What are Sympodial Orchids?

"When we look at particularly a cattleya orchid, one of the unique features we find is the way the plant grows across what the media that it lives in. It grows much like the fingers of a hand where the root and rhizome grows across the surface. The bud and the leaf come out in an erect position or though sometimes they'll drape over the plant. This is one of the tricks that you need to know when you pick exhibiting style level plants. Some of these orchids tend to be one track mind and go with one shoot across the medium. Where as others decide that they're going to split and split and split. When you get an orchid that does that, this is one that a good grower would grab onto because this is one that's going to be a show plant for him. When he gets that he knows it's going to be multiple buds and multiple flowers."