Dendrobium spectabile - keiki? Or really premature spike?
 

I've had this D. spectabile for about 1.5 years. The largest pseudobulbs are maybe 8 inches tall now. Seems to be growing nicely, but knowing that the species is often 18 to 24 inches tall before it blooms, I'm not really expecting flowers for another 2 or 3 years.

Well, we have had a really odd autumn here. Much warmer than usual, and very wet. This is the first time I can recall leaving my plants outside into November. The cold-sensitive plants have come indoors, but some others have been out in the rain (it has been raining or drizzling for what seems like 2 or 3 weeks, with few breaks in the rain).

I was checking the outdoor plants yesterday evening, and noticed this bump near the top of the pseudobulb:

Attachment 116702


Attachment 116703

I _KNOW_ it is much smaller than a blooming size D. spectabile, but to me this looks like a spike. Next best guess - keiki. I am a relative newb in terms of growing Dendrobiums, so I am asking for some opinions here -

Spike?

Or keiki?

FWIW, my Den. Kingianum is also spiking.

Too early to tell, but let's hope it's a spike! :) I know the guys at H&R have been trying to breed a shorter D. spectabile and I've been told they spike at just under a foot tall versus the 2 ft+ you'd see in the wild. I know the var. aureum can bloom on short psb's so maybe you're one of the lucky ones?

My guess is also a spike. FWIW - I have never gotten a keiki on my latouria Dens, tho I only have 3 (one is a sub-bloom size spectabile, but the other two were bloom size already when I got them nearly 7 years ago). So, small sample size - I don't know if this type tends towards keikis or not.

LoyalPlum -
Yeah, if this does turn out to be a spike, I thought a short D. spectabile could be something pretty special.
Time will tell - thanks for the encouragement!

WhiteRabbit -
Ditto on the encouragement - thank you! I am hoping for a spike. I know my other Dendrobiums (kingianum, hercoglossum, crumenatum, catenatum) tend to produce keikis. This is my only latouria type, so I will trust your experience regarding what to expect in terms of keikis.

In any case, it will be fun and interesting watching this develop further.

Update on the spike
 

Yes indeed, it did turn into a spike!

First flowering, just 4 buds, but I noticed this morning that the first one is starting to open. I never expected it to start blooming this early (but I'm not complaining!!!). :biggrin: :banana: :bananaslide: :dance:

when the flowers have opened , please share a photo :)

Open at last! Pretty happy with how this turned out.

I've not had much success with Dendrobiums in the past. This is the first one I've raised from seedling to blooming.

http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/mem...p2-640x480.jpg

http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/mem...p5-623x514.jpg

Miniature one! You hit luck!!! :)
How do you like the fragrance?

How long ago did you deflask this plant??
Just want to have some idea as i see a flask on eBay.

Good job! Congratulations!

Congrats! :) I'm still waiting on mine. The flowers are just too cool!

I've got five Latourias and none have ever produced a keiki. I've been wanting to get a spectabile, but it's tall size has always scared me off. But if H&R has a smaller variety, I will have to get one. Yours is marvelous!

Congrats on the blooms! They look great!

Awesome!

This was actually purchased as a Better Gro bagged orchid. A seedling, but a large one, well on its way.

I like the fragrance too - especially because it is so hard to describe. The best that I can come up with is that it's like the lingering after-fragrance in a room where someone has burned a bittersweet incense. Faint, not strong; slightly spicy, with a sharp edge to it. Complex like the flower.

---------- Post added at 05:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:33 AM ----------

H&R may be worth checking, but this one came from Lowes (BetterGro bagged orchid). Thanks for the compliment; I have to see if it stays small, should know after 2 more seasons!

A Lowes bag baby? Wow!