Cymbidium
£2.40
A Sympathy greeting card featuring a toned image of a Cymbidium orchid and text ‘With Sympathy’
– Blank inside for your own message
– Printed in the UK on premium card stock
– Supplied with a white envelope
In stock
Description
Cymbidium
Cymbidium is a Sympathy greeting card featuring a toned image of a Cymbidium orchid and text ‘With Sympathy’
The plant is epiphytic, meaning that it has organisms growing on its surfaces. The organism help the orchid take moisture and nutrients from the air, from rain, or from any damp substance around it.
However, epiphytes differ from parasites in that they grow on other plants for physical support. They do not necessarily cause damage to the host, unlike parasites.
This card is a variation on the full-colour version here Orchid card, also in the Sympathy range.
The word cymbidium comes from the Greek word cymba, which according to Pliny means a hollowed out boat. The connection to the name of the orchid is a reference to the similarity of the hollow lip of the flower to the shape of a boat.
Pliny, the great documenter of the world in Roman times, ascribes the invention of the cymba to the Phoenicians. He says that the poets used the word for the boat on which Charon took his passengers across the River Styx.
That might be a bit morbid, and in Chinese culture symbolism is quite different, for it is said to stand for love, beauty, and refined charm.
SKU: C0214