Rlc. Miss Thailand “Mariya”- what is happening?
 

I purchased this as a seedling with very few roots 10 months ago. Since purchase it has grown loads of roots, one “normal” pseudobulb and this, most recent, monster!

It is potted in a medium grade orchid bark with a little sphagnum, grown on a west facing windowsill with supplemental LED lights. There is a slight tinge of purple that isn’t clear in the pictures so I think it is receiving enough light.

I am fairly new to Catts and haven’t seen anything quite like this! What is happening please?

It's confused. Seedlings often develop unusual growth somewhere between a sheath and a leaf when they're almost big enough to bloom. As it gets more mature it will probably be more normal.

There is a very small chance it's a plant with monstrose growth and it will always be abnormal. But that's very unlikely.

Wow! It’s true one really does learn something new every day! I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a bloom one it’s next growth cycle!

+1 on what ES said.

It is more common to see mutations in a cloned plant such as this one. Some clonal propagation processes produce more mutations than others. In seedling populations, mutations do occur, but they seldom make it past a very early stage in their development, if they germinate at all.

It is not at all uncommon for a plant to make a “practice sheath” on the last one or two growths before first bloom as well.