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Thread: Curious infected plant

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  1. #1
    Real Name
    Geoff Hands
    My Grow Area
    Greenhouse
    Favorite Orchid(s)
    Cattleya ?
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    England, South coast.
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    4,366
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    Default Curious infected plant

    Name:  lumpy.jpg
Views: 518
Size:  105.5 KBName:  scale-.jpg
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Size:  81.2 KB

    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 !

  2. #2
    Real Name
    Mike
    My Grow Area
    Greenhouse
    Favorite Orchid(s)
    Cattleya
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Pensylvania
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    336
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    Default

    they are not just crystallized or fungusized honeydew are they?
    Yeah I know fungusized is not a word.

  3. #3
    Real Name
    Lutz Haunert
    My Grow Area
    Windowsill
    Favorite Orchid(s)
    Paphiopedilum
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Osnabrueck, Germany
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    432
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    Default

    It reminds me somewhat of clutches of gall wasps at an early stage

  4. #4
    Real Name
    Ray Barkalow
    My Grow Area
    Porch/Patio.
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Oak Island NC
    Posts
    2,103

    Default

    Looks like a type of scale to me.

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