New Phal spike buried itself in the leaf base, why's that?

[camille1585]

Thanks for you help, even though no one seems to have any more of a clue than I do! I don't think it's genetic as the plant bloomed 3 times for me in a very normal way and the keiki is normal. I've put it under the lights now in the hopes that light from above will encourage it to grow upwards. But knowing what the last one did, it will not surprise me if it turns again.

I have noticed that all of these twisted spikes have looked different. They're fatter, have extremely short internodes (looks like sheaths popping out of sheaths) and they don't have the mitten tip. So I'm wondering if the plant hasn't been infected by some sort of virus that leads to deformed spikes. Does that sound plausible?

[Kelo]

I think it's possible that for whatever reason during it's meristeming - if it is a meristem, something went wrong. If it's genetic it would be rare indeed. alternatively, it could the the general conditions it grows under for that one particular plant. I seriously doubt it's anything you have done. Just a thought.