Kimilsungia is a

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

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. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowerin ...

of the genus ''

Dendrobium ''Dendrobium'' is a genus of mostly epiphytic and lithophytic orchids in the family Orchidaceae. It is a very large genus, containing more than 1,800 species that are found in diverse habitats throughout much of south, east and southeast Asi ...

''. It is a clone of a plant that was created in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

by orchid breeder Carl Ludwig C. L. Bundt, who in 1964 registered the grex name ''Dendrobium'' Clara Bundt for all orchids of the same ancestry, naming it after his daughter. It has a complex ancestry from cultivated orchids. An attempt was made to register the grex name ''Dendrobium'' Kimilsungia, but this is not valid, it is a later synonym of ''Dendrobium'' Clara Bundt. As a

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

name (applying to only part of the grex), the correct name is ''Dendrobium'' Clara Bundt 'Kimilsungia'. Another grex name ''Dendrobium'' Kimilsung Flower refers to plants of related but different ancestry. Another flower, the

Kimjongilia Kimjongilia is a flower named after the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. It is a hybrid cultivar of tuberous begonia, registered as ''Begonia'' × ''tuberhybrida'' 'Kimjongilhwa'. When Kim Jong-il died in December 2011, the flower was u ...

, is named after

Kim Il-sung Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...

's son, Kim Jong-il. Neither the Kimilsungia nor the Kimjongilia are the national flower of

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

. The national flower of the country is the ''

Magnolia sieboldii ''Magnolia sieboldii'', or Siebold's magnolia, also known as Korean mountain magnolia and Oyama magnolia, is a species of ''Magnolia'' native to east Asia in China, Japan, and Korea. It is named after the German doctor Philipp Franz von Siebold ...

'' with white flowers. According to the

Korean Central News Agency The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) is the state news agency of North Korea. The agency portrays the views of the North Korean government for both domestic and foreign consumption. It was established on December 5, 1946 and now features onli ...

, Kim Il-sung's "peerless character" is "fully reflected in the immortal flower" which is "blooming everywhere on the five continents".

Description

The plant grows high. Its leaves adhere to the nodes alternatively and each stalk yields 3-15 flowers. The flowers have three petals and three calyxes and measure . It blooms for 60–90 days. It grows best in daylight temperatures of and at night.

Annual festivals

The annual Kimilsungia Festival has been held since 1998, and is held around the

Day of the Sun The Day of the Sun () is an annual public holiday in North Korea on 15 April, the birth anniversary of Kim Il-sung, founder and Eternal President of North Korea. It is the most important national holiday in the country, and is considered to be ...

. Kimilsungia flower shows are held every year in Pyongyang. Traditionally, embassies of foreign countries in North Korea each present their own bouquet of the flower to the annual exhibition.

References

External links

Kimilsungia Is an Immortal Flower That has Bloomed in the Hearts of Mankind in the Era of Independence
– Kim Jong-il on Kimilsungia, April 6, 2005. {{Kim Il-sung National symbols of North Korea Dendrobium Kim Il-sung Orchid cultivars

Description

Annual festivals

See also

References

Further reading

External links