A worthless Cymbidium species....

[MrCym]

I keep thinking about starting the ball rolling on this topic and tonight's the night! Let's briefly contemplate Cym. nanulum. It doesn't appear to have been around long but that's probably because it is so insignificant! It had a couple of registered hybrids which went absolutely nowhere and should it become extinct, I suspect nary a tear will be shed.

I've started the ball rolling, how about someone else sharing their least favorite Cym species?

[Thomas]

A cymbidium species that I grew for quite a few years was Cym. suavissimum. The flower did absolutely nothing for me and didn’t seem to last very long. I believe that it didn’t really produce much in the way of hybrids. I finally gave all the plants that I had of it to the local orchid society. I figured somebody else might enjoy it, but it certainly wasn’t me

[Australis]

I am hesitant to describe any Cym species as worthless (especially those that I have no experience with and thus have not been able to evaluate myself). I also don't have the commercial perspective nor do I grow for the showbench, so am more free to experiment with species that offer little either of those goals.

So out of the species that I have had experience with, floribundum would probably be my least favourite, primarily because (1) I don't like how it influences the bloom shape (particularly the labellum) in its immediate progeny (and the degree to which it dominates over several generations) and (2) it and its first-gen hybrids tend to produce a lot of bulbs before they start to bloom under my conditions (even when given full sun most of the year). They've never been quite as floriferous as I would have liked.

[MrCym]

Well, I have no idea whether this is an attempt at a wind-up but to knock Cym. pumilum in either its alba (not genetic alba) or regular forms is foolhardy. There are only four major players in the miniature Cymbidium types and they are Cym. pumilum, Cym. sinense, Cym. ensifolium and Cym. devonianum. Now I had access to the Dos Pueblos green forms and through the generosity of the great Henry Tanaka, his regular form but they have proved invaluable to me. Plus they grew and flowered profusely. End of comment.

[MrCym]

Thomas, you hit on my #2 worthless Cym! It seemed to be an more floriferous Cym. pumilum and blooming at a different season. Bigger habit but not coarse. I was so excited to have it and made the crossing of it with Peter Pan 'Greensleeves' 4n. The first one bloomed, it was OK so I rushed in a registration for it to the RHS. Mem. Emma Menninger no less, as the grex name. The second one finally bloomed, it was awful and then...... no more bloomed. EVER! After two years I tossed maybe 60 plants that filled gallon pots. I see that Western fellow is still muddling around with it, does the term masochist have any link here???

[Australis]

Not a wind-up, nor am I unaware of the obvious advantages that floribundum brings.

You asked which species was the least favourite; that is my answer, keeping in mind that I limited it to the species I have direct experience with. I do not have experience with suavissimum or many of the Jensoa section species, so take it as not having had experience with the species you dislike.