As I said I would, I've posted some new photos of the funky cosmos. Turns out this is happening on two plants, but just one set of stems on each.
Not so clear, but you get the picture.
Maybe some botanist or plant pathologist will happen upon this blog and clear it all up.
Or not. This one's kind of neat. It's all coming out of one cosmos flower.
Biologist to the rescue! I'm guessing that the plethora of flowers means that there is a mutation somewhere in what's called the floral meristem of the bud. Basically, a meristem is where all the cells divide to form some other part of the plant (plant stem cells, if you will). This is why if you lop of the top part of plants like the bushes in your yard, they tend to become bushier instead of taller. You've destroyed their apical meristem, so they have to grow from someplace else.
ReplyDeleteSo---if there are some messed up genes, you'll end up with every cell in this floral meristem forming it's own reproductive structures and flower. Pretty nifty, eh? I'm guessing that if you saved seeds from this (and they were viable) the progeny would be the same way. Yay plants!
Bridget -Thanks! That was what my instinct was telling me, but I had no way to be sure. I remember apical stems from my plant biology class, but it the field the fact is so much more exciting!
ReplyDeleteI think I may save those seeds.
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