What should this be?

[Alexey_G]

Hello everyone!

I have this Sobralia macrantha that I got from Ecuagenera in December 2020. It struggled to grow and actually showed this weird pattern on the leaves. I suspect it is a virus. Would that be the case?

Thanks in advance!

[Roberta]

I think that's just the damage that tends to happen to Sobralia leaves in shipping. They really do not like the process of bare-rooting that has to be done to ship these internationally. They hate to dry out - which happens when they are removed from media. My suggestion - pot it in very water-retentive media (small bark or sphagnum) and water well, keep damp. And hope. (My success rate on those imported Sobralias is much worse than for most other genera, but I have had some that did recover and develop into great plants.)

Since this isn't a very recent acquisition... you might also check for spider mites, which love thin-leaved plants and can cause damage that looks like that. (Examine the underside of the leaves with a hand lens, they are tiny)

[Alexey_G]

Thank you for the swift reply Roberta!

These are new leaves, and the damage shown has been slowly appearing since last spring. The leaves were spotless before that.

Any idea what that might be?

[Roberta]

It could be fungal/bacterial, or spider mites. It hasn't dried out? Because that is what they look like if they get dry.