Keiki or massive growth?

[Miamiheat]

Hi,
This mini phal is growing what seems to me like a basal Keiki right from the crown: does that make sense?
Other option is its growing a few leaves at the same time.
Would the first option mean my phal wont grow anymorw and the keiki will replace it?

thanks for your input

[MattWoelfsen]

Yes, I agree that Your assessment of your plant is correct. That does look like a keiki. It will look odd for several seasons until the bottom leaves fall away. Phals are very hardy and respond to their environment by either growing new leaves and roots or flower spike--if it has all the right environmental factors. Or if the environmental conditions stress it out, it responds by doing what yours did, grow a crown keiki. I have seen Phals grow keiki at the base of the plant, at the axil and leaf, like yours--in the crown, or on spent flower spikes.

Something happened to your Phal in the last few months that caused it to grow this keiki. This event probably occurred at the time the small round leaf was growing out, something happened to the plant to stop that leaf from developing further.