Objective With the expanding application of hybrid Cymbidium, exploring its research status and development trends is of great significance to the development of the orchid industry. This study clarified the current situation and evolutionary context of global research on Cymbidium hybridization.

Method Using CiteSpace, this study performed visual bibliometric analysis on publications during 2000–2026 from China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Web of Science. Combined with systematic literature review, the research progress was summarized and future prospects were put forward.

Result From 2000 to 2026, the number of publications on hybridization research of plants in the genus Lan showed a gradual upward trend. Domestic research started earlier and maintained higher long-term momentum, while international research experienced significant growth in later stages, narrowing the gap between the two. China is the core research nation in this field, with East Asia serving as the primary international research hub. Domestically, a multi-regional collaborative research framework has emerged in East and South China, led by core author teams with relatively decentralized inter-team collaboration. Domestic and international research focuses exhibit distinct differences: domestically, emphasis lies on industrial application research such as hybrid breeding and tissue culture propagation, with a few countries like South Korea addressing both industrial and molecular aspects; internationally, most research concentrates on fundamental theories and cutting-edge technologies such as genetic variation and molecular breeding.

Conclusion The number of publications in this field has shown a gradual upward trend overall, with domestic research activity exceeding international levels, and China serving as the core research hub. Stable core authors and institutions have emerged both domestically and internationally; however, collaboration across regions and research teams remains insufficiently deep. Additionally, significant differences exist between domestic and international research focuses: domestic studies emphasize industrial application technologies for the genus Rhodiola, while international research predominantly concentrates on fundamental theoretical investigations such as genetic mechanisms and germplasm analysis.