Den. Queen Emma: Odd spike position?
 

I'm waiting for my camera to recharge so I can post pics, but has anyone else seen a phal type den spike from the base of a cane?

The growth is very small, but I am 99.9% positive that it's a spike. This plant has been in recovery for 6+ months after a cold spell killed the roots. Since then it's produced one keiki which has already gotten big enough for me to pot up, and it started on another keiki about 3 weeks ago. So at this stage I know what the keikis look like when they start - you can see the two little points of the top leaves nearly immediately, and they're smaller and greener.

Anyway, I'm pretty confident it is not the den's swan song - but I could be wrong. When I removed the first keiki I checked the roots and it was growing new ones. I've also been misting it daily with water and a very diluted foliar feed and I thought it was recovering nicely. Does anyone think I should check the roots again maybe? I really don't want to disturb it again so soon, but I'm also curious.

Update: here's a pic

I can't really tell from the pic. I would suspect a keiki, but Dens can do funny things sometimes lol

I would guess a new cane. But as White rabbit said Dens can do funny things sometimes. Keep us informed.

Just my :twocents: Don't disturb the roots yet-let it grow a little longer. It looks an awful lot like the new growth on most of my dens and that's terrific after a freeze!

I had a Latouria (I think it was an aexandrae) spike from the base of many growths this winter. It was a phenomena to be sure, the whole base was covered in flowers.

I don't know, but that really looks like a new growth to me. My Den Phal freqeuntly makes keikis, and not all of them look like little leaves from the very beginning.

Thanks guys! I think I will leave it for the moment and will update you when the 'growth' is a little bigger!

I would agree that it looks like the new growths on mine at the momment.

However the other thing I note is that it's not RIGHT at the base, but part way on that very small cane. A spike could come from part way down a cane so I would not think it so strange if it IS a spike.

That's good to know as well. Being a phal type den I thought the spikes only grew from the very tip of the canes - certainly all the previous times this plant has spiked it's been from the tips of the canes.

I have gotten keikis (tho not on den-phals, but kingianum) from low on the cane - as previously said - Dens can do interesting things - I think we are all curious now to know what your Den is doing! ;) Let us know, please?