I suspect it's just a leaf...it doesn't look like a kiki.

Keikis have to start like any other orchid, one leaf at a time, right?

Sounds like a keiki to me.

Well put it this way, without seeing the interior of leaf and the base closer with a better well-lit picture, it looks like just a leaf.

Hey everyone, I don't know if its just me but that also looks like a terminal spike to me in the second picture.

If I am correct, then the plant might be trying to send out a keiki in order to save itself.

Now it might work as well as might not because the spike continued to grow after the leaf. So the most you can do is ensure its cared for and watch to see if it will developed properly. The mother leaves also look a bit dry and wrinkled which might be from over watering or under watering in which case the roots have be damaged.

Are you able to see the roots, are they healthy? Velleta

I hadn’t even looked that closely at the spike. It does appear to be a terminal spike! The kieki would start off with two small leaves growing out together. Those first new leaves should grow out almost simultaneously. Without better photos it’s hard for us to know exactly what your plant is doing.

As far as I can tell, she’s happy as can be! She’s been flowering since November and continues to bloom. I’m not sure what you mean by sendin out a terminal spike? But I’d love to learn. This was a double spike Phil from when I first got it.

Oh I didn't look closely enough at the second picture. It is a terminal spike (aka the plant will no longer flower and is at the end of its life).

Definitely check the roots and see if anything is wrong.

So let me try and explain "terminal spike" for you. This is when a phalaenopsis orchid sends a spike from the very top of the plant instead of on the side between the leaves which is where it normally appears.

Now phals grow from the center up so by sending a spike there it indicates that the plant will no longer produce leaves and once it stops producing leaves then we all know what will happen.

Plants are smart and once they realize that something is wrong they go into proprogation mode so they replicate themselves by sending out a keiki hoping to continue the generation.

You might be wondering at this point what causes a terminal spike? Well sometimes just nature but sometimes other things goes wrong.

Also please remember a spike does not mean a plant is healthy, a plant will send up a spike as a last resort hoping to get pollinated to continue its generation. Once it feels its in danger of dying, it will put all its energy into the spike.

Your best bet is to as I said before check the roots if you can, green means good, brown means trouble.

I have seen a phal send up a terminal spike and then send out leaves beside the spike and continued to grow but that's very rear. Or it will try and send out another keiki at the base of the plant, this is called a " basal keiki" . but that's another story.

Please do a through check on the plant, try some better pics and let us see how best we can help. ( I hope I did not bore you to death with my lengthy explanation). VELLETA.

Ok, here are more pictures that I hope you think are better.

The first pic is of the whole orchid, but from the other side.

The second picture is of the roots. Everything i read talks about brown roots being bad. They are certainly not brown. I dont think she looks dry and wrinkled at all?

The second & third pics are closer up, of the leaf in question. I guess I see what you are saying about it coming out of the top. Could you be a terminal spike if I bought it that way in November and she’s been blooming like crazy ever since? I struggle a little bit with it being a terminal spike. 1) because it's not anew spike, it's been a double sore phal since I got it.

Yes, sadly it is terminal, but hopefully keikis will develop or a new growth point will emerge. I still don't see that leaf on the stalk being a keiki, but you still didn't take a point in deep into the where the leaf joins the stalk (top and bottom). Look for growth point or roots at the base.

Yep terminal, and the roots look fine. So just wait and see what it does. If you bought it that way then it was there before you. So the only thing you can do is continue to give it care and wait. Velleta

That pot is very dry. Did you water it after you took the picture? Better too dry than too wet but there's a limit to that statement lol.

When you water, do the roots plump and turn a bright green color?

If you haven't watered it, soak the pot in some room temperature water for 10-15 minutes then allow to drain propped up 45degrees (I use a large measuring cup to suspend the pot above the drained water; I can take pictures to demonstrate if my description fails to elicit proper understanding.)

I’m sorry about your orchid. It does look lovely. I have learned a lot from this discussion as I had never heard of a terminal spike. It does seem awfully weird that such a young and healthy looking orchid would send out a terminal spike. I have a 20+ year old phal that has two spikes now, neither of which is terminal. Please let us know what happens to her and if she grows a Keiki.