Help with Phal ID

[Bird Song Farm]

Originally Posted by Gwenchanter

I was at Baldan's yesterday and they had a large phal with one branch that looked like that and the other branch was normal. They told me it was peloric and sometimes one inforescence can bloom that way one year and the next year the peloric trait doesn't show up.

From wikipedia: Peloria or a peloric flower refers to an aberration in which a plant that normally produces zygomorphic flowers (like orchids) produces actinomorphic flowers instead. This aberration can be developmental, or it can have a genetic basis.
(Actinomorphic means radially symmetrical.)

What's happening here is the two lateral petals are immitating the lip by trying to curl inward like the lip does, which produces a more radially symmetrical plant.

Thanks Gwenchanter, that's amazing. On the same spike even! Plants sure are wonderful things! You were at Baldan's!!!!!! That would be more fun for me than a trip to DisneyLand!!

AL
Al