Bargain Cute NoID - is it a species?

[Kerry]

I had a momentary lapse in my "not buying any more plants" self imposed ban. You see it all started with my Dad coming home from the supermarket with this really cute little phal for my Mum. I went and had a look, they had more, but they were £9.99 and I was banned from buying any more. Also, because it was so small, I kind of thought it should cost less!

Every few days on my way home from the station, I'd pop in and see if they were still there.. Maybe when there was only one left I'd get the overwhelming panic and have to buy impulse that would override the sensible Kerry trying desperately to hold on.

Then one day when I was in there with Tom, I notice that there was a red reduced sticker on one of them, it was down from £9.99 to £6.99. There were three left, and the reduced one was going out of date, but it only had one spike, and the third one (with the latest expiry date - 17/04/07) had three (woohoo). Tom suggested gently that I come back in on the 16th and see if they had knocked down the price for the 3 spike one. So I went in every day to make sure it hadn't sold. until, on the 15th there was only my one left. on the 16th - still not reduced. On the 17th - still not reduced! (beginning to panic) On the 18th I went in ( it must be reduced now!) but shock horror no!

So I picked it up and thought brave thoughts and took it over to customer services and explained ever so nicely that I really liked this plant, last one there, out of date, could they reduce it please? So they called over the member of staff looking after the section. Oh no Madam, we can't do that, it's out of date, I can't sell anything that's out of date, it must have been missed as they checked the plants. Oh please I begged (not quite on my knees) I REALLY like it, and it's the only one there, I don't mind that it's out of date, I won't tell. So he hummed and he hawed and he took out his sticker machine and said We'll just pretend it's label fell off! So he gave me my plant with it's new red sticker and I thanked him profusely and wandered off to the checkout. As I went I looked at the price on the sticker, and he had reduced it to 99p! What a bargain! For that price it doesn't even count as a purchase!!!!!

I have no idea what the parentage of this plant is, but the form of the blooms, makes me think it is closer to a species than some hybrids - but maybe it has been hybridised so much it has come back around!

So here's my little cutie, the third spike is hiding behind the leaves - and I know, the buds on the two unbloomed spikes will probably blast horribly:



To give you an idea of the size of the plant, here it is next to my Baldan's Kaleidoscope:



And a close up of a flower:




Do you know, I think I love it!