Showcase of the bizarre...

[LittleDingus]

Grow things long enough and it's going to happen! Something strange, creepy, down right un-natural is going to grow! Heck, even if it doesn't happen in your garden, you might have been hiking and seen the occasional mutant that is not quite normal!

I bumped into this guy when out walking today



The tree is an otherwise normal osage orange...except for this flattened branch! I particularly like the thorns But, the leaves growing off a ribbon is interesting too! I'd like to know why the end has that rotted/burnt look? And I'll have to keep track of this guy to see if that branch ever branches!

It's not the first time...nor will it be the last...that I bumped into a mutant plant! This time, however, I thought to myself: "maybe I should start a photo album so I can find these pictures easier" which led to...why not start a thread

So, this is it! If you have grown a mutant in your garden...post it! If you have seen some strange, unusual, creepy plant growth while out and about...post it! It doesn't matter if it was caused by mutation, bug, or aliens...

Let's showcase the bizarre!

 

[LittleDingus]

This is in another thread here somewhere...but belongs here too.

One of my dawn redwoods tried turning albino!





Albinism is a well known occurrence in coast redwoods. I reported this to Tom Stapleton at

Chimera Redwoods Home Page

Chimera Redwoods Home Page

www.chimeraredwoods.com

To his knowledge, this is the first known case of albinism in dawn redwoods.

My guess is it is more common than observed but, unlike coast redwoods, dawn redwoods are deciduous. An albino sprout off a coast redwood cam survive for years raising the chances of discovery. The window of discovery on a dawn redwood could be very small. The albino leaves will fall off in the fall and may not regrow next season.

I'm hoping this tiny branch will grow out enough this season that it has some hope of continuing the albino trait next season...but the odds don't look good

 

[penumbra]

Grow things long enough and it's going to happen! Something strange, creepy, down right un-natural is going to grow! Heck, even if it doesn't happen in your garden, you might have been hiking and seen the occasional mutant that is not quite normal!

I bumped into this guy when out walking today

View attachment 383268 View attachment 383269

The tree is an otherwise normal osage orange...except for this flattened branch! I particularly like the thorns But, the leaves growing off a ribbon is interesting too! I'd like to know why the end has that rotted/burnt look? And I'll have to keep track of this guy to see if that branch ever branches!

It's not the first time...nor will it be the last...that I bumped into a mutant plant! This time, however, I thought to myself: "maybe I should start a photo album so I can find these pictures easier" which led to...why not start a thread

So, this is it! If you have grown a mutant in your garden...post it! If you have seen some strange, unusual, creepy plant growth while out and about...post it! It doesn't matter if it was caused by mutation, bug, or aliens...

Let's showcase the bizarre!

There was a post on here last week about this condition which is called Fasciation. There are a lot of flowers that exhibit this trait, like cockscombs. The Japanese Fantail Willow is another example. Cause are quite varied from disease to genetics.

 

[LittleDingus]

There was a post on here last week about this condition which is called Fasciation. There are a lot of flowers that exhibit this trait, like cockscombs. The Japanese Fantail Willow is another example. Cause are quite varied from disease to genetics.

Yep, I remember that post. It's one of the reasons I thought it would be fun to bundle these sorts of things all in one place

It's also not the only cause of bizarro plant growth.



These galls are caused by midges. I just cut these off my bald cypress this week. I don't have pictures, but I knew where there were some 4' bald cypress last fall that were almost entirely pink tumor from a midge infestation. They've been cut down since...

 

[bwaynef]

I've got a branch on a JRP developing into a bright yellow. Its not dying, and everything that's growing from that bud is yellow. Its 2-3 years old now (the branch).

 

[Hartinez]

Not quite a mutation I don’t think. But I found this piñon growing near my property a year ago, that was in an ok state of health. A bit of a dull green, lanky with lots of dead twigs. All but this pompon of growth that was vigorous bright green and dense. Don’t know why it is, but it just is. That’s my buddy having a look.

 

[ShadyStump]

Not quite a mutation I don’t think. But I found this piñon growing near my property a year ago, that was in an ok state of health. A bit of a dull green, lanky with lots of dead twigs. All but this pompon of growth that was vigorous bright green and dense. Don’t know why it is, but it just is. That’s my buddy having a look.
View attachment 383289
View attachment 383290

That is fascinating!
I can't see any cones in the pic other than that single one in the "pom-pom."
Don't suppose you recall noticing if there were others on the tree? This could be a sign of what's causing it.

Sorry, pinus edulus is my favorite tree, so I always have to ask questions.

 

[Hartinez]

That is fascinating!
I can't see any cones in the pic other than that single one in the "pom-pom."
Don't suppose you recall noticing if there were others on the tree? This could be a sign of what's causing it.

Sorry, pinus edulus is my favorite tree, so I always have to ask questions.

I don’t recall. But I’ll go back and look! if there are cones do you want me to send you a few? I also love piñon and am happy to have 2 I collected this year doing quite well. First time that’s happened with piñon collection for me. They are so temperamental.

 

[ShadyStump]

I don’t recall. But I’ll go back and look! if there are cones do you want me to send you a few? I also love piñon and am happy to have 2 I collected this year doing quite well. First time that’s happened with piñon collection for me. They are so temperamental.

No shortage of good piñons to collect around here, so don't worry about it.
Thank you, though!
I had one from last fall that seemed to be doing well, but the past month it's taken a full swan dive. I'm blaming that big freeze back in February. Think the roots got damaged from a week of single digit and subzero temps. After that, just not enough left of it to recover. I wanted to fertilize, but was afraid it was too week.
Already have several others marked for this fall, though, so ain't quitting yet.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Grow things long enough and it's going to happen! Something strange, creepy, down right un-natural is going to grow! Heck, even if it doesn't happen in your garden, you might have been hiking and seen the occasional mutant that is not quite normal!

I bumped into this guy when out walking today

View attachment 383268 View attachment 383269

The tree is an otherwise normal osage orange...except for this flattened branch! I particularly like the thorns But, the leaves growing off a ribbon is interesting too! I'd like to know why the end has that rotted/burnt look? And I'll have to keep track of this guy to see if that branch ever branches!

It's not the first time...nor will it be the last...that I bumped into a mutant plant! This time, however, I thought to myself: "maybe I should start a photo album so I can find these pictures easier" which led to...why not start a thread

So, this is it! If you have grown a mutant in your garden...post it! If you have seen some strange, unusual, creepy plant growth while out and about...post it! It doesn't matter if it was caused by mutation, bug, or aliens...

Let's showcase the bizarre!

Huh! A stickery hammock.

 

[Shibui]

All but this pompon of growth that was vigorous bright green and dense.

That's called 'witches broom' I think it is some sort of genetic mutation in some terminal cells that cause these. Relatively common in conifers.
Witches brooms are one source of dwarf conifer cultivars. Graft a bit of that onto a pine root stock or strike some cuttings and you have a dwarf, bushy pinon which would probably be attractive in the landscape market and maybe to bonsai growers too. Because it is genetic new growth from that wood should always stay dwarf and compact.

 

[Crazy Diamond]

Grow things long enough and it's going to happen! Something strange, creepy, down right un-natural is going to grow! Heck, even if it doesn't happen in your garden, you might have been hiking and seen the occasional mutant that is not quite normal!

I bumped into this guy when out walking today

View attachment 383268 View attachment 383269

The tree is an otherwise normal osage orange...except for this flattened branch! I particularly like the thorns But, the leaves growing off a ribbon is interesting too! I'd like to know why the end has that rotted/burnt look? And I'll have to keep track of this guy to see if that branch ever branches!

It's not the first time...nor will it be the last...that I bumped into a mutant plant! This time, however, I thought to myself: "maybe I should start a photo album so I can find these pictures easier" which led to...why not start a thread

So, this is it! If you have grown a mutant in your garden...post it! If you have seen some strange, unusual, creepy plant growth while out and about...post it! It doesn't matter if it was caused by mutation, bug, or aliens...

Let's showcase the bizarre!

Its called Cristation or Fasciation, its quite common in the cactus and succulent world although it affects all kind of plants. Here a you can learn about it Click

Fasciated branch in Alnus glutinosa

 

[ShadyStump]

That's called 'witches broom' I think it is some sort of genetic mutation in some terminal cells that cause these. Relatively common in conifers.
Witches brooms are one source of dwarf conifer cultivars. Graft a bit of that onto a pine root stock or strike some cuttings and you have a dwarf, bushy pinon which would probably be attractive in the landscape market and maybe to bonsai growers too. Because it is genetic new growth from that wood should always stay dwarf and compact.

Now that I know what to look for, I'll have to try my hand at grafting if I find one.
Thanks!

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

That's called 'witches broom' I think it is some sort of genetic mutation in some terminal cells that cause these. Relatively common in conifers.
Witches brooms are one source of dwarf conifer cultivars. Graft a bit of that onto a pine root stock or strike some cuttings and you have a dwarf, bushy pinon which would probably be attractive in the landscape market and maybe to bonsai growers too. Because it is genetic new growth from that wood should always stay dwarf and compact.

If it's not caused by some kind of mutating virus, bacterium or fungi. Because that would mean it's temporary (most of the times).
I'm suspecting something like agrobacterium to be the likely culprit; it does induce callus formation like adventitious shoot hormones tend to do as well.

But, what if it isn't? And someone passes by a sweet new cultivar without knowing it could change the world.. That would be a shame.

Whatever causes it, I love seeing them and I always try to take a look up close to see if I can figure out what's going on. Fun stuff!

 

[Firstflush]

Fasciation on my aloe rudikoppe or little red riding hood. Either bacterial encapsulation or a mite fight….

 

[LittleDingus]

An epiphytic elm!




It's growing in a crotch about 5' up. I tried tugging on it...it isn't coming out without a fight! So not truly epiphytic...it rooted itself in the ash tree's bark!

I see this a lot in old growth forest where a knot has rotted and collects moisture and creates a kind of natural pot. Interestingly, there's no loose detritus or obvious rot here. Just deeply furrowed bark and a lot of lichens.

The larger tree is an ash.

 

[ShadyStump]

Came across this on a hike a while back.

Looks like a holly, but there's an acorn!
It's a Gambel's oak, but something has made the lobes grow so tight that they're actually tipped with sharp points.

 

[Cruiser]

If it's not caused by some kind of mutating virus, bacterium or fungi. Because that would mean it's temporary (most of the times).
I'm suspecting something like agrobacterium to be the likely culprit; it does induce callus formation like adventitious shoot hormones tend to do as well.

But, what if it isn't? And someone passes by a sweet new cultivar without knowing it could change the world.. That would be a shame.

Whatever causes it, I love seeing them and I always try to take a look up close to see if I can figure out what's going on. Fun stuff!

In these parts, witches brooms can be found on mature western hemlocks. The cause is Hemlock dwarf mistletoe, a parasitic plant. Other varieties exist and target other tree species.
The mistletoe infects tree tissues, messes with growth regulators, and leads to increased growth. The unregulated growth creates the brooms. They can be useful for wildlife and look cool but the infection can spread and may eventually kill the host tree.

 

[moke]

Came across this on a hike a while back.
View attachment 395938
Looks like a holly, but there's an acorn!
It's a Gambel's oak, but something has made the lobes grow so tight that they're actually tipped with sharp points.

Looks like Quercus wislizeni to me, I have found it growing near my location in Utah.

 

[Cruiser]

And for the bizarre,

A hemlock that fell into another tree and grafted with it.
And a negari