I forgot to upload these two photos in my other post. While I was at the greenhouses, one of the managers of the greenhouse took me down to the administration wing of the botany department, insisting that I "HAD to see this mutated phal"...I was thinking "hmm...probably just a keiki blooming off some old spike...or a peloric flower..something like that"

Anyway, I was amazed when I saw the following plant. At first, I thought it was a dessicated catt-type.

Upon closer examination, I realized that it was a phal - an incredibly mutated phal. It had a *HUGE* thick spike (old) with a gigantic green leaf wrapped around it! Upon closer examination, it looked like the original mother plant had split into three plants. One of the plants had it's leaves curled up in a funnel! I was shocked. What was more shocking is that lady who has the plant in her office, sitting on a radiator facing an east window says that she "waters it when she remembers to and sometimes mists it."

It seems like the plant is in a bark mix...there is a small plastic pot inside, so I suspect that the small pot was simply put in a larger pot and topped up with mix.

(Here you can see the tube-shaped leaf!)

It's on an east window and has a keiki. The keiki AND the mother plant are throwing out new spikes. Apparently this plant just keeps on blooming and blooming and blooming.

Anyway, that was a freaky experience, but it really shows you the resilience of these plants. I told her that she was probably treading on the thin line between life and death of the plant, but in doing so, she stressed it just the right amount for it to throw out flowers continuously. I find it quite amusing that some of us fuss and fuss over the exact foot candles, air movement etc... and here we have a secretary with a plant on her radiator not really knowing what she's doing, watering randomly when she likes. :) Fun eh!