Virus or what?

[Kostas]

Hello,

Today i received an orchid order from abroad and I noticed a strange patterning on a leaf of one of the Cattleya maxima i received. Here is a photo of it:


Is this virus or is it caused by something else? What could have caused that?

I also noticed purple spots on one of the leafs on each of the other Cattleya maxima i received(3 plants total). Is this normal for the species?Here are 2 photos of the spotting:




Thank you very much in advance!

[tucker85]

It doesn't look like a virus to me. I would guess it's some kind of mechanical damage. I wouldn't worry about it.

[Kostas]

Thank you very much for your reply Tucker! I really wish and hope its just that!

The leaf epidermis doesnt seem to be damaged above the lighter colored patterns though. What could have caused this pattern?

[Gage]

I have heard that the lighter speckling like that can be from little snails nibbling. It also looks like the harmless fungal spots that happen to incision leaves, but I haven't seen it on a cattleya. I wouldn't worry. Maybe just treat it with a fungicide like physan, or even Listerine.

[Kostas]

Thank you very much for your reply Gage!

Its great to hear they dont seem to be viral. The leaf skin doesnt appear to be missing and its like an inner leaf(mesophyl) discoloration. Checking the leaf underside,this discoloration is not visible and seems to be confined to the upper leaf side. It doesnt appear like surface damage though and the spots are not caved in or dry. Its more like inner leaf discoloration below the skin(epidermis).
Could it be thrip or leaf miner damage?

[Gage]

I'm not sure I've ever heard of leaf miners, but I know thrips and mites can cause a variety of leaf damages/discolorations. The good new is it looks isolated and small, so for me I would just give it a good soaking with a dish soap solution, and then a couple days later give it a good soak with Listerine. I haven't personally started using Physan, but I'm sure I will need to sooner than later.

[Kostas]

If it isnt viral,it doesnt concern me at all. I am sure it will be cured on its own with good culture in that case I found no insects on the plants when unpacking them so if it was insect caused,they are not there any more. Fungal spots are easily taken care of by good air circulation and some sun and as they are now outdoors,in a somewhat windy area receiving some sun,it shouldnt be a problem!

[Kostas]

Hello,

To update on my Cattleya maxima's,the leaf with the whittish pattern on it,now looks like this after exposing to some sun. I guess this is normal but i am still a little concerned about the patterning.


On another Cattleya maxima,just a couple of days after i posted the first photos i showed you, a leaf which was a peculiar color at arrival for some reason, became like that after exposure to some sun. All Cattleya maxima's get about the same sun but only this leaf changed got this strange damage on it. Here are some photos:











Also,another leaf of the same plant which was whitish-yellow at its base,became bright yellow now. This plant looks like that now:






What caused that sudden tissue blackening and collapse in this pattern? Is this bacterial,fungal or viral? What caused this yellowing on the other leaf,starting from its base up? The plants are watered every 2-3days and the sun dry them out well in the meantime. The leafs have never stayed wet more than a few minutes.

Thank you very much in advance!

[Leafmite]

Two helpful orchid society sites:

Orchid Pests, Orchid Diseases

http://www.houstonorchidsociety.org/...ySueBottom.pdf

Cloud's orchid's:

Diagnosing Orchid Problems

Two helpful virus sheets, one from Brisbane, the other from Taiwan:

http://www.icogo.org/images/Dr._Chin...id_Viruses.pdf

Orchid Virus

I hope these help!

[Leafmite]

I wish I knew the answer. I have one isolated because of suspicious leaves. I plan to take it to an Orchid Society meeting for the experts to give an opinion. I hope the sites help. In the meantime, keep them away from the other orchids and sterilize, wash hands, etc.