Mycorrhiza on Paph?

[The Mutant]

I took a quick peek at the roots on my Paph. hookerae yesterday (only removed a few bits of bark), and found the root system being surrounded by this weird brown fuzz. Some kind of fungus I figured, but the roots looked healthy so I decided to not do anything about it except to try and find out what it could be and if I should be worried.

Today I googled on it and what I've found is that it looks like it's some sort of mycorrhiza, but is that even possible?

I can't take pictures of it without unpotting the hookerae (which I don't want to), so I found this picture on the web which is exactly what it looks like, except it's brown:

If it is mycorrhiza, where on earth did it come from? It's not something that spontaneously appears in the substrate normally, is it? If it isn't mycorrhiza, what could it be?

 

[eggshells]

I took a quick peek at the roots on my Paph. hookerae yesterday (only removed a few bits of bark), and found the root system being surrounded by this weird brown fuzz. Some kind of fungus I figured, but the roots looked healthy so I decided to not do anything about it except to try and find out what it could be and if I should be worried.

Today I googled on it and what I've found is that it looks like it's some sort of mycorrhiza, but is that even possible?

I can't take pictures of it without unpotting the hookerae (which I don't want to), so I found this picture on the web which is exactly what it looks like, except it's brown:

If it is mycorrhiza, where on earth did it come from? It's not something that spontaneously appears in the substrate normally, is it? If it isn't mycorrhiza, what could it be?

Perhaps spore from the old mix retained in the roots or from the old growing environment.

 

[PaphMadMan]

There's no reason your plant couldn't have a mycorrhizal symbiont. If any plant in your collection was ever in a place where wild collected Paphs were kept, or even with a plant that had been exposed to wild collected plants, it doesn't take much to spread fungal spores around. Most mycorrizhae can survive without symbiosis, and once established in a greenhouse could be there forever, ready to find a friend if one comes along. On the other hand, mycorrizhae are often closely related to pathogens, and it would take an expert to sure. I'd watch it carefully for a while.

 

[The Mutant]

Must be. I can't think of where it could've come from otherwise. There was no mycorrhiza that I could see when I repotted it after I got it home, so it must've been retained in the roots.

There's no reason your plant couldn't have a mycorrhizal symbiont. If any plant in your collection was ever in a place where wild collected Paphs were kept, or even with a plant that had been exposed to wild collected plants, it doesn't take much to spread fungal spores around. Most mycorrizhae can survive without symbiosis, and once established in a greenhouse could be there forever, ready to find a friend if one comes along. On the other hand, mycorrizhae are often closely related to pathogens, and it would take an expert to sure. I'd watch it carefully for a while.

Well, I was wondering if the hookerae had been collected in the wild or similar when I got it, so it's not impossible. I'll keep an extra eye on it and hope it isn't a pathogenic fungus.

 

[Stone]

That's not mycorrhiza. orchids form asscociations with endo-mycorrihzas. (which are microscopic). That looks like some kind of mycelium from a rotting fungus And the root tip on that pic is far from healthy!

 

[orcoholic]

fusarium???

 

[The Mutant]

Thanks for your input, guys. I think I've gotten more of an idea of what it is/was and how to deal with it because of your comments.

I have repotted the hookerae and treated it, and put it on the stove of shame where it'll stay until I know if the fungus was bad, or if it was "ordinary" fungus gone haywire. The entire rootsystem was covered in the mycelium (thanks for the term Mike), but the majority of the roots were fine, so I really don't know.

I've also found four other Paphs with the same kind of mycelium growing in their pots, but the fungus seem to behave differently in these pots, and the Paphs have plenty of growing roots, so I really don't know what to do with them, except keep an extra eye out.

That's not mycorrhiza. orchids form asscociations with endo-mycorrihzas. (which are microscopic). That looks like some kind of mycelium from a rotting fungus And the root tip on that pic is far from healthy!

I think it is, not certain though: WSL - Mycorrhiza

Mycelium! Thank you for telling me that term (fungus noob here)! I could finally do some proper search and actually find what it could be beside mycorrihza. I just wish the search had yielded more positive results.

fusarium???

Doesn't seem like it, but rhizoctonia is a very probable candidate, unfortunately... Here's a link to what this wonderful fungus can do if you didn't know that already: St. augustine Orchid Society- Orchid Pests and Diseases, scroll down to Fungal root rot. I just really hope it isn't rhizoctonia, because that seem really bad.