Japanese Archival Note Card, Cattleya Mendelii by Ikeda Zuigetsu: Ranka-Fu Orchid Series

Two white blooms with purple lips lean over leaves against a mint ground.

This archival note card of the orchid Cattleya Mendelii from the Ranka-Fu orchid series is from Japan. Ikeda Zuigetsu lived from 1877 to 1944, and the Ranka-Fu series is an orchid series from Japan, where orchid cultivation had a long history before the twentieth century. A pair of large white flowers with crimped petals and deep purple lips stand above grey-green leaves. The ground shifts from soft aqua at top to pale yellow at the base, with slender pale stems below. It is 5 inches long and 7 high.

Cool colors, warm manners, and a pair of showy lips.