Crown Keiki?
 

This plant was given to my mom by someone in her office around Easter. She brought home and asked if this was a Phal.

I'm assuming it's a Phal with a crown keiki? We have never seen this before. What happens next? Where or should I cut the flower spike?

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...715_185343.jpg
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...715_185409.jpg

Can't see the photo

I am sorry to say but I am pretty sure this is terminal spike. I have an orchid with the same issue. Don't cut the spike off, all you can hope for is basal keiki or one on the stem.

Does terminal spike mean the plant has reached the end of the road and must concentrate on an offspring?

---------- Post added at 01:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:51 PM ----------

how about now?

Yes something like that, it can't produce new leaves as the spike ended the growth...I have had mine for the last 6 months and it keeps flowering! But still no keiki :-(

I have been wondering what you all meant by a terminal spike.

It may produce a basil keiki and carry on growing from that. With an otherwise healthy plant like yours it can still live a long time and has plenty of time to get a new crown started.

I had a Phal with the same terminal spike. The spike and leaves died one by one and I was left with only roots. I kept watering them as usual and it produced a basal keiki. Try to keep it healthy and it'll find a way to keep growing :)

were the flowers purple or blue like the picture shows? & if blue probably been dyed blue. is it also in the process of growing pods, or have the flowers fallen off now?

Terminal spike is when the spike grows out of the very center of the plant where normally leaves come out of, instead of the leaf axil which is where spikes normally come out of.

When a phal develops a terminal spike, it is said that the plant will no longer grow any further unless it makes keikis somewhere on it.

So take a close look next time you go shop for phals. ;)

---------- Post added at 10:38 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:37 AM ----------

I love the cool pose in the picture by the way. :)