I was taking a closer look at my malva this morning and pulled back the leaves. What I found just at the top of a large stem (about 12" tall) was this cluster of what appears to be at least 50 stems that fused together. I have never seen this before. The mass is only 3/4" thick and fans out. Is this weird?
I just stepped out to check all 5 of my large Malva's, none of them have that kind of growth. That looks like it was hit with a shot of caffeine and couldn't handle the jolt
steriods,, organic steroids. but really cool looking! (i don't think there is such a thing as organic steroids, but there should be after seeing that!)
That's called fasciation, and is found in lots of plants. I've had lilies, primroses and even dandelions doing that. It looks weird, but will not be there next year. My fasciated lilies and primula bloomed well despite of it. Link to Wikipedia
That is really interesting Droopy. Thanks for the information. In reading the link, it sounds like it could have been a bacteria or mite? There are seven plants in that bed and this was the only one affected. I started looking at some other plants and the Early Sunrise Corepsis that I planted last year and now in bloom, has several multi-headed buds. I've never seen that either! My yard must be a mutation ground! Yikes!
Each and every garden is an experience of its own. My plants have a tendency to grow bigger than they are suppose to in odd ways. Nature will always surprise us. The fusing together of stems seems like would destroy the plant so I'm happy to read that it is not damaging.
Very strange. But that's ok, any growth is good as long as it's not hurting any of the plant. It's kind of cool really.
The growth does not seem to have hindered the plant. There is a lot of new growth spiking and buds everywhere since the photo was taken.
