Cymbidium ,Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607 commonly known as boat orchids, is a genus of evergreen flowering plants in the orchid family Orchidaceae. Orchids in this genus are epiphytic, lithophytic, terrestrial or rarely leafless saprophytic herbs usually with pseudobulbs. There are usually between three and twelve leaves arranged in two ranks on each pseudobulb or shoot and lasting for several years. From one to a large number of flowers are arranged on an unbranched flowering stem arising from the base of the pseudobulb. The sepals and petals are all free from and similar to each other. The labellum is significantly different from the other petals and the sepals and has three lobes. There are about fifty-five species and sixteen further natural hybrids occurring in the wild from tropical and subtropical Asia to Australia. Cymbidiums are well known in horticulture and many cultivars have been developed. The genome of Cymbidium mannii has been sequenced to study epiphytism and crassulacean acid metabolism.
Description Plants in the genus Cymbidium are epiphytic, lithophytic or terrestrial plants, or rarely leafless saprophytes. All are sympodial evergreen herbs. Some species have thin stems but in most species the stems are modified as pseudobulbs. When present, there are from three to twelve leaves arrange in two ranks and last for several years. The leaf bases remain after the leaf has withered, forming a sheath around the pseudobulb. The flowers are arranged on an unbranched flowering stem which arises from the base of the pseudobulb or rarely from a leaf axil. The sepals and petals are usually thin and fleshy, free from, and more or less similar to each other. The labellum (as in other orchids, a highly modified third petal) is significantly different from the other petals and sepals. It is sometimes hinged to the column, or otherwise fused to it. The labellum has three lobes, the side lobes erect, sometimes surrounding the column and the middle lobe often curving downwards. After pollination a glabrous capsule containing many light coloured seeds is produced.
Taxonomy and naming The genus Cymbidium was first formally described in 1799 by Olof Swartz who published the description in Nova acta Regiae Societatis Scientiarum Upsaliensis. The genus name Cymbidium means 'little boat-shape', referring to the labellum.
In 1848 Blume raised the genus Cyperorchis in Fedde's Repertorium Specierum Novarum Regni Vegetabilis and moved 19 species and 26 hybrids previously included in Cymbidium to the new genus. In 1984 Christopher Seth and Phillip Cribb divided the genus into three subgenera Cyperorchis, Jensoa, and Cymbidium and each subgenus into sections. In 1988, Dupuy and Cribb modified the sections. The three subgenera were confirmed by molecular phylogeny, however the sections did not show monophyly.
Species The following is a list of Cymbidium species accepted by Plants of the World Online as of April 2026 separated into subgenera:
Subgenus Cymbidium Plants in this subgenus have two pollinia, each deeply cleft with callus ridges
Section Image Name Distribution Elevation (m) Section Cymbidium Cymbidium aloifolium (L.) Sw. 1799 Guangdong, Hong Kong, China; Bangladesh; eastern Himalayas; Assam. India and Andaman Islands; Nepal; Sri Lanka; Myanmar; Thailand; Laos; Cambodia; Vietnam; Malaysia; Java and Sumatra Cymbidium atropurpureum (Lindl.) Rolfe 1903 Thailand, Central Malaysia, Vietnam, Borneo, Sumatra and the Philippines Cymbidium bicolor Lindl. 1833 Southern China, Vietnam, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, Sulawesi, Java, Sumatra and the Philippines Cymbidium crassifolium Herb. 1838 Assam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China South-Central, China Southeast, East Himalaya, Hainan, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam Cymbidium finlaysonianum Wall. ex Lindl. 1833 Indo-China to Malaysia (Malaya, Sumatra) and on to the Philippines Cymbidium puerense Z.J.Liu & S.R.Lan 2018 China (Yunnan) Cymbidium rectum Ridl. 1920 S. Thailand, Malaysia, N. Borneo(Sabah) Section Austrocymbidium Cymbidium canaliculatum R.Br. 1810 N. & E. Australia Cymbidium chloranthum Lindl. 1843Taiwan, Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo and Java Cymbidium madidum Lindl. 1840 eastern Australia Cymbidium suave R.Br. 1810E. Australia Section Himantophyllum Cymbidium dayanum Rchb.f 1869 Assam, India; eastern Himalayas; Sikkim; Thailand; Cambodia; Taiwan, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan, China; Vietnam; Borneo; Malaysia; the Philippines; Sulawesi; Sumatra; Ryukyu Islands and Japan Cymbidium lii M.Z.Huang, J.M.Yin & G.S.Yang 2017 Hainan China Cymbidium repens Aver. & Q.T.Phan 2016Hoa Binh, Vietnam Cymbidium viride Sanjeet Kumar 2020 Assam (Manipur) Section Floribundum Cymbidium dianlan H.He 2019Yunnan Cymbidium elongatum J.J. Wood, Du Puy & Shim 1988Borneo(Sarawak and Sabah) Cymbidium floribundum (Rolfe) Y.S. Wu & S.C. Chen 1980Yunnan China, Taiwan, and Vietnam Cymbidium hartinahianum J.B.Comber & Nasution 1978 N. Sumatra Cymbidium suavissimum Sander ex C.H.Curtis 1928 Myanmar, Guizhou and Yunnan China and Vietnam Cymbidium viride Kumar 2018Assam Section Bigibbarium Cymbidium devonianum Paxton 1843 Assam and Meghalaya India, China(Yunnan), Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam
Subgenus Cyperorchis Plants in subgenus Cyberorchis have lips fused at the base to the base of the column. Section Image Name Distribution Elevation (m) Section Annamaea Cymbidium erythrostylum Rolfe 1905 Vietnam Cymbidium wenshanense Y.S.Wu & F.Y.Liu 1990 Yunnan, China and northern Vietnam Section Cyperorchis Cymbidium codonanthum Yuting Jiang, Liang Ma & S.Chen 2020 Yunnan, China Cymbidium cochleare Lindl. 1858Taiwan; Assam, Sikkim, India; Bhutan; Myanmar Cymbidium elegans Lindl. 1828 Yunnan, Xizang, China; Assam, India, eastern Himalayas, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, and Myanmar. Cymbidium sigmoideum J.J.Sm. 1907Malaysia, Borneo, Java and Sumatra Cymbidium wadae T.Yukawa 2002 Thailand Cymbidium whiteae King & Pantl. 1898 India (Sikkim) Section Eburnea Cymbidium banaense Gagnep. 1951 Vietnam Cymbidium changningense Z.J.Liu & S.C.Chen 2005 Yunnan, China Cymbidium concinnum Z.J.Liu & S.C.Chen 2006 Yunnan, China Cymbidium eburneum Lindl. 1847 Assam India, eastern Himalayas, Nepal, Myanmar, Yunnan China and Vietnam Cymbidium mastersii Griff. ex Lindl. 1845 Assam India, Bhutan, Myanmar, northern Thailand and China Cymbidium jiangchengense Ying L.Peng, S.R.Lan & Z.J.Liu 2019 Yunnan, China Cymbidium maguanense F.Y.Liu 1996 Southeastern Yunnan, China Cymbidium parishii Rchb. f. 1874 Myanmar Cymbidium roseum J.J.Sm. 1905 Malayasian peninsula, Java and Sumatra Cymbidium weishanense X.Yu & Z.J.Liu 2021 China (Yunnan) Section Iridorchis Cymbidium erythraeum Lindl. 1859 Kumaon, Sikkim, and Assam states of India; Nepal; Bhutan; Myanmar; Yunnan, Sichuan, and Xizang China; and Vietnam Cymbidium daweishanense G.Q.Zhang & Z.J.Liu 2018 Yunnan, China Cymbidium gaoligongense Z.J.Liu & J.Yong Zhang 2003 Yunnan, China Cymbidium hookerianum Rchb.f. Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim & Assam India, and Xizang China Cymbidium insigne Rolfe 1904 Thailand, Vietnam and Hainan China Cymbidium iridioides D. Don 1825 Xizang, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Yunnan provinces of China; Kumaon, Assam, Sikkim, and Meghalaya states of India; Bhutan; Nepal; Myanmar; and Vietnam Cymbidium lowianum (Rchb. f.) Rchb. f. 1879 Burma, Thailand, Yunnan China and Vietnam Cymbidium motuoense W.Q.Hu, Qinghai Zhang & Z.J.Liu 2021 China (SE Tibet) Cymbidium sanderae Sander ex Rolfe 1904 Vietnam Cymbidium seidenfadenii (P.J.Cribb & Du Puy) P.J.Cribb 2014 Thailand Cymbidium schroederi Rolfe 1905 Yunnan China, Vietnam Cymbidium sichuanicum Z.J.Liu & S.C.Chen 2006 Sichuan, China Cymbidium tracyanum Rolfe 1890 China, Thailand and Myanmar Cymbidium wilsonii (Rolfe ex De Cock) Rolfe 1904 Southern Yunnan, China and Vietnam Section Parishiella Cymbidium tigrinum Parish ex Hook. f. 1864 West Yunnan China, Myanmar and Assam India
Subgenus Jensoa Plants in this subgenus have four pollinia, in two unequal pairs; lips attached to the base of the column, Section Image Name Distribution Elevation (m) Section Axillaria Cymbidium cyperifolium Lindl. 1833 Nepal, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan China Cymbidium shidianense G.Z.Chen, G.Q.Zhang & L.J.Chen 2019 China (Yunnan) Section Borneense Cymbidium aliciae Quisumb 1940 Sulawesi and the Philippines (Luzon, Negro Islands and Nueva Vazcaya) Cymbidium borneense J.J. Wood 1983 Borneo(Sarawak and Sabah) Section Geocymbidium Cymbidium biflorens D.Y.Zhang, S.R.Lan & Z.J.Liu 2020 Yunnan China Cymbidium lancifolium Hook. 1823 Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, China, Korea, Japan, Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Borneo, Java Moluccas, Sulawesi, Sumatra and New Guinea Cymbidium recurvatum Z.J.Liu, S.C.Chen & P.J.Cribb 2009 Yunnan China Section Jensoa Cymbidium acuminatum M.A.Clem. & D.L.Jones 1996 New Guinea Cymbidium defoliatum Y.S.Wu & S.C.Chen 1991 Fujian, Guizhou, Yunnan and Sichuan provinces of China Cymbidium ensifolium [L]Swartz 1799 Japan, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Hong Kong to Sumatra and Java Cymbidium formosanum Hayata 1911 Taiwan Cymbidium goeringii [Rchb.f]Rchb.f 1864 India, Bhutan, China, Taiwan, Ryukyu Islands, Japan and Korea Cymbidium haematodes Lindl. 1833Hainan and Yunnan provinces of China, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Laos, Indonesia and New Guinea Cymbidium induratifolium Z.J.Liu & J.N.Zhang 1998Vietnam Cymbidium kanran Makino 1902 Taiwan, Guangdong, Gunagxi, Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Hainan Island provinces of China; Honshu and the Ryukyu Islands, Japan; and South Korea Cymbidium longipes Z.J.Liu & J.N.Zhang 1998 Vietnam Cymbidium micranthum Z.J.Liu & S.C.Chen 2004Yunnan, China Cymbidium munronianum King & Pantl. 1895Assam India Cymbidium omeiense Y.S.Wu & S.C.Chen 1966Sichuan China Cymbidium qiubeiense K.M.Feng & H.Li 1980Yunnan and Guangxi provinces of China Cymbidium sinense (Andrews) Willd.1805 Guangdong, Hainan，Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Southern Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan provinces of China and Northern Vietnam. Cymbidium tamphianum Aver. 2018Lam Dong, Vietnam Cymbidium sangii Aver. & V.C.Nguyen 2023Lam Dong, Vietnam Cymbidium xichouense Xin Y.Xu, C.C.Ding & S.R.LanYunnan China Section Nanula Cymbidium atrolabium X.Y.Liao, S.R.Lan & Z.J.Liy 2019 Yunnan China Cymbidium brevifolium Z.Zhou, S.R.Lan & Z.J.Liu 2020 Hubei China Cymbidium faberi Rolfe 1896 Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang provinces of China; Taiwan; Cymbidium nanulum Y.S.Wu & S.C.Chen 2017 Yunnan, Guizhou, Hainan provinces of China Cymbidium purpureisepalum M.J.Zhu & S.R.Lan 2022 Yunnan China Cymbidium serratum Schltr. 1919 Guizhou, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan provinces of China; Taiwan Cymbidium ledinhhienii Aver., Vuong et V.C. Nguyen 2024 Vietnam (Dak Lak) Cymbidium sungwookii Aver., Vuong et V.C. Nguyen 2024 Vietnam (Binh Dinh) Cymbidium teretipetiolatum Z.J.Liu & S.C.Chen 2002 Yunnan China Cymbidium tortisepalum Fukuy. 1934 Guizhou, Sichuan, Yunnan provinces of China; Taiwan Section Pachyrhizanthe Cymbidium macrorhizon Lindl. 1833 Pakistan, the Chinese Himalayas, Assam, the eastern Himalayas, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Taiwan, the Ryukyu Islands and Korea Cymbidium hengbungense A.N. Rao, K. Chowlu, H.B. Sharma, K.S. Thithila & D.S. Thokchom 2016 India (Manipur)
Natural Hybrids
Cymbidium × ballianum Rolfe Cymbidium × baoshanense F.Y.Liu & Perner Cymbidium × dilatatiphyllum J.M.H.Shaw Cymbidium × florinda Rolfe Cymbidium × gammieanum King & Pantl. Cymbidium × glebelandense Rolfe Cymbidium × hillii F.Muell. ex Regel Cymbidium × monanthum J.M.H.Shaw Cymbidium × nishiuchianum Makino ex J.M.H.Shaw Cymbidium × nomachianum T.Yukawa & Nob.Tanaka Cymbidium × nujiangense X.P.Zhou, S.P.Lei & Z.J.Liu Cymbidium × oblancifolium Z.J.Liu & S.C.Chen