A genus of tropical orchids with boat-shaped flowers, widely cultivated as ornamental houseplants.
From Latin cymba (boat) + Greek -idium (diminutive suffix). The flower's lip resembles a boat shape, inspiring the scientific name chosen by botanists in the 18th century.
Cymbidium orchids are called 'boat orchids' because their lips literally look like little vessels—and they're so beautiful that florists often use them in corsages and arrangements because they last incredibly long!
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