Tiny Green Leaf

[Zeus]

Hi, all - my old girl Phal is in the middle of her shed/new growth phase. This happens as soon as the weather gets cold and the sun’s angle changes. She will drop a few of her bottom leaves and grow new ones mid-to-top crown just before popping one or two flower spikes in late Dec or early January. She does the same with her air roots. This has been going on for more than 4 years and, for her anyway, is completely normal. When finished, she’s healthy and green and ready to grow a huge number of blooms. I just let her do her thing and remove the leaves/roots once I’m sure they’re completely gone.

Today, though, as noticed a tiny healthy green leaf growing from within the potting medium (bark) and is maybe 3 inches away from the base of the crown. I can’t yet tell from where it’s coming but assume it’s a little sprout from hidden roots under the surface.

This can’t be a keiki correct? Don’t usually come from the main area of the plant?

Picture attached. Thanks for any thoughts or ideas.

[estación seca]

It's common for Phals to make growth from the base below the current rosette of leaves.

[Roberta]

Note that those basal growths utilize the root system of the mother plant - don't try to separate it.

[MCD]

A few years ago I saw a leaf tip poking out from the media on one of my tiny phals. I initially thought it was some random seed sprouting, but I left it alone. A few months later the phal got repotted and what I found was actually a separate growth that was attached to the main plant only by a thin strand that looked like the inner part of a root (sans velamen). It was very tiny (< 1in leaf span), but had its own root, so I separated it and potted it on its own.

No idea if that's what you have there, but it is possible to have a keiki (as opposed to a basal growth) appear from the lower part of a phal. Have not seen anything like it before or since, so probably not something very common.