Brassavola weird bulb

[J_greenthumb]

Does anyone know what is this weird bulb that grew months ago while my brassavola was flowering???

[Diane56Victor]

Looks like you might have a seed pod. Congratulations!

[J_greenthumb]

Really?! What do I do with it??

[neophyte]

those are some lovely flowers! congrats!

when the seed pod ripens, it will dehisce (split open) and release the seeds. the seeds look like specks of dust because unlike most seeds (like beans), they contain very little nutrients for the plant embryos. it's a pretty elaborate process to germinate these in the lab, but under the right conditions it's possible to germinate them outside. the threads in the Propagation Subforum has lots of information on both methods (mostly the lab method), and so do other websites that you can find with a simple google search. it will take several years before the seedlings reach maturity, however, so keep that in mind if you end up wanting to germinate the seeds. no matter what you can continue to enjoy your current plant.

[Roberta]

I usually clip those because I'm not planning on going through the difficult propagation process. But afid has asked for orchid seed for a flasking project, there may be interest there.

[J_greenthumb]

Thank you for the detailed reply! She is beautiful and came with the house I bought here in south Florida, she was so crowded that I had to split her into 7 and after that she thrives and bloomed like crazy. I have her in several of my trees she is beautifully resilient.