Brown Spot Eating Through Phalaenopsis Leaf

[mycuppybear]

I just noticed a huge deformity in one of the leaves of my phalaenopsis orchid. It's like something just ate through the center of the leaf. It's a huge brown crevice-like spot and it's dryer than the rest of the leaf. Kind of looks like sunburn, or maybe some kind of bacterial/fungal rot? I've seen this before in pictures, but I can't remember what it's called. I think it's pretty common. Please can anyone tell me what this is and how to fix it? Pictures are attached. Luckily, the rest of the orchid looks just fine.

[Ladyofthelakes]

I have an older catt that has a spot like this. I blamed it on sunburn. But I am not sure.

[mehitabel]

Looks like sunburn to me. You say the brown area is hard, and it looks papery in the picture. Rots are soft, mushy brown, not hard. If you ever see a rot, you'll instinctively react EEEEW, it just looks like ROT.

Sunburn can also produce mushy brown areas, but rots don't produce hard.

You say "eating thru" the leaf-- that sounds as if it has grown. But sunburned areas also "grow" in the sense that all the damage doesn't show up right away.

I vote sunburn.

[tansyflower]

I would be likely to vote sunburn, too, especially where it is situated.

Of just about anything it could be (sunburn, fungal, rot, bacterial), sunburn is probably the best.

However I would move the plant, to stop it getting more sunburnt.

[orchids4me]

I vote sun burn also.
Where are you keeping this Phal. ? Window ? If so facing what direction?