Bloom Event - Prosthechea Green Hornet

I really wasn't expecting this to flower so young. It is still in the 6cm pot from Burnham Nurseries, and hasn't outgrown it yet. Still, the ability to bloom while still so young bodes well for the future, I have to say.  Prosthechea Green Hornet is a primary hybrid between P. cochleata and P. lancifolia. I really can't keep up with the naming of these species and hybrids, because I'm pretty sure that P. cochleata is now in another genus altogether (possibly) and P. lancifolia is usually considered a synonym of P. cochleata, or whatever it's called today. Confused? You should be. I'd be very interested to learn the proper provenance of this hybrid, as it is also fragrant. I have another hybrid of P. cochleata called P. Octopussy which is definitely not fragrant. As I understand it, neither P. cochleata nor P. lancifolia is fragrant. Now (stay with me on this, and try not to look too bored), if your plant labelled as P. lancifolia has a fragrance (as mine does), it is most likely mislabelled and should be called Prosthechea trulla. As the hybrid carries the fragrance, I'm guessing that it is actually a hybrid of P. cochleata and P. trulla. Also, P. trulla is a smaller species in stature than P. cochleata, and blooms on a much smaller plant, which would explain the behaviour of Green Hornet.

It isn't a huge flower, but I do find it rather charming. I am a big fan of the scent of P. trulla and I was hoping that I'd like the scent of P. Green Hornet. I don't. Many would, I suspect, but I have a deep dislike of honey or anything that smells remotely of it and that's the smell that this plant has. Don't get me wrong - it's not so strong I feel an urge to chuck it out of the window and I'd certainly not get rid of a plant because I don't like the smell. If it grows and blooms it earns its keep and I'd rather it had an unpleasant smell than none at all. I can count six blooms on the spike (Yes, I can count up to six!) which I don't think is at all bad for a first blooming. Whether the flower size will increase over time I can't say (Prosthechea trulla doesn't have flowers much bigger than this), but I am reasonably sure that P. cochleata will assert itself before long and increase the flower count, and the size of the plant.

All in all, a lovely little plant whatever its called.