Japanese Archival Note Card, Calanthe Sedeni Var. Rosea by Ikeda Zuigetsu: Ranka-Fu Orchid Series

A long stalk of coral-pink blossoms arches over a pale green bulb.

This archival note card of the orchid Calanthe Sedeni var. Rosea from the Ranka-Fu orchid series is from Japan. Orchid portraits of this kind belong to a long tradition of botanical illustration, in which growers and artists recorded named hybrids and varieties by their flowers. A slender arching stem carries many small pink-red flowers across the upper half of a horizontal print. A grey-green swollen stem rises at the base. The ground is a smoky green with a thin cream border. It is 5 inches long and 7 high.

A graceful arc, and a rather modest bulb underneath.