Mini-Phal Mutation Bonanza

[Draft]

Hey guys,
I picked up a box store mini Phal about a week ago, and it appears to be playing mutation bingo with every flower that opens.

I first noticed the spike had abnormally large leaves (the lowest one is about 1 1/2", the highest is a third of that), and a few of the flowers were upside down and facing downwards, which does happen.

But since I've had it, more flowers have opened, I've seen pretty much everything that can go wrong, go wrong. One has extra petals, one is missing a sepal. One has a duplicated labellum that was formed upside down and then merged with the upper sepal, and another has had its labellum (and only the labellum) randomly dry up completely and fall off. The newest flower didn't even open, the sepals and petals had never separated on half the flower so it just has its labellum and one sepal dangling majestically in the wind.

I don't even want to speculate on whats missing internally, as even the "normal" looking flowers have a translucent anther cap. And look a little crusty.

So my question is, for curiosities sake, do I leave the spike alone and just let it do its whacked out thing? Or chop it off and save the plant some energy? And dignity?

The second question is do any of you think that this is because it got hit too hard with the happy time hormones and will eventually sort itself out?

Or did I just pick up someones breeding project reject, and should expect high entertainment value for years to come?

Thanks!

[WhiteRabbit]

Wow - interesting ... Leaves on a Phal spike?
Improperly oriented blooms seem easy enough to explain by change of light orientation. The other stuff -- could be from over done hormone products, tho I can't say definitively ...

I'm interested to see what others may think.

[Draft]

Originally Posted by WhiteRabbit

Wow - interesting ... Leaves on a Phal spike?

Improperly oriented blooms seem easy enough to explain by change of light orientation. The other stuff -- could be from over done hormone products, tho I can't say definitively ...



I'm interested to see what others may think.

Hahaha. That was my gut feeling, but it seemed a little over the top for just a hormone overdose, but weirder things have happened.

"Leaves" is the only way I feel I can describe it as "bract" doesn't quite cut it anymore. I'll attach a photo I took several days ago. The uppermost bract facing the camera has since turned green and started to elongate as well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Trollsvans]

Added "mutation bingo" to the list of wonderful expressions.
I'd hope for it to keep experimenting; thirteen a dozen type phals are everywhere: the oddballs are the more interesting ones.

[jai_star]

I have this happening to one of my Phals right now. Two leaves on a spike with flowers at the top. I'm assuming in the plants perspective its another way to feed itself. And what bettter way than on a spike reaching higher than the plant itself. Genius

[NYCorchidman]

Leaf or leaves on phal spike is rather common and nothing to worry about.
The flowers you describe sound bad though.
Unless you are into those, why keep the plant and worry? lol

I once had a mini phal with beautiful magenta flowers from a supermarket. All the flowers were "normal". On its next flowering, half the flower mutated into peloric, which I'm not into but was overall cute to look at. I flowered it one more time and it was again half peloric and half normal.
I gave it away.

Regarding cutting the spike away, leaving the spike or flowers on does not take energy away the plant, especially if they are already fully developed.
However, if you do not like the mutated flowers, cut the spike off and the plant might start growing new leaves sooner. Leaving it on or not does not affect timing of next spikes unless your phals is a summer flowering variety.