Cym. (Rosefieldense X erythrostylum 'Royale')

[MrCym]

With growth like that, it's not an aneuploid. I bet Jody would know what ploidy Cym. erythrostylum 'Royale' is. Tasmania is a funny state....... my good friend John Woodward was our agent there for yonks. He and his wife Bev were super people, John loved a great variety of Cyms and he had a delightfully quirky sense of humor. I went there for an AOC event once, had a great time. After all, it is the state closest to NZ!!

[MrCym]

Well I had a look at their Cyms and I was NOT impressed. All that bogus Chinese crap....... Can't spell Kusuda, peddling something listed as Korean Girl Taboo 'Black Imp' which is obviously a Taboo 'Black Imp' crossing to some U G "Korean Girl". People like this are in my opinion, pimples on the backside of the legitimate Cym world. Pirated clones don't get any respect from me! Sorry if this offends anyone but I hate these unscrupulous peddlers.

[Australis]

I agree - it has grown too well to be an aneuploid. I'll send Jody a message to confirm.

Tassie is the closest state to NZ, although if you're measuring to Auckland then Victoria is closer! That said, Mebourne to Auckland is slightly further than Hobart to Auckland. Tasmania is certainly a bit different, though, being separated from mainland Australia.

Regarding Ocean View Orchids, which ones were pirated clones? They looked like either seedlings or low-quality Asian mericlones (albeit with trade names) to me. Kusuda could just be a typo (Australia is rife with typos and misspellings and I think most operations just don't check if their supplier has spelt it correctly).

[MrCym]

Why don't we start with the premise that it is unethical to sell Trade Name or bogus named Cyms to hobbyists!!!

Golden Beauty, there is a legitimate Standard Cym registered with this name. Plant pictured is clearly an intermediate.

Kusuda Fantasy, pirated from a 2001 Mukoyama clone.

Mystique was a Dorset Orchids' hybrid from the 1960's (pre-Keith Andrew) and has been peddled under a number of bogus varietal names for over a half-Century!

Sakura, Shiba Gege, Ziyanshi, all bogus Trade Names.

Yi Ying 'Golden Dragon', total fraud. There is a Golden Dragon, registered legitimately in 2017. It's a standard and certainly the hybridizer lives in CA.

I would go out of my way to blackball vendors like this!!

[MrCym]

Do you get the idea that I'm pissed off tonight??? Well, it rained again today for about the 70th day in succession! This is supposed to be our "dry season" and we keep getting the backwash from the damn Atlantic hurricane systems.

[Australis]

Yes, I had noticed! Sorry to hear about the weather.

I agree with your initial premise. Based on your comments, I can also see the issue with Golden Beauty and Kusuda Fantasy.

Given Yi-Ying Orchids exists, I had assumed Mystique 'Yi-Ying Princess' was simply their remake of it. Obviously there's the possibility you raised that it is just a recloned old cultivar.

Yi-Ying Golden Dragon is not a fraud, actually. Cym. Yi-Ying Golden Dragon (like Yi-Ying Red Gem) is a registered hybrid:
https://apps.rhs.org.uk/horticulturalda ... ?ID=940941

Unfortunately in Australia people often seem to think the 'Golden Dragon' or 'Red Gem' bit is the clonal name, rather than part of the grex.

As per most Australian sellers, I just tell people to be careful about what they're buying. I have no issues buying seedlings from Ocean View when I know they originate with Royale or Pakkret.

By the way, Jody got back to me very quickly - erythrostylum 'Royale' is indeed 2N, so my plant is 2N.

[Gary S]

Andy, you mention John and Bev Woodward in Tassie, they ran Troweena Orchids at Margate for many years back in the good old days. I remember calling into see them on my first trip to Tassie many years ago and bought some very healthy Cym devonianum seedlings amongst some other things. I seem to remember everything they had looked very healthy.

I believe John passed away some years ago and I think Bev is still with us although the nursery closed years ago.

[MrCym]

Yes, gentle John had a rough time with stomach cancer. He really was a good person, scrupulously honest with a clever sense of humor. Then there were Otto and Gwen, a hilarious couple who had both led amazing lives. Tasmania seems populated by special people.

[Gary S]

You are correct in what you say about the people in Tassie. We were toying with the idea of moving down there about 10 years ago - although housing was quite cheap at the time, the bug bear was their quarantine rules. When I looked at what was involved in getting orchids legally into the place it was going to cost a fortune and take heaps of time and labor, so we never made it there. We go back there for a holiday every 2 years but at the moment we can't even get there with their border closed effectively due to Covid.

A great place to live and on the north coast a great place to grow Cyms and especially Odont's.

[MrCym]

One aspect of the pictured flower which is noteworthy for me....... the relatively greater vertical size relative to the horizontal. That was why I asked about the erythrostylum ploidy. Two species, Cym. grandiflorum and Cym. tracyanum, both much wider than taller being dominated by the Cym. erythrostylum.