Help with Phal ID

[Jenn]

Hello guys.

I am hoping that someone will be able to give me a little info on one of my phals. I originally purchased it at a big box store like Home Depot or Lowes about 6 years ago and stupidly threw away the tag. I thought that it was a Baldan's Kal. 'Golden Treasure,' but now that I look at other pics of these, I'm not so sure. The center of my blooms do not open up and become flat like most phals do. Is this a peloric? I'm leaning towards a no on that one, but I'm not really sure. Whatever it is, it is the best orchid I have in terms of sending up spikes. This year it will have at least 16 blooms on it!

[kiki-do]

Hi Jenn, I have a phal that is just like this. I thought I bought a Baldan's Kal and seems like it opened fully the first year, but now it is full of buds and when it opens, it looks identical to yours. I'm not so sure about it's ID now either. Someone had one just like this on OB recently that he called it by a different name. I can't find it or think of it off the top of my head, but it's here somewhere. I am bumping this to the top in hopes that that someone sees this.
Sorry for being so vague, but it's late and I'm running on empty. I should have written the name down when I saw it the first time. Hope this helps by bumping this up.

[Jenn]

Thanks Kiki! Sad thing is, is I don't remember if it ever opened fully. I bought the plant in spike, and it didn't spike for a couple of years after it lost its blooms. Now, it spikes every spring for me, and sends blooms every where! For all I know, the blooms might have always been this way. There was a discussion on another forum about a phal that opened this way perhaps being a peloric. However, I just really don't think that's correct. I've looked at plenty pelorics over the course of the weekend, and it just doesn't quite follow suit.

Don't worry about being vaugue. Tis late for us, and it's not time for coffee... yet!

[Bird Song Farm]

Hi Jenn,
I've never had this happen (yet) to one of my Phals. but I'd try giving it some early morning sun. Two to three hours first thing in the a.m., then pull it back out of the sun. Just something I would try if it were mine, not necessarily a ''cure''.
It does look like Baldan's Kal. and the two unopened petals look a bit strange. I think it's referred to as ''lettuce leaf''. To soon to really tell if it's Peloric. I suppose it could also be genetic(sp) or perhaps even a virus of some kind.
I'm sure others will jump in with more experience than I with some other ideas.
Al

[Gwenchanter]

I was at Baldan's yesterday and they had a large phal with one branch that looked like that and the other branch was normal. They told me it was peloric and sometimes one inforescence can bloom that way one year and the next year the peloric trait doesn't show up.

From wikipedia: Peloria or a peloric flower refers to an aberration in which a plant that normally produces zygomorphic flowers (like orchids) produces actinomorphic flowers instead. This aberration can be developmental, or it can have a genetic basis.
(Actinomorphic means radially symmetrical.)

What's happening here is the two lateral petals are immitating the lip by trying to curl inward like the lip does, which produces a more radially symmetrical plant.

[Bird Song Farm]

Originally Posted by Gwenchanter

I was at Baldan's yesterday and they had a large phal with one branch that looked like that and the other branch was normal. They told me it was peloric and sometimes one inforescence can bloom that way one year and the next year the peloric trait doesn't show up.

From wikipedia: Peloria or a peloric flower refers to an aberration in which a plant that normally produces zygomorphic flowers (like orchids) produces actinomorphic flowers instead. This aberration can be developmental, or it can have a genetic basis.
(Actinomorphic means radially symmetrical.)

What's happening here is the two lateral petals are immitating the lip by trying to curl inward like the lip does, which produces a more radially symmetrical plant.

Thanks Gwenchanter, that's amazing. On the same spike even! Plants sure are wonderful things! You were at Baldan's!!!!!! That would be more fun for me than a trip to DisneyLand!!

AL
Al

[phearamedusa]

I've had this one for probably 4 or 5 yrs, Dtps. Nobby's Pink Lady x Dtps. New Cinderella x Taisuco Happy Beauty - Valentine
. It blooms forever it seems, blooms usually twice a yr and has always looked like this.

I'm pretty sure, I purchased one like yours, as a NOID orchid just because I really like the shape a few years ago. The NOID one bloomed once like this, then the next bloom season was funky. Mixed up normal, combination of bent petals(one bent,one flat) and ones that looked like this. The last flowering all were normal. Too bad I kinda prefer this version myself.

[Jenn]

Thanks for all the help with this one guys! At least I know now it's not something that I am doing wrong. We'll see if I ever get normal blooms from it again!

And OMG - Gwen you got to go to Baldans!? I am so insanely jealous.