same plant, new colors!!??

[eikon]

i have a "Burrageara Stefan Isler" - 'Lava Flow' that had 2 spikes, the first (2.5 feet tall) just droped it's last flower, and the second (only about 6in) has been open for a few days. the thing is, the last buds on the first spike and all the flowers on the second are a different shade all-together. anyone have any thoughts on why this may have happened. also the the top 8 inches of first spike turned bright red and drooped just befor droping the last flower.

thanks,
jeff

btw, the first pic is 'then' the second is 'now' (i like now better )

[ScottMcC]

has there been any change to the temperature? with some plants such as the red phrags, this can make a big difference. I'm not sure if it applies to red oncidiums though.

[Anton]

It's a dancing lady, isn't it ?

She just changed her mind and had a change of colors, as they do.... ;o^)

You should see how much BLC Golden Tang changes from the time the flowers open to the time they fall off. Such drama!

[mayres]

Mine looks like "then". I'm assuming "now" is coming off a different pseudobulb? Though environmental conditions and age can affect flower color, I have also purchased a plant before that I thought was a single plant, that did something similar (varied appearance) - later when I went to repot into a different container it fell apart into two separate units - it was in fact two seedlings from the same parent - with quite different looking flowers to each. mike

[eikon]

mayres - the spikes are coming off the same pseudobulb, and the last buds to open on the first spike were this faded color. if it didn't sound so simple i'd think it was an iron deficiency...

[mayres]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing pics and facts. Mother nature always has something intrigueing to send our way. mike

[jerrymeola]

Many flowers will change color especially when they are old and ready to fall off.

I think you will notice that the new red flowers do not last as long as the prior ones. Effectively they have opened with 3/4 of their lifespan already finished.

This often happens when flowering is delayed and flowers open late in the season for whatever reason. It also happens like on yours when the early flowers open and some later buds are delayed.

I have had flowers on a stem for weeks and then the last buds opened and fell off in days.

It made for some nice discussion and something different for you to enjoy.