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''Coelogyne cristata'' is an
epiphytic An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...
orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...
that comes from cool, moist areas of the eastern
Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...
and
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
. It blooms every spring, before the snow begins to melt. Its genus name ''Coelogyne'' originates from two
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
words, ("hollow") and ("woman"), because of the orchid's concave stigma. ''Cristata'' takes its species name from , the
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
word for "comb", because of the look of the flower's lip.


Nicknames

Although it is better known by its botanical name, ''Coelogyne cristata'' does have nicknames around the world. In
Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
and
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, it is known as the "Snow Queen" because it keeps blooming in the melting snow. It is called ''Schneekönigin'' in Germany, ''Snödrottningorkidé'' in Sweden, ''Snødronning'' in Norway, and ''Lumikuningatar'' in Finland. But the
Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
ns prefer "Angel Orchid" (Ангелската орхидея) because its color reminds them of the clothes of the angel. The
Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
and the
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
are less poetic. For the
Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
, it was ''bei mu lan'' (北蘭) – "Orchid of the North Woods". The Japanese simply call it ''aruba ran'' (アルバ蘭) – "Alba Orchid" (from the Latin word for "white", ''alba'') but they do sometimes know it as the Eastern Himalayan orchid. Its botanical name, ''coelogyne cristata'', is pronounced in Japan as "''serojine kirisutata''" (セロジネ キリス). This is probably the orchid that gave a town near
Darjeeling Darjeeling (, , ) is a city in the northernmost region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the Koshi Pr ...
in the Indian Himalayas,
Kurseong Kurseong (, ) is a town and a municipality in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Kurseong subdivision. Located at an altitude of , Kurseong is from Darjeeling and has a pleasant climate throu ...
, its name. Kurseong was named by its first settlers centuries ago as खरसाङ or ''Kharsang'', the Lepcha word for "The Land of the White Orchids".


Description

''Coelogyne cristata'' has many short stems, which holds the fragrance inside the flower. The
petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...
s are up to in diameter and snow white with a yellow spot on the lip. This orchid blooms in the late winter, when the snow begins to melt. Its leaves are deep green and narrow, between long. Bulbs are the size of walnuts.


Cultivation and care

In pots, the ''Coelogyne cristata'' orchids require a lot of light, but not direct sunlight. They should be kept cooler than room temperature, between during the day and at night. In the summer, it is permissible to leave them outdoors in partial shade. But, if the temperature is too high, they will not bloom. During the growing season, they should have plenty of water because they require high humidity. Shower them with lime- and sodium-poor water. After the orchids bloom, gradually reduce the watering until November, when the resting period begins. Stop it when the resting period begins. ''Coelogyne cristata'' should not have any more liquid nourishment. Because it is an epiphyte, it can be managed with very little nutrition. After the resting period, when ''Coelogyne cristata'' starts to grow again in the spring, it can be replanted in porous and fibrous material, such as
pine bark A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...
,
charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, ca ...
pieces and even a little
sphagnum ''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store water, since ...
, which are all known to be favorable to the orchids. But it should not be planted until the pot is filled with roots.
Propagation Propagation can refer to: *Chain propagation in a chemical reaction mechanism *Crack propagation, the growth of a crack during the fracture of materials *Propaganda, non-objective information used to further an agenda *Reproduction, and other forms ...
is by division but it can be difficult to manage. In cultivation in the UK, this plant has gained the
Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...
's
Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...
.


Chemistry

''C. cristata'' contains the
phenanthrenes Phenanthrenoids are chemical compounds formed with a phenanthrene backbone. These compounds occur naturally in plants, although they can also be synthesized. Phenanthrols Phenanthrols are any of five isomeric phenols derived from phenanthrene (1 ...
coeloginanthridin (3,5,7-trihydroxy-1,2-dimethoxy-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene), a 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene derivative, and coeloginanthrin, the corresponding phenanthrene analogue,
coelogin Coelogin is a phenanthrenoid found in the high altitude Himalayan orchid ''Coelogyne cristata ''Coelogyne cristata'' is an epiphytic orchid that comes from cool, moist areas of the eastern Himalayas and Vietnam. It blooms every spring, before t ...
and coeloginin.Phenanthrene derivatives from the orchid Coelogyne cristata. Majumder PL1, Sen S and Majumder S, Phytochemistry, October 2001, volume 58, issue 4, pages 581-586,


References


External links

* Charles and Margaret Baker
"Cool-Growing ''Coelogyne'' Culture"
Retrieved 2 February 2013 {{DEFAULTSORT:Coelogyne Cristata cristata Orchids of India Orchids of Vietnam Epiphytic orchids Plants described in 1821