This is a truly 'speculative' hybrid, i.e. one made without any real planned outcome.

The psuedobulbs and leaves on the hybrid are quite large and form a very healthy robust plant which takes up significant space in a small glass house. The stems become very long and support the very small flowers over many months. This is an orchid for those growers who like to muse over their plants and enjoy the tiniest details. It is not for those seeking a spectacular show piece. The irony is that the flowers are as pretty or prettier than many highly valued orchids. The problem is that we normally have small flowers on a small plant - not a large one !

This hybrid looks a lot like a much whiter version of its parent, Coelogyne bilamellata but the bloom (although having less flowers) is much prettier. Remember that Coelogyne bilamellata can produce 60+ flowers one after the other per spike and Coelogyne flexuosa normally produces up to 20 flowers at once.

Negatives: The flowers are small compared to other Coelogynes but not to thousands of other orchids that include many greatly admired miniatures (I love some of my Australian native orchids with flowers only a few millimetres across). We orchid growers can be a strange lot!

Rating: ♦♦  The first flowering was fairly patchy but as the plants developed over a couple of years they developed a muted attraction and a subtle cry to be noticed. I would leave this hybrid in a collector's category at this stage.

Registered:  This hybrid was registered in February 2013 and is named after my elder sister, Noela, who grew up at 'Kirribilli'.

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