Deformed flowers on "mini" Phal

[The Mutant]

This is one of the mini Phals I purchased about month ago, even tough I don't think this a true mini Phal, it looks like it has the ability to become larger than one.

As you can see the flowers are rather deformed and there's not a single "normal" looking flower on the plant, they're all more or less mutated or have extra growths on them.

What could cause such mutations in the flowers? After learning a bit more about some of the negative effects of Superthrive, I thought it could be something similar. I haven't given it any, but I don't know what it has been fed at the grower's.

Also, when I saw it in the shop, it stood in water in a plastic see-through tube. I don't know if it was some vendor's idea of hydro culture but I tossed the tube as soon as I had bought the plant. This guy was the only of three in similar conditions that hadn't started develop any root rot yet.

So, do you think the mutations are permanent or temporary? What should I expect the next time it blooms?

Oh, it's fragrant by the way.

[nenella]

That's what they call a peloric flower I believe. Sometimes they will grow 'normal' next time round... In any case It's very pretty!

[The Mutant]

Thanks for your answer, but I have some pelorics and they don't have extra lips, that is, two petals + lip + three sepals + any amount of extra lips you wish! It also has so much extra tissue everywhere on the flowers, like on the nose (or what it is called) on some of them there's something looking like wings!

I really hope it'll bloom normally the next time, otherwise I'll sell it to someone who like weirdo mutations in Phal flowers.

[nenella]

well I once had like two lips etc too! was like siamese twins, But only on a couple flowers on the spike. It went away @ the next flowering.

[Gage]

Did you give it any hormones?

[Gage]

Seaweed or Superthrive or KLN?

[nenella]

I did! ST must have gone overboard with the quantity and 'size' of drops! I'm convinced that is why it happened when it did a few years ago... I had posted a photo at the time. It has never happened to me again.

[NatalieS]

Originally Posted by The Mutant

Thanks for your answer, but I have some pelorics and they don't have extra lips, that is, two petals + lip + three sepals + any amount of extra lips you wish! It also has so much extra tissue everywhere on the flowers, like on the nose (or what it is called) on some of them there's something looking like wings!

I really hope it'll bloom normally the next time, otherwise I'll sell it to someone who like weirdo mutations in Phal flowers.

For some reason this made me think of those cats that have any amount of extra toes.

[The Mutant]

I haven't given any hormones to this Phal, but considering how the flowers look like, I'm suspecting that the growers might have done so. As far as I've read about giving ST to spiking orchids, this is the kind of flowers I would expect. They have so much extra of everything! Since it was shoved down in a plastic tube in an attempt at hydro culture, I thought that this could be a reason they might have fed it with some kind of hormones.

[Gage]

I have a mini Phal that blooms a lot and has some minor mutations at each blooming, but nothing peloric. I don't even give it fertilizer once it start making buds. But still happens.