Fasciation

[David Shaw]

Firstly, is 'fascination', meaning the fusing together of flower stems, spelled correctly? I can't find anything on google about this.
My main question is, is this reversable? I have occasionally had it with primulas but now one of my pots of fritillaria is showing this effect for the second year running. Is there anything to be done about it or do I just enjoy the bulbs as they are?

[Mick McLoughlin]

David
I think its Fasciation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasciation
Cheers
Mick

[David Shaw]

Thanks for that Mick, I was finding the search rather fascinating ( better say something myself before Anthony and Cliff become involved  )
Maggie, can you edit the title of the thread to read correctly, please?
How did that happen? The title has changed already!!!

[Hans J]

David ,

in Germany we call this "Cristat -form" .....I know it from many cacti.

So far I know is it only possibly to multiplicate by vegetaiv multiplication

there exist also a Salix cristata form

Hans

[David Shaw]

So Hans, you are suggesting that seed from this fritillaria should behave 'normally', but rice grains are likely to grow into fasciated plants?

[Maggi Young]

It has been found that some cristate/fasciated plants do pass on their  "odd" genes, but I would not expect it to apply to Frits.... but we'll find out in a couple of years, eh?



PS: I changed the Title four minutes before you asked me to, David, you probably had the existing page already open so didn't spot it then!  

[Hans J]

David ,

I have no expierience with Frittilaria cristata forms ...so I doubt it works with seeds
If you use offsets you can be 100% shure for succsess .

Here is a german website -this nursery sells a lot cristat plants ....look for pictures
http://www.wstarke.de/index.html

Hans

[David Shaw]

Thanks Hans and Maggie. A couple of years? Maybe one or two more but we will see.
Maggie, how do show judges feel about fascinated plants, would they be frowned on? Not a problem this year as the plant in question will be at its best on Easter Saturday anyway.

[Maggi Young]

I think, unless the plant was a recognised fasciated form, like one of the hardy cactus, or ferns, then the judges would not look too kindly on it, in case the mutation were to have been caused by a defect in the genes of the plant
(which could suggest virus etc.) or some problem in cultivation, even that were only an effect of cold weather. For instance, if judges will down-point a plant with frost damaged or insect chewed leaves,as indeed they will..... and they consider that a fasciation might be caused by some defect in the plant or of  growing conditions, then they will likely down-point a fasciated plant in the same way.

[David Shaw]

That is what I thought Maggie, but thanks for confirming it.

[Lesley Cox]

Lilies too, will often produce fasciated stems, thick and flat and sometimes with 60-80 flowers instead of the 10 or so that would be normal. There's usually one turns up on the garden page of the local newspaper ever year. Fasciation is an aberration, not "normal" so no, the judges wouldn't like it and rightly so. As I understand it and have occasionally observed, with lilies at least, it can be caused by unusual climatic conditions well prior to blooming, or also from overly rich compost, animal manures, say. In these cases, it usually adjusts and is absent the following year, or the one after.

[chasw]

David I have also had this with Frit meleagris,will keep an eye on them this year to see if it is the same

[Lesley Cox]

Talking of Frit meleagris oddities, perhaps someone could give an opinion on this one, taken in a friend's garden in 2005. She said it happened occasionally. I brought one bulb home with me but wasn't upset when it failed to appear the next year. What IS it and what CAUSES it?