Have you seen one of these on a Catt ?

[FlowerFaerie]

Hi everyone,
I was admiring my lovely new Iwan appleblossom yesterday, and noticed this!
I have no experience in Catts, but it looks unusual to me...
It's growing out of the sheath on a pseudobulb.
Please can someone set my mind at rest & tell me what it is?

 

[NYEric]

The first photo is missing a leaf; the second looks like normal catt sheaths to me.

 

[Rick]

It looks like a new growth coming up from the stem where a spike should be.

I've never had this happen in Catts, but from some Paphs that what I thought had crown rotted or blasted a spike.

 

[nikv]

I've seen this occur in Catts that have been mericloned extensively. Not sure what causes it. I don't think it hurts the plant, but instead of blooming it's putting out a new growth.

 

[FlowerFaerie]

Nikv - Are you saying that this could be an expression of Clonal Degeneration?
That sort of makes sense... thanks.
It's nice to know someone else has seen similar

 

[nikv]

Yeah, I had an I. Appleblossom with the same problem years ago. I think the plant eventually died on me.

 

[maitaman]

Any orchid that blooms from the apex may do this. It is because meristematic tissue that would usually form a bud and flower instead produces another PB. Sometimes if left alone it will form another plant that can be removed and planted. This is nature´s own way to form meristematic clones.

 

[FlowerFaerie]

Thank you. It's nice to learn new things, but I prefer my plants to be predictable until I know what I'm doing.
I will leave it alone and hope for the best. And keep you posted as to what it does next. Perhaps it will turn somersaults in the pot