virus?

[Ray]

The pattern in the flowers is not indicative of cultural or mechanical damage issues, and the asymmetrical segments are another giveaway.

There is nothing that says that a) mosaic viruses are the only ones that cause such color break, or b) that the symptoms will only show after two weeks.

If that was mine, out it would go - immediately - and back to the origin nursery with a claim for a refund of my money.

[Lagoon]

I would be going back with the plant to reclaim my money

[kavanaru]

Well, now I am more and more confused

Ok, let's go slowly with this:

1.- As a clarification, but not as a rejection of any of your suggestion : Going back with the plant to the nursery, is not that easy this time, as the plant was bought online from an overseas nursery (a very reputable one, indeed!). I have send them the same pictures I posted here, and explained them the same situation. Reply: "we have analyzed the pictures in detail, and it seems more an effect of humidity or temperature stress during the ripening of the flower, more than a virus (however, we cannot be 100% sure). Furthermore, virus are not as infectious as you think, so long you don't use the same cutting tools for this and other plants without previous sterilization, and you don't have any insects attacking your plants, there is no risk of infection for the other. What we propose, is that you keep the plant isolated as it is now, and we wit for the next blooming. If symptoms still persist, we can refund the money or provide a new plant, covering also all cost or damages this could create" - what?

2.- I also sent the pictures to a friend of mine who works at the Botanical Garden in Heidelberg (Germany). The answer: "hhhmmm... does not really look like virus infection... probably temperature stress during beginning of blooming??? Especially as the plant looks very healthy and there are no signs of virus infection on the leaves at all… Keep it for a while. If virus infected, the flowers should decay a lot quicker than normally and signs of necrosis (not of color changing!) should appear sooner or later on them, and consequently also on the leaves. As you said, the plant is coming from a reputable nursery and it even needed a phytosanitary certificate in order to come to Switzerland… so, I would keep the plant isolated for a while and see what happens... but I repeat, I do not think it is a virus”

3.- Believe me, I am quite confused, as I trust my friend, and also want to trust the nursery, but also trust all of you here, and all your first hand experience… and since I am getting paranoid with this, I think I have seen almost ALL pictures in the web of virus infected orchid, and have not found yet any that I could say: WOW! That’s it!! (Not even of humidity/temperature stressed plant ? )