Question
Hello Wayne,

Recently, a second flower spike grew on one of my Phalaenopsis and to my surprise, the color of the flowers on the second spike differs slightly from the color of the flowers on the first spike.

While the petals and sepals are white on both spikes, the lip is deep purple on one while the other is white with tiny purple spots and the edge is yellow.

I thought perhaps the purple gene was turned off in some cells of the lip but I can't explain the yellow. Did my orchid mutate? I am positive that it is a single plant.

Any suggestions?

Answer
Very good question Stephanie.  I have never seen a good explanation for pigment distribution in a plant. Most pigments in orchids are water soluble (or soluble in plant sap) and therefore they are transported via the veins and deposited in specific locations.  Anything that affects the production of pigments or disrupts its destination can result in one flower or group of flowers on the same plant taking on a different concentration or distribution of pigment.  Often as not, flowers on the same plant are not identical in amount and distribution of pigment. Your plant is unusual in my experience in that two different flower spikes have different color distribution.  Make a note of this and check your note the next time this plant flowers to see how consistently this occurs.  Also, if the plant has a keiki, see if it flowers consistently with its parent spike or is also different.

Thanks for sharing your experience-- with orchids, as with many other things we are constantly experiencing and learning.