I was visualizing saving Spinach water and using that to water the Orchids! 😄😄

@Floridian Have the green marks changed at all? Are there any more appearing on the other flowers, or more on that flower?

I went back and looked at the pictures closely again. In your pictures it's only the one flower that has the green marks, so it's not a disease and probably not insects either. The damage would be more random and widespread.

It looks like those two petals/sepals may have been folded together before the flower opened, and maybe they got bumped (bruised) or otherwise damaged to cause the green color there.

The rest of the flowers look perfect, and the plant looks healthy.

Hi - the green spots are mostly in the one bloom, third, but the one right before it on the flower stalk has some much smaller spots as well, the other blooms look all right…. there are still some small brown spots in/around the green areas. I wondered if it got infected and somehow generated the green spots…. So very strange.

4/18/24




The back side of the green spots


3/15/24
No green spots on third flower, bottom section


I keep it indoors, receives morning light then diffuse light rest of the day, with air circulation provided by a ceiling fan that is on all the time. I mist most days and water weekly +/-….

Floridian said:

It looks almost as if there is a bit of damage at the edge of the tepals near the centre of the discoloured area, as though something has nicked the bloom and pigment has soaked into it from there.

Was this bloom like this from the get-go? I'm wondering if the bud was damaged near the tip. I'm not sure how the petals are folded exactly in a Phal bud, but I'm guessing the two discoloured areas would have (nearly) overlapped in the bud?

They don't look like the spots have changed very much if at all. Didn't spread, didn't turn brown, maybe even faded a little bit. Probably not the result of a fungus or virus or insects. There would be more spots or bigger spots if it was.

It's surely a mystery. Enjoy those pretty flowers.

Since so many of us have never seen anything like this before, I am tempted to suggest that you forget about it. I agree with dyzzy, it is so very unlikely that this an insect or disease, be it fungal or bacterial in origin.
Australis brings up a good point, it might have happened during bud formation, perhaps a mechanical knick of some kind? I am 99.948730% sure that the spots are Botrytis, a fungal disease connected with high humidity and low air movement. It does not stay internally within the plant causing damage every time it flowers. IT IS a warning to improve your culture. Better air movement would be very helpful.

But if the ceiling fan is on 24/7 what other air circulation methods would you suggest?

The bloom started out all white - the last bloom in the 3/15/24 photo corresponds to the green spotted one. I'll just enjoy one of the many mysteries in life. Thanks to everyone for this discussion!

In terms of ceiling fans, it depends on the fan, it's location, size and speed.

When I lived in Florida I had 2 20" oscillating fans blowing in my lanai from 7am until 7pm during most warmer days. That was 10 months a year. I wanted them to gently move flowers and foliage from twenty or so feet away. That I figured was good air movement. I was trying to simulate conditions in the wild.
If humidity and moisture become an issue indoors, you need to stir up the air. If a ceiling fan accomplishes that, that's good.

Fast forward to my plant area in Michigan. It is a 12' x 16' room with four lit plant areas, shelves included. When the plant lights come on in the morning via of a timer, the fan comes on. It is a 20" oscillating fan, set on medium, so that a flower spike gently sways in the breeze. That is good air movement. This $20 fan purchased in 2018 is working just fine! 👍

I appreciate this feed so much! So much information!! THANK YOU !!!