Cymbidium Butterball - strange growth

[Orquiadicto]

I discovered this growth on my Cymbidium Butterball. It seems to be growing off an old bloom spike. Is this normal?

[Chris in Hamilton]

I don't know. I could never get mine to flower so they went on a winter vacation a couple of weeks ago. I did keep one small one.

[sciencegal]

I could never get mine to flower so they went on a winter vacation a couple of weeks ago.

Winter vacation. That's funny. I used to work for a veterinarian who would say that he was sending a dog to Hawaii when he had to put it to sleep. Ever since then whenever someone tells me that they are going on a vacation to Hawaii I always feel kind of sad for them.

I don't know what the growth is either.

[raybark]

I've seen something like that on occasion, and nothing seemed to ever develop from it. Think of it as a benign vegetative tumor. Being green, it's at least photosynthesizing.

[sciencegal]

It could be a gall which is similar to a benign tumor in animals except that they are caused by parasitic insects, mites, bacteria or fungi. Usually the gall will start out green then turn brown.

[Orquiadicto]

Thank you all. I'll keep an eye on it.