Ever seen a Cattleya keiki?

[Dekejis]

I got six plants a while back, in need of a little TLC. This fellow, an Lc. Jungle Gem, started putting out some new growth a couple months ago and.. would you believe the weirdness? You can see the new roots forming at the base of this growth in the first and second images. And to make it even weirder, check out the third image.. what looks like a bud!

[Dekejis]

Here's a pic of the whole plant, for reference

[quiltergal]

Wow! Can't say I have ever seen anything like that before! Very interesting. Poor baby's had a hard life so far. I'm sure it will do much better now that it's with you.

[calvin_orchidL]

*THAT* is incredible! I have never seen a catt keiki before - what amazing plants these are, eh! I wonder if it can develop into a full grown catt!

[justatypn]

That is so cool. The first do I see a tiny root? Something to be proud of, nurturing an ailing orchid, just look at how this cattleya has blessed you.

[snow]

you saved it from death,s doorstep; and it is rewarding you with a baby.
i have never seen a keiki on a cattleya

[Rosim_in_BR]

Hi, Dana. Although most Cattleya species do not produce keikis, there are three or four species that do produce them. Keikis are very often produced in Cattleya elongata. Also Cattleya bicolor can produce them and if memory serves me well the same can occur with Cattleya porphyroglossa. All these plants have meristems distributed in the pseudo bulb nodes that can start new plants. I too have seen hybrids producing weird growths, like if the plant had lost its correct genetic map .

[Bolero]

Neither have I, it's very unusual I have to say.

Interesting pictures.

[Dorothy]

Cool catt keiki

.. Sc Jungle Gem has the following in it's lineage -
S. cinnabarina, S. coccinea, Cattleya aclandiae and S. esalqueana ...

[tuvoc]

Remarkable, Dana. I think regular updates are in order here!

Kim