Are fasciated scapes common?
I'm breaking this series of photos out from the ones I intended to post showing the hosta scaping or blooming or producing a pod.
Because IF I'm understanding this right, there are possibly 5 out of 20 of my scaping hosta which may well have fasciated scapes. And I did not think it was a common event.
First, Alex Summers. This is the first one I noticed. Now it is blooming but it looks like an air raid siren mounted on top of a pole, quite unlike a normal hosta bloom stalk.
Then, Orange Marmalade, it looked almost like a leaf until I touched it and saw it was growing funny. Can you see it clearly?
And Ginsu Knife.....that is a fragrant hosta, not many bloom this early. But here it is with this scape shooting up with a growth on the top like a spider plant! In MAY no less....
Then, Climax.....is that a fasciated scape or am I getting gun shy here?
{{gwi:1014470}}
And here's Frances Williams (from Lowes) which is finished blooming on this scape, which has some leaves/bracts, which I find unusual in size, and the blooms were a bit strange too.
I have some normal scapes growing which look sweet or did when they were fresh. Those 15 will be done in an existing thread somewhere else.
Am I right about any of these being fasciated scapes? I suppose this will be a unique growing year start to finish.
Comments (22)
Babka NorCal 9b
10 years agoUser
10 years agoRelated Discussions
cockscomb / fasciation???
Comments (8)I haven't seen this before, but it looks like it could be the result of a gall. Some insects inject a chemical into the plant that causes it to form a natural pod around the eggs the insect lays. If the insect layed the eggs in a bud, it could cause this type of growth. The insect is the Rhododendron Gall Midge, Clinodiplosis rhododendri. Clinodiplosis rhododendri usually over-winters in the soil as a prepupa. Pupation occurs in spring, with the adult midge emerging just as the hosts begin vegetative growth. There may be two additional generations yearly corresponding with flushes of rhododendron growth. Eggs are laid in clusters on the undersurfaces of leaves that are emerging from buds. Larval feeding causes a downward and inward rolling of leaf margins. Larvae mature in about seven days, drop to the ground, burrow in and make a cocoon. There is also a fungus that can cause this. Exobasidium Leaf and Flower Gall, Exobasidium vaccinii: Exobasidium vaccinii is a very common fungal disease in the spring during wet, humid, cooler weather on azaleas and occasionally on rhododendrons. Some of the native rhododendron species (azaleas) are more susceptible than hybrid rhododendrons. In April and May leaves and buds of infected plants develop distorted growth. The fungus invades expanding leaf and flower buds causing these tissues to swell and become fleshy, bladder-like galls. Initially, the galls are pale green to pinkish. Eventually, they become covered with a whitish mold-like growth. Fungal spores are produced within the white growth and are spread by water-splashing or wind to other expanding leaf or flower buds, or they adhere to newly formed buds, over-winter, and infect these buds the following spring. Older leaves and flowers are immune to infection. As the galls age, they turn brown and hard. The disease does not cause significant damage to affected plants. It just looks unsightly. If only a few plants are affected, pick and destroy galls. Here is a link that might be useful: How to care for rhododendrons and azaleas....See MoreIs this a fasciated scape too
Comments (6)That's interesting Paul. I like your photo (bottom right blue)---it's cute. When I divided my Crusader last year, I was surprised to find that the three eyes were fused together. I did not have experience in dividing a hosta that had eyes blended together like that. I had read about using a knife and cutting the eyes with a good amount of root, and that is what I did. I was thinking that perhaps that one division had been damaged maybe? I was looking forward to seeing this hosta develop, but unfortunately, it got knocked off its shelf and the top portion of the hosta was broken off. But we'll see what happens and what develops next year. Weekendweeder, is one of your photos Rainforest Sunrise? I got mine last year and it developed an interesting shaped flower bract. Maybe it is common for that hosta---I don't know....See MoreFasciation... is it contagious?
Comments (4)Alexis--has a meteor flown over your place--real low, recently? :O) Global warming?? btw--it's been in the 50's at night here, several nights--unheard of for June, for sure! It's been great weather to work in the garden for sure!! I hope someone else will have a more knowledgeable response, but, me--I'm thinking it's that meteor or alien space ship that has entered your fly-over zone, or maybe the nuclear plant in your backyard! ;o)...See MoreFlower without a scape?
Comments (6)Babka, there was an interesting exchange on Hostapix at he beginning of the month with a lot of scientific information coming from George Schmid. Unfortunately I seem to have misplaced parts of the exchange somehow, so I cannot quote, but I got the distinct impression that extreme temperature fluctuations when they're coming out of dormancy affects some aspects of meristem development, particularly as it relates to scape and flower matters. I'll do some digging and see if I can find it... and I think I found it, it came in the form of a Word document... which I will quote in its entirety here: Fasciation 2009 by W. George Schmid The ability of monocots (and other plants) to initiate organs is provided by stem cells called meristems. During normal growing conditions, he balance between stem cell proliferation and organ initiation is regulated to provide normal growth patterns. This ensures that organs are initiated in inherited geometric patterns, i.e. flowering stems, raceme arrangement, flowers, a.s.o. This growing process is highly dynamic and involves the reiterative initiation of new primordia (the earliest stage of embryonic development) from groups of stem cells called meristematic cells. Leaves and the axillary meristems that generate scapes, branches, and flowers are initiated in regular patterns from the shoot apical meristem. This meristem has the ability to regulate size during development by balancing cell proliferation with the incorporation of cells into new primordia. This results in stereotypical pattern of organ initiation throughout the plantÂs development. Thus, the shoot apical meristem controls the function and patterning of the shoot. Mutant cells in the shoot apical meristem can cause meristem enlargement, which in extreme cases leads to fasciation. The term fasciation comes from the Latin fascis, meaning bundle, and describes a condition, which causes scape bundling (united growth) form resulting from overproliferative growth. I remember from my biology class of long ago, that fasciation was one of Mendel's 14 heritable characters in peas. It has also been studied in maize, because fasciated Maize phenotypes have significantly increased crop yields. The causative of fasciation can be natural or artificial agents. It may follow disturbance of shoot apical meristem growth by insects, mites, fungi, and other initiators. According to published papers, the agents cause hormone imbalance in the plant. Spontaneous fasciation has also been reported. Two types of fasciation can occur: 1) Genetic Fasciation and 2) Physiological Fasciation 1) Genetic Fasciation: Although included by Mendel as inheritable, many fasciations are not inheritable. A well know inheritable example is Celosia argentea var. cristata (cockscomb celosia). In Hosta, it does not appear to be inheritable, but seems to be caused by environmental factors (see under Physiological Fasciation). 2) Physiological Fasciation: Natural Environmental Factors: Attack by Insect on meristem growth tissues can produce fasciation. Seasonal Influences. Time of planting or replanting may influence the degree of fasciation (also see temperature). Temperature. Low temperature followed by high temperature and the reverse can result in fasciation. This applies particularly to all high seasonal temperature variations early in the season Zinc Mineral Deficiencies are known to cause fasciation. Artificial (Applied) Factors Interruption of the shoot apical meristem growth causes fasciation as well as all kinds of abnormalities. Radiation Exposure by ionizing X-ray or Gamma rays can cause fasciation. Water Shortage under drought conditions prior to flowering followed by heavy watering and high nutrient levels can produce fasciation. Daylength Manipulation. Increasing or decreasing the photoperiod can induce fasciation. Chemical Application of growth regulators, herbicides, and polyploidizing agents can induce fasciation, particularly and many other abnormalities, including distortions and fusion of organs. High nitrogen levels can induce fasciation. Pieter...See More
sandyslopes z5 n. UT
10 years agojan_on zone 5b
10 years agobkay2000
10 years agoUser
10 years agoQuote:
moccasin - your 'Alex Summers' appears to have longer narrower leaves than the pics on the library. I like them a lot, but I like yours better. Is that width a function of age?
JanJan, I'm only in the hosta game since last year, so like you I wonder what time will bring to ALL my hosta. Some of them seem to change overnight, and keep doing it.
Someone remarked that Alex Summers was a bit unstable, but did not expand on it. Which lets me think it can change color and perhaps leaf shape as as time goes by.....whether according to a set pattern, or unique each year, which I consider as an unstable situation.. I like it myself, something new is fun.
Let's see if I have a picture of the same plant from last year.
I'd sprayed with the Natria to keep saw fly larva from eating the leaves. Made it really shiny.
gogirlterri
10 years agoUser
10 years agoschiba
10 years agoweekendweeder
10 years agoNo idea if this is a fasciated scape or not, but Maui Buttercups, Liberty, and Erromena are doing it this season. Only have a shot of MB:
schiba
10 years agobkay2000
10 years agoFasciated scapes have a flat stem, almost like 5 stems fused together side by side. If you'll look at the one on the thread titled mutant hosta or something like that, you'll see the flat stem. They're not always that wide, but they are always flat, if what I read is correct.
I, too, have some hosta putting out weird scapes. I don't think Guacamole has ever had leaves like this on the scapes, but this is a very different year. Notice that the stem is round, though. Maybe it's maturing and this is normal. I really don't know.
bk
Here is a link that might be useful: mutant hosta
schiba
10 years agoweekendweeder
10 years ago
josephines167 z5 ON Canada
9 years agoUser
9 years agobrucebanyaihsta
9 years agojosephines167 z5 ON Canada
9 years ago
mountainy man z8 Ireland
9 years agoAs promised this is my Sum and Substance, it looks very odd and has a purple stripe up the scape and two deformed flower buds on the scape beliow the leafy top. It came from a really fat pip and thought it was going to be huge but I got this wierd thing instead.
Denis
almosthooked zone5
4 years agoalmosthooked zone5
4 years ago
bkay2000