Joanna,

One of my Phals put out two spikes last year basically at 90 degree angles
to the plant. They were impossible to stake. Very odd!

Diana

"J Fortuna" wrote in message
news:6KH%g.80843$073.60352@trnddc01...
Steve,
Ah, that is indeed probably what happened. That makes sense! In fact when
I rescued the tip, it seemed stuck and I think I had to sever a link to
the plant body at one point (not at the tip but close to it), but I had
not understood what had happened. Thanks for the explanation,
Joanna

"Steve" wrote in message
...
J Fortuna wrote:
This is the weirdest spike I have ever seen: I just discovered that my
phal equestris is in spike and must have been for quite a while without
my noticing it. The spike is under the lowest leaf and it circled back
and the tip of the spike had burrowed into the plant so that it was
attached to the plant's core (or whatever the part of the plant which
the leaves are attached to is called) both at the bottom and at the tip
of the spike in a full circle. .............................

My best guess would be that the spike didn't circle back and dig in, but
that the tip of the spike never left the plant in the first place. I
think it got hung up at the beginning and as the stem tried to grow it
pushed out as a loop.

Steve