What's this phalaenopsis doing?

[astrid]

It is evolving into a paphiopedilum, clearly. XD

[AuroraPhal]

My terminal spike looked like that, but this spike obviously is not terminal since it is not growing from crown center... I don't know, never seen anything like this, I'm so interested what it would be

[Raqsharqi]

I'll be sure to post photos of whatever it turns into!

[lotis146]

Can you take a pic of the spike/keiki (???) from the top, so we can see all of the top part please?

I have a Phal - still alive, even as I've tortured it with MAJOR under-watering - with a terminal spike but it comes right up the center and it does not have any adventitious leaves.

I have seen Phals with spikes at Hausermann's greenhouse that have a leaf, like the first/lowest one, on the spike. I almost bought the plant BECAUSE I thought it was a keiki but they said no it's not, just some Phals do that. However I don't know how to explain the leaves at the top, other than to say what others have said and maybe it was growing a spike and then being stressed out it decided to grow a keiki instead?

I have a stressed Phal whose spike I left on b/c it was green. Then it started a keiki at the top. The keiki still hasn't grown roots (under-waterer, guilty as charged) BUT it's growing a spike AND the main spike from mother plant is growing a new branch.

They do weird things. Good luck, I look forward to following its progress. And if you ask me, don't cut it just take good care of the plant and see how this crazy thing progresses.

[Raqsharqi]

I thought the mitten at the top was the end, but there is something else starting to appear at the top
leaf.

[lotis146]

Cool! From what I saw at Hausermann's I think this is one of those plants that just grows leaves on the spikes sometimes. There were others of the same hybrid that did not have leaves on the spike (thus my thinking it was evidence of keikis).

The end looks like the traditional development of a spike. So congrats, and if I were you, let it bloom. The mitten as they call it.

[tant385]

I am sure it will develop keikis at the end of this thing soon. I would test it for virus for sure, I saw similar thing on phalenopsis, it which appeared to be positive for virus

[Raqsharqi]

When all else fails, I read labels! When I bought this plant, I thought it was a phalaenopsis and never paid any attention to the tag. I was just happy it had one. But maybe if I had looked up the orchid, I would have been better able to figure out what is going on.This orchid is Dtps Scarlett in Snow. When I looked up the Dtps part, it said "Many people are very familiar with Phalaenopsis or moth orchids. But what is Doritaenopsis? Well, this orchid is a moth orchid hybrid, a cross between the very popular Phaleanopsis orchid and and a Doritis orchid."
SO....is it possible that my orchid is exhibiting a growth pattern that is more like the Doritis than the phalaenopsis?

[RandomGemini]

Doritis is a defunct genus as of 2009. DNA testing was done and it was confirmed that Doritis species are genetically identical to Phalaenopsis. The genus was merged with Phalaenopsis after this discovery. Many growers have not updated their tags to reflect this and there is some duplication of hybrids now because of this too.

[Raqsharqi]

Dang! Well, back to the drawing board! I thought perhaps that would be an explanation!