey,

Thanks for the welcome! I've briefly looked in from time to time but now that I've been given a few cymbidiums I guess I'll be here a bit more. I'm usually over on the Lilium forum.

I'm afraid I don't have Facebook (I'm a bit wary of all those social media sites), so if you're able to share that, that would be much appreciated, thanks!

Hi, Joshua
If this were me, I would comb through this tremendous list of Cymbidiums at the Santa Barbara Orchid website.
http://www.sborchid.com/master...

Btw, as Lindsey mentions this group, the 'Crazy Orchid Lady' is a so called "closed group" on Fb. Which means nobody else can see what you post there, only those who are part of the group.

And I just heard back that he did not recognize your flower...so sorry.

Hi @Ursula,

Thanks for the suggestion. I had a look there and unfortunately can't find a match for my grandmother's orchid. There are a few that are similar, but nothing that is the same.

@sugarcane - Thanks for checking for me, Lindsey.

Hopefully somebody else might recognise it, but as I said initially, I doubt it can be identified.

Well, given the lack of replies, I'm guessing my grandmother's white cymbidium will remain unidentified.

The first of my mother-in-law's is blooming - does anyone recognise this one? I have no idea of its history and I can't find a match on the SBOE website.



Thanks.

G'day Josh,aren't you lucky? I think your first image posted is Cymbidium Alexanderi 'Westonbirt'.

If so, it is considered by most that this is the most famous of all cymbidiums as a foundation for modern cultivars.It is the first chance tetraploid and is about 100 years old now.The crossing is known as cym. Alexanderi and this is a selection.The parents are Cym. Eburneo-lowianum ‘Concolour’ with Cymbidium insigne ‘Sanderae’.

Of course I could be wrong!!

Hi Paul,

Thanks for the suggestion - I've just looked this one up. I can't be sure from the photos a quick online returns that it is the same one, but it definitely looks similar! If it weren't for the comment at http://orchids.wikia.com/wiki/... that only two of the original cross are thought to survive, I'd have guessed that it might be a sibling, as I assume mine would be too old to be "remake".

That said... this blog entry I just found (http://cmausteller.blogspot.co...) suggests that it would have been in Australia when my grandmother obtained it (I'll have to ask her if she remembers where and how). I'll try contacting the blog author to see if he thinks my grandmother's orchid resembles his.

Kind Regards,
Joshua.

Not ignoring you, Joshua but don't forget it is approaching fall here and we haven't seen our Cyms for 6 months. I have to hide mine in the shade (aka jungle) of my back yard in the summertime to avoid sun burn.

I have a few but none that look like your pretty NOIDs.

Thanks Elaine. I hadn't thought of the seasonal difference. Perhaps I'll get more replies in a few months?

I'll keep uploading photos of the NOIDs I and my family have as they bloom. Hopefully they will be recognised, or forum members will be willing to go through this thread in their flower season.

Now there is Andy Easton, who does considerable Cymbidium hybridizing and is one of the most knowledgeable person when it comes to Cymbidiums. He hangs out as MrCym at the
http://forum.theorchidsource.c...
(where he is usually ranting against the AOS ) and I think he reads along the AOS group on Fb. I know he is one of their members.
I should mention that that forum is nowadays pretty dead, most of its former members hang out at the AOS group on Fb.
Whenever I interfaced with MrCym, I found him to be very helpful and courteous.

We start seeing them at orchid shows in January and February but mine never usually put up any flower spikes until March. This also depends upon how chilly we get during the winter months. If they don't get enough chill, they don't bloom at all for me. I even have a "heat tolerant" one that was in bloom when I got it 3 years ago, but has not bloomed since.

Your grandmother's white cymbidium is really lovely. It probably has many "children" by now. Please keep showing us your pretty flowers even though we're not being much help to your ID quest.

Melbourne is a wonderful city - I was there for 2 weeks in 1999 sailing in a big Laser regatta. Those pastry shops on Acland Street appear in my dreams still.

Thanks, @Ursula. I'll post over on that forum as well and see if I get any responses.

@dyzzypyxxy - Thanks Elaine. I think my grandmother's white cymbidium has been divided many times by now (she has three more larger pots of it at her little unit and I think her siblings and my mother also received divisions of it).

Well, MrCym has suggested likely IDs for the two NOIDs I've posted so far - an Alexanderi selection (possibly 'Sixty') and he's almost certain that the green one is Amesbury, possibly 'Frank Slattery'.

I did not mention Paul's suggestion of Alexanderi 'Westonbirt', so I'm taking this as a good sign that two people have independently suggested the same cross.

A big
I am glad MrCym came through for you!!

Thank you Australis!

everyone loves a good mystery...but we love happy endings even more!
Congratulations on getting your ID!

Thanks @sugarcane. Two down, quite a few more to go... (once they open).

Well, the next one has bloomed. Actually, a few more of my mother-in-law's plants have, as well as one of mine (that I received from her). I suspect they are all the same clone.

My NOID (varying lighting conditions):


My mother-in-law's NOIDs:


The two plants out in the sun seem to have more upright spikes, where as the two under cover (mine and one of hers) have cascaded a lot more (that said, the bulbs on mine are at a severe angle to begin with as a result of the way they grew... hence the spike almost starts horizontal; going to repot it after flowering to remedy the situation).

Also going to post this to the Orchid Source and see what MrCym thinks.

Would love to hear your feedback and possible thoughts on an ID.