I posted a picture of this a couple of days ago and could not recall the name of the deformity. Tonight I looked it up. The anomaly is called fasciation and its cause can be hormonal, genetic, bacterial, fungal viral or due to environmental conditions. It can occur in over a hundred sorts of plants manifesting in the roots, stems, flower heads or fruit. It is relatively unusual, but I have seen it several times in my own garden with plants that I have bought from garden centre's. The etiology that I find most interesting is the genetic one. I know for instance that it occurs in some species of the Celosia. These are plants that I first saw in the Generalife gardens of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. That was many years ago, but now one can buy these plants at most garden centre's. Well for some its manifestation in plants, may be seen as a ridiculous deformity...but for me--I find any deviation from the norm interesting, and sometimes beautiful precisely THROUGH it's aberrance. Botanical fasciation is no exception.
It is weird looking but at the same time my eyes keep going to the stalk (?) leaf (?) and it makes me wish I could touch it. I like it.
The things one learns here! I had heard about fasciation, but never seen an example in the real world (other examples were photos or drawings). I think Frank ought to sign this site up with a university--we could all be associate professors, but Sjoerd would get tenure!
Yes, NETTY--I had seen it before too, over the years. I had learned about it when I was at uni...but I had forgotten about it until seeing it again, this time in the digitalis. I had never seen it in Digitalis though. You are right, RONNI-- I had to look twice to be sure I was seeing what I thought I was seeing. 2OF--It is indeed weird to look at. Fascinating. Chortle...JANE--you just won't do. Well, one thing is certain--one learns a lot on this website. We learn new things and see some interesting and nice things as well. What a site, eh?
Hi. I had an old quite tall Forsythia bush growing in my last garden and many of its long stems were fasciated in their width - quite wide and flat. It always looked to be growing away very healthily and flowered without fail early every year. Another the same quite close by to it ( is it catching) was a Kerria bush. Ma natures little quirks ??.
Interesting Sydney. I believe that it can be catching, but I cannot recall 100%. I have noticed that other plants close by can develop this phenomenon. I used to think that it only spread via the seeds produced from the plant with the anomaly.
Hi sjoerd. Nature for sure is a most wonderful wonderful thing altogether and in spite of the huge mountain of knowledge we have amassed about it all there's still a great deal we have to learn - and probably even more we never will learn - is it not infinitely variable?. Another thing I have always kept a sharp eye out for on plants (especially shrubs) is the production of "sports" - in the garden and in the wild - have come across it quite often and now and then "rescued" them and grown them on. One thing I am totally convinced of is that there is a balance in nature and given an even chance (ref mans often negative interfering) she will finally have the last word. Ma nature in all areas needs all the help she can get in this day and age (especially) and we gardeners can take pride I think in that we are all doing just this. So very much now in the wild is gone/going and so many birds insects plants etc of many types now rely on our gardens and plants to compensate for these losses. Nice to talk to you. Best wishes. Syd.
Too right, Syd--nature is indeed a wonderful thing. What do you mean when you said that you look for is the production of "sports" ? Thanks for your comment. I enjoy ed reading it.
Hi sjoerd. Ref "sports" - you will be perfectly familiar with this - similar to fasciation another little "deviation" in plant growth. On an all green foliaged plant a variegated (say green & yellow) growth will appear. Probably other names for them but "sports" is a regular one. As I said I have seen them on a number of plants - even once in a field a large and thriving bed of common stinging nettles which had quite an amount of green and white foliage - I took a small piece of stem and root and grew it on in a pot in the greenhouse just for interest - it maintained its dual colours. Syd.
I guess that applies to a variegated sedum I have that will grow a solid green stem now and then. It must be trying to revert back to the original plant. I pull it out as it grows so much faster that the 'sport'.
