they are not just crystallized or fungusized honeydew are they?
Yeah I know fungusized is not a word.
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The plant is Encyclia cordigera. I noticed the little lumps on the buds, as they ( the buds) enlarged, and wondered what they could be. I have flowered the plant before ( and shown it here) and there are no spots or the like which could explain deformation of the flower. One spike (of two) is much worse than the other, and shown here. When I examined it more closely I could see what looks like scale on the flower stem.
But... I have seen about three forms of scale before, mostly on cattleyas, or Bois DuVal scale like miniature jelly blobs on those south american bulbless genera which have fans of leaves - and its virtually impossible to clean off, because they hide between the leaf bases... but this is different to both. The scale - if that is what it is on the flower stems are a maximum of 2mm long, and they are elliptical not round. So much smaller than the usual scale. Also I see a white foam ? around them. Maybe its the enzyme stuff they produce to enable them to pierce the plant cell walls.
But, curiouser and curiouser. The whole plant is clean ; not a trace of anything anywhere on the leaves or bulbs. Also I have had the plant for 4 or 5 years, this is the second or maybe third flowering, and never had this.
The plant has not been out of the greenhouse to pick up an infection, nothing else in the house is infected as far as I know...
So what is it ? Where did it come from ?
I don't need advice about how to treat the pests ! I have cut the spikes off and destroyed them, and will spray the plant with a systemic insecticide before taking it back.
Comments will be read with interest !
they are not just crystallized or fungusized honeydew are they?
Yeah I know fungusized is not a word.
It reminds me somewhat of clutches of gall wasps at an early stage
Looks like a type of scale to me.