| You got it exactly correct. If a spike grows out of the center the crown of the plant is gone. I have a plant like this that has been blooming its heart out since Christmas - I love the plant and flowers and was devastated when this spike came out of the crown area. Though not certain I am suspicious that mealy bugs may have eaten the very small leaves before I even knew they were there? Anyway, as you have noted, I have been told that if I am lucky either the spike will make keikis (nothing yet) or it will develop basal keikis. And yes, with mine as well, the nodes on the spike look much different than a normal spike - each node almost looks like a small leaf covering up the node. Quite unusual. Yes, the mother plant will cease to exist when each of the current leaves have lived their full lifespan. Except for the cut flower value if they were cheap I would not puchase a plant like this unless it was mighty cheap! If/when I get a or some keikis I will post a pic of my plant and show those who might be interested on the forum. mike  |