Japanese Archival Note Card, Cattleya Mendelli Var. Gloria Mundi by Ikeda Zuigetsu: Ranka-Fu Orchid Series

Pale lilac blooms with orange throats crowd against an olive-gold ground.

This archival note card of the orchid Cattleya Mendelli var. Gloria Mundi 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. Several soft pink flowers with fringed lips tinted orange and yellow cluster at the top, and long narrow leaves arch below. The ground is a greenish gold fading to cream, with a delicate rootstock at the lower center. It is 5 inches long and 7 high.

Sweetly colored, and a bit crowded in the best way.