Is this a virus?

[norris]

I bought an Oncidium noid ( I think Sharry Baby) from Trader Joe's a few weeks ago... I got so smitten by the blooms and fragrance that I paid little attention to the condition of the plant after I got it home I noticed the leaves have these clear circular marks on them and the little new growth has them also, and the new growth looks distorted. I think I've read that these are symptoms of virus, I would appreciate your opinions.

[englandfx]

hmmm not sure about this type of orchid, I am more familiar with phalaenopsis.

But it does look rather strange....the circles on the leaves

[jerrymeola]

It could be a hundred differnt things but a virus would be low on the list. The chlorophyll is dying in those spots. It could be from too much heat while water was on the leaves (my first guess), not enough air circulation in the growing conditions (would be my second guess).

If the spots do not grow they can be ignored. If they turn brown or black it was probably sunburn.

I have seen a lot of Phalaenopsis like this this year. It is just the problem of growing too many orchids in too small a space.

[Brooke]

It could also be the damage inflicted by scale. I would check every crack and crevice of the plant to see if you can find any new outbreaks.

To be safe, keep the plant segregated and not touching other plants in case it is scale or a possible virus.

Brooke

[norris]

Thanks for the reply's, I checked for scale, mites, and whitefly, and there are none. It seems to be only on the tips of the leaves. I will keep it separate from the other ones for a while in the hope that is just sunburn... and if the new growth still keeps getting them in my care... off to the dumpster

[digitalgate]

it could be due to fungus attack as well. watch it carefully quarantine from the rest of your collection just to be safe.

[PhalPal]

Norris I have a Sharry Baby and from the get-go it hasn't been a very pretty plant. I got it from the grower, ordered it online, and it scared me when I took it out of the box. It was covered with black fungal spots and an assortment of other blemishes. I inquired about all of this and I guess it is fairly normal for an Oncidium of this type. It just seems to be extra sensitive to environmental changes and shows it's displeasure on its leaves. Definately not my favorite orchid; I like them to look pretty in the off season as well.

[norris]

PhalPal, I know what you mean. Not only does mine have these clear spots, it also has the black fungal ones. Plus a few leaves are split and torn. Now that the flowers are gone it just looks sad

[jerrymeola]

Lack of air circulation I mentioned earlier could easily cause leaf fungus from many different fungi.

Phyllostictina capitalensis syn Phyllostictina pyriformis is a common one that mainly attacks Dendrobium and Vanda but can attack any species. It will produce the exact circular pattern you show and it can progress to black spots next. If it spreads cutting it off is the best approach. If it stops as it often does you can ignore it. In general it is relatively harmless to the plant but unslightly.

It is very common on Sharry Baby and is one of the reasons so many Sharry Baby hybrids were produced and released this year. The hybrids seen to be more resistent to the fungi and retained the chocoloate smell. Normally on Sharry Baby the spots are not so large and usually black rather than ligher areas on the leaf.

[labney]

I bought a Sharry Baby 3 weeks ago at Hill Top Orhids and it was in bud..now it is in full bloom and beautiful and smells like chocolate...I wouldn't give up on it.

[katrina]

I have several oncids w/similar/same markings. I think some do this no matter what we do. All of mine are inside right now so no chance of sunburn, I do not mist so no water sitting on the leaves, there is absolutely no scale or other insects and they are moving from the air flow of fans 24/7...and still some get those spots.

[JLu]

Look here to see if you can match your problem.

Diagnosing Orchid Problems

[amersault]

my Howeara has the same thing, Norris, and it seems to do it no harm. it came that way when i acquired it. so long as the new growth doesn't have it, i'm not too worried. just give it lost of air circulation to be safe.

now for the more important question:

it looks like you've got a lot of plants in the background of that shot.

can we have the full view please?

[PhalPal]

I have had my Sharry Baby outside with no other plants around it becaue I isolated it when I received it from the grower. It grew new leaves this year and they have fungal spots as well. I didn't get a spike; I think it is too cold for it during winter. However, I am reluctant to bring it inside with my phals and catts because of the fungal spots.

This is my first year of growing oncs. I had four Twinkles outside all year and they all have numerous spikes, same conditions as the Sharry Baby. Does anyone know if these two plants should do well in the same conditions/temperatures?? Should I have expected spikes on the Sharry Baby, or is it just not a healthy plant?? It's hard to tell with all the supposedly 'normal' marks all over it.

[norris]

amersault, I guess it's time I updated my growing space pic It's been about a year since I posted there.

PhalPal, Maybe these Sharry Baby's are the sickly little runts of the orchid world I'm going to keep mine separate from the others just in case it is something I don't want to spread.

[trinigirl]

PhalPal, maybe the Sharry Baby will flower this year in the fall. Mine flowers around nov,dec, and sounds like it looks like yours. I have had it about 5 years, and it always flowers around the same time of the year. It does have those black spots on the leaves.

[CulpableCaptive]

Originally Posted by norris

I bought an Oncidium noid ( I think Sharry Baby) from Trader Joe's a few weeks ago... I got so smitten by the blooms and fragrance that I paid little attention to the condition of the plant after I got it home I noticed the leaves have these clear circular marks on them and the little new growth has them also, and the new growth looks distorted. I think I've read that these are symptoms of virus, I would appreciate your opinions.

A virus would be my LAST concern.
My first concern would be damage from scale.
I can not see the leaves too clearly on my computer but if you don’t find any insects after a thorough check, I wouldn’t worry about it.
Wipe the leaves with a piece of cotton dipped in peroxide and keep an eye on things. If you don’t get any more it could have been something (mechanical) which took place between the greenhouse and Trader Joe’s.

Viruses, bacteria or fungus show up as different markings.
It has been my experience to see viruses show up as red, yellow or black spots or streaks but the same makings can show up and be less serious and threatening problems, such as mechanical damage of some sort.

As it stands right now, I wouldn't worry about it.

[Stitz]

FWIW,
It sure looks like scale damage to me. In my experience, Oncidium plants have been especially vulnerable to scale. For me, they require so much extra vigilance that I'm considering a BAN on Oncidiums.

--Stitz--

[lissie0113]

Originally Posted by amersault

my Howeara has the same thing, Norris, and it seems to do it no harm. it came that way when i acquired it. so long as the new growth doesn't have it, i'm not too worried. just give it lost of air circulation to be safe.

i just aquired a Howeara also... and one of the older growths has some spots on it. i separated it from the others so as to not spread whatever it may be. is this potentially normal??