"Siamese" flower on a Phalaenopsis

[EstebanJ]

Hi there,
I thought I should ask this here. I have this Phal mini with a "siamese" flower. Is this a sign of something like lack of water/light/fertilizer?

[early]

It's beautiful, looks healthy. Genetic like in human or other animals?

[rbarata]

What do you mean by "siamese" flower?

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by rbarata

What do you mean by "siamese" flower?

rbarata - just some word - generally seen from a term 'siamese twins'. Two individuals co-joined. The origins of the word does link back to Thailand/Siam.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by rbarata

What do you mean by "siamese" flower?

In people, it would be "conjoined twins" and that is what appears to be the case on these flowers as well. When the flowers developed, they did not separate properly. It could be one-time mutation or could be a genetic issue with the plant it it re-occurs. Probably not due to any cultural factor. It could have been an issue in the cloning process if it is more than a one-off instance.

[rbarata]

I know what siamese means...I just can see how it applies to this.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by rbarata

I know what siamese means...I just can see how it applies to this.

At one time, conjoined twins were called "Siamese twins" ... I think that historically, there was a pair of these twins who grew to adulthood, that were in Thailand (Siam at the time) that were extensively written about. I also recall that they were exhibited in a circus... horrible exploitation, early in the 20th century...

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by EstebanJ

Hi there,
I thought I should ask this here. I have this Phal mini with a "siamese" flower. Is this a sign of something like lack of water/light/fertilizer?

Hard to pin-point the cause. It is like observations of nature, where we do occasionally encounter these situations. The actual cause is probably so far unknown - as in what happens during cell development - as in what factors starts or triggers it. Eg. is it hormonal imbalance, too much of a particular kind or mix of nutrient/fertilser that might increase the probability of it occurring during bud development? Cosmic ray bombardment? etc.

[rbarata]

Ah, now I understand after looking at the photo with more attention.

[EstebanJ]

Thank you Roberta for your reply. I thought that maybe I was doing something wrong. This is the 4th year this one blooms and never had this issue before.

By the way, love that Sagan’s quote too.
Best regards from Canada