Coelogyne cristata 'spike' confusion
 

Hi there,

I'm new to this website and probably this question has been asked many times before (sorry if it has!) - how do Coelogyne cristata flower spikes and leaf spikes differ in appearance?

I recently purchased a very large Coelogyne cristata which now has spikes emerging from the base of dozens of pseudobulbs. Some pseudobulbs have even got two spikes emerging from their base. The spikes are green in colour with a pointy end and a 'pleated' appearance.

I know Coelogyne cristata is renowned for being a little tricky to bloom so I am not getting too excited at present. The plant is very healthy looking with lush green leaves and plump pseudobulbs. Perhaps it has not had enough of a 'shock' to induce it into flowering (so probably they are just leaf spikes I see).

Any help/ advice would be greatly appreciated. If anyone has a Coelogyne cristata with flower spikes, I would love to see a photo. I guess that once you know the difference between a leaf spike and a flower spike, there is no mistaking the difference!

Mossmac

From your description, they sound like new plant shoots than flower spikes..

Thanks for your reply. That's what my gut feeling is too - but I won't give up hope yet (not until the spikes have grown bigger anyway!). I'm still trying to find photos on the net of Coelogyne cristata flower spikes but no luck ...........

Hi Mossmac,

Here are some pic of Coelogyne cristata flower spikes coming out. It is indeed very hard to see a difference. I currently have psb spikes growing (no picture sorry), and the only difference I can see is a wider angle of the insertion point of the spike. The flower spikes (at least on my plant) where very close to the psb for a while (litteraly touching the psb).
All the new psb growth I can see right now on my plant make a wider angle at the insertion point with the old psb (more than 30 degrees). Let me know if I am not clear ;)

Thank you for your great description of differentiating between flower spikes and pseudobulb spikes by way of the angle they emerge from the pseudobulbs. Very informative - I had no idea! Looking closely at my plant, I would say that most of the spikes have a wide angle between the spikes and the pseudobulbs so I guess the majority are pseudobulb spikes. However, there do appear do be a few that are growing up very close to the pseudobulbs so I do still have some hope that I might just have some flower spikes in there! Only time will tell! I would be over the moon if it did produce some flowers this year!

Just trying now to upload a picture I took of some of the emerging spikes. This is what the majority of them look like.

These look indeed like the new growths on mine... but on second thoughts, and because you are in the southern hemisphere, you must be at the end of winter now (tell me if I'm wrong...), so you might have flower spikes growing unless the plant didn't get enough cold the last few months.
in any case, your plant looks BIG and very healthy ! So when it will decide to bloom, it is going to be amazing to see and to smell !!!

Yes, we are just coming out of winter now (where I am we can get the very occasional frost but generally winters are mildish). However, I do have my Coelogyne cristata growing indoors. Perhaps it has not had enough extremes of temperature to initiate flower spikes forming. Perhaps it is just getting too much 'pampering' inside and I need to give it a bit more 'shock' treatment for next year. Maybe even put it outside for some cold night treatment when winter commences next year!

According to books, it needs cool (down to 5 degree celcius at night) and dry (very little to no water) conditions for at least 3 months to promote flowering.
Let us know what is happening with these growing spikes!

Will do!