Illustrated Investigation of the Names and Realities of Plants

Red Orchid

The Gazetteer of Shaoyang County original: Shaoyang Xianzhi. A gazetteer is a local administrative record of the history, geography, and notable products of a specific county. states that the Red Orchid grows deep within valleys. Whenever there is a wildfire, the leaves are entirely consumed, yet the flowers alone bloom afterward. Thus, the local people commonly call it the "Fire-burned Orchid." original: Huoshaolan. Today, this name is often associated with species like Epipactis helleborine or orchids that colonize disturbed soils. The flowers are slightly ochre-colored, the petals have red veins, and the center is marked with red spots. However, its fragrance is faint and does not last.

Author’s Note: Red Orchids are found throughout the mountains of Changsha. Their leaves are thick, sturdy, wide, and glossy, differing from those of the Spring Orchid. original: Chunlan (Cymbidium goeringii), one of the most classic orchids in Chinese culture. The flowers they produce are also small and lack any scent.

Upon investigating the Random Notes on Western Guangdong original: Yuexi Ouji., it is recorded that in Quanzhou, there is a "Red Orchid Pavilion." To the left, right, front, and back of the pavilion stand thousands of great pine trees. Two of these pines are twice the height of the others, and upon them grow Red Orchids in a parasitic fashion The author uses "parasitic" (jisheng) to describe what we now call epiphytic orchids—plants that grow on other plants for support rather than nutrients.. Their leaves resemble those of the Jian Orchid original: Jianlan (Cymbidium ensifolium), a highly prized variety from Fujian., and when the flowers bloom, they are red, and their fragrance can be smelled for miles. There are stories of people climbing the trees to take cuttings only to be struck dead by lightning; such claims border on the absurd. Although I do not know the true nature of their color and fragrance, since this "Red Orchid" variety exists, it is not comparable to the Udumbara flower. original: Tanhua. This refers to a legendary flower that blooms rarely, often used as a metaphor for the ephemeral or the miraculous. Ancient trees are often treated as shrines for local deities; the customs of the Guangdong region are inclined toward the supernatural, and stories like this are quite common.

Furthermore, the Notes on the Southern Yue Region original: Nanyue Biji. mentions a Vermilion Orchid original: Zhulan. whose leaves are like those of a lily, only one or two fen wide and six or seven cun long... original: fen and cun are traditional units of measurement roughly equivalent to a tenth of an inch and a full inch, respectively.