What is the oldest orchid?
In the Orchid Kingdom, there are two bright pearls that always touch the heartstrings of the horticulture world. One carries the code of thousand-year-old Chinese civilization, and the other writes the wealth myth of the modern flower market. Let us push aside the clouds of history and explore the extraordinary life experiences of these two legendary orchids. The living plant fossils of Yusumei are recorded in the palace secret records during the Kangxi Period. In the archives of the Qing Dynasty Manufacturing Office, Yusumei first appeared in the tribute list of Tianlu Pavilion. Its leaves are like emerald sword blades. The 30-cm long leaf body is only 1 cm wide. Under the sun, it will reflect a unique metallic luster. The unique low gene of the plant made it the first choice for ancient literati to make a desk offering. The purple-red buds held by the 6-centimeter foil are just like the dancing cinnabar ink beside the inkstone. Modern DNA sequencing from the living cultural gene bank shows that there are 13 sets of special markers on the chromosome of Yusumei, which is highly consistent with the orchid morphology in Dunhuang murals. The carmine content in its buds is 7 times that of ordinary orchids. This natural pigment is being used in the research and development of high-end cosmetics. There are three female parents in the Yangxin Hall of the Forbidden City, and only 2-3 new buds germinate every year, making it a key object for the protection of living cultural relics. The driving force behind the sky-high price transaction of the mobile gold vein of petalian orchid At the 2019 Xiamen Orchid Exhibition, a petalian orchid named "Jinluyi" was sold for 2.28 million yuan, and its petals showed a rare two-color gradient effect. The professional evaluation report pointed out that for every 1 cm of flower diameter added, the market valuation will increase by 15%; for every additional layer of petal, the premium will reach 30%. This geometric growth model makes it a special target in the capital market. The upstart modern tissue culture technology empowered by science and technology has allowed lotus orchid out of the laboratory, but the top quality still needs to be cultivated naturally. The carotenoid synthesis path of its flowers has five more regulatory nodes than ordinary orchids, making it possible to regulate color through light. A biological company in Shenzhen has developed an intelligent spectral control system that can control the color rendering accuracy of flowers to the nanometer level.
When we stare at the vicissitudes of the roots of jade plum trees, what we touch is the thousand-year pulse of Chinese civilization; when we marvel at the technological value of petalian orchid, we witness a new era of plant economy. These two orchids are continuing the eternal dialogue between nature and humanity in different postures.