What a disappointment!

[bcostello]

I wish I knew how to prevent this. Unfortunately there's not another bud behind it.

First blooming of Phrag (Sunset Glow 'Twilight' AM/AOS , 4N x czerwiakowinanum 'Orchidbabies')

 

[Shiva]

First flowering is often tricky. The fact that it made only one bud suggest that the plant is not strong enough to do better. I got a first spike last summer on my China Dragon and all the buds died in their sheats. It is disheartening but only time can fix it. I don't think you could have done anything to prevent this.

 

[Shiva]

By the way, your phrag as been registered under the name Cahaba Whirlpool. I'm sure it will be fantastic the next time it flowers.

Michel

 

[Ross]

I looks like a pretty little mini Phrag, which is Earl's specialty. Give it another season or two to grow more growths and it most likely will reward you with beautiful blooms.

 

[Kavanaru]

I would give it one or two more seasons and see... my Phrag fischerii has done similar things thefirst two seasons, and then it started giving good flowers..

on the other hand, yours looks kinda funny and cute much better than no pouch or 3 stamies..

 

[goldenrose]

:sob: OH bummer ...... but unfortunately it happens. The color certainly looks good & as others have said, let it grow up and it should be normal!

 

[John M]

I'm not so sure that it's a manifestation of being a young plant; but, the single flower is something typical of a first bloomer. I think the deformity is just a random genetic thing. I've got big, multi-growth besseae-type hybrids that are the picture of health and vigour that produce a flower like that now and then. Remember that our Phrag hybrids are made up of genes from plants that were never meant by mother nature to be mixed together. I think these anomalies are just random genetic mutations brought on by the odd mix of genes from distantly related Phrag species. With this type of breeding, I don't think you're ever going to get away from this totally. Whenever I see a flower like that, I just pull it off and look forward to the next one, which usually is normal.

 

[SlipperKing]

I have to go along with John for the most part. Although I've had deformed Phrag flowers on older plants in a direct relationship to the additives I've added to my water. Once I backed off on the excessive Phosphate, flowers go back to "normal"

 

[SlipperFan]

I have several Phrags that seem to produce petal-less flowers occasionally. Not every flower, not every time. Weird!

 

[NYEric]

The petal lines are there, it just didn't open.

 

[Kevin]

Is it really 'deformed', or did the petals just get stuck? Check what the back of the flower looks like - maybe the petals can be teased out. Humidity might have played a role in this. Could be a minor deformity that caused the petals to get stuck, along with low humidity?

 

[John M]

I see no petals at all; just a dorsal and deformed synsepal.

 

[NYEric]

There's a line where you can see a color break and a small indentation where the petals would separate. What I can't see from the photo is if there is a staminodal structure!

 

[Kevin]

I guess we see it differently. I see a synsepal and petals that look like they got caught between the synsepal and the back of the pouch and can't get out. Need a better view to be sure, though.

 

[John M]

It's an abnormal synsepal. There are no petals. I get flowers just like this from time to time. The synsepal has incorporated the "idea" of petals into it's shape and colour expression; but, there are not separate structures that should be petals. If those red "petal-like" markings on the synsepal are petals, then they should be attached under the dorsal, not over it.