Leave of spike?

[Elena]

I can't seem to find any info if Catt. gaskellianas are monofoliate or bifoliate so I would love to know if these are spikes or leaves on mine

[smartie2000]

Because the very tip of the meristematic tissue (in the second photo) in between the leaf has become brown, it will not grow anything unfortunately. This is where the plant would normall sheath. That's I find windowsill catts to be at least, some leaves just never send a sheath to bloom and they have that brown tip to the meristem. However these leaves will support the next growths to bloom. Try to keep the meristem green, I would guess humidity would aid in doing that but I'm not sure. You will notice younger mature growths will have a green meristem with no brown tip and will be ready to sheath. I need another member's thoughts though because I haven't studied enough on catts

[jtlqh]

A spike usually come out of a seath, the seath is at the top of the bulb, and the base of the leave. A seath usually developed while the leave is still folded. Sometimes, a spike can come directly from the top of the bulb with a seath. But I think your plant is still too young to bloom, wait until it gets more than 7 matured bulbs.

Qing

[Elena]

Thank you both What ARE those things though?

[smartie2000]

what is the beginnings of a sheath or leaf. It is meristematic tissue that has not differentiated yet. Yes all my young plants have that.

[Elena]

A-ha! Thanks again

Sorry for the daft questions, I'm still very new to this

[smartie2000]

Catts develop sheaths while the leaves are still fold! wow, I didn't know that. I know that my conditions aren't as ideal as a glass house and humidity and light tends to be low. My mature windowsill plants don't do that. The sheaths come out of opened leaves I think.
I have young catts under lights with high humidity and I'll see if I'll get a sheath before the leaf opens. Some of them are now blooming size or near blooming size.

[jtlqh]

Well, I did not have many catts, but for the ones I got, the seaths were already there when the leaves unfolded. But sometimes one leave opened with no seath but a spike emerged after a few weeks.

[Piper]

Catt gaskelliana is a unifoliate Catt, but they sometimes put out two leaves as yours has done. The silly plants just don't pay close attention when they read those orchid textbooks!

You can look for a spike after you have 4 mature p-bulbs. I don't remember if mine first bloomed with 4 or 5. Sometimes, before they're mature enough to bloom, they'll put up a sheath that doesn't do anything. It's like they're trying the steering wheel out before they're old enough to drive.

Silly Catts!

McJulie

[Elena]

Thanks for clarifying that, all the PBs on mine have one leaf except for one so this young lady clearly hasn't been paying attention in class.

Btw, roughly at what age is a PB considered to be mature?