| Cymbidium ensifolium, The marvelously diverse
Orchidaceae constitutes the largest family of angiosperms. The genus Cymbidium in
Orchidaceae is well known for its unique vegetation, floral morphology, and flower scent
traits. With more than 25,000 species, Orchidaceae is the largest angiosperm family,
representing a staggering 8–10% of flowering plants. Orchids are renowned for their
specialized flowers, showing extremely high diversity of epiphytic and terrestrial growth
forms, and they are successful colonizers of a wide variety of different habitats. Orchids
share a similar morphology; their flowers are composed of three sepals, three petals (one
modified to form a lip), and a column consisting of fused stamens and pistils. Many species
have floral scents to attract pollinators. The evolution and molecular mechanisms of these
and other traits of orchids are poorly understood, although the recent sequencing of several
orchid genomes has started to shed light on their evolution and unique morphology and
lifestyle. Cymbidium is a renowned genus of the orchid family that consists of 68 species,
mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical areas of Asia, although some have also
expanded into Papua New Guinea and Australia. Cymbidium spp. exhibit various floral
morphologies and unique floral scents and vegetation traits, thus attracting the interest of
botanists and hobbyists. Many species of Cymbidium have been cultivated and hybridized as
well-known ornamental orchids for many centuries. Here, a complete genome sequence is
presented for C. ensifolium, an herbaceous orchid growing in shaded environments that
exhibits a floral shape inclined to mutation, floral scent variation, and diverse leaf
forms, making it a typical species of Cymbidium. The sequencing of the C. ensifolium genome
revealed key innovations in the evolution of Cymbidium and provided novel and fundamental
insights into the evolution and diversification of orchids.
“The Cymbidium genome reveals the evolution of unique morphological
traits”. Ye Ai et al. 2021. Horticulture Research.
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