Fascinating Fasciation
by B. Rosie Lerner,
Purdue Extension Consumer Horticulture Specialist
Every so often, gardeners find a deformed-looking flower or stem
that appears as if the plant has bulked up on steroids. The stem
or flower stalk will appear somewhat squashed and splayed, sometimes
splitting in two or more sections. Or it may appear that two or
more stalks have merged together to form one distorted structure.
This odd growth is called fasciation, which literally translates
to banding or bundling. Fasciation is thought to be caused by a
hormonal imbalance. In some cases, this imbalance could be a random
genetic mutation or, in other cases, induced by one or more environmental
factors, including bacteria, fungi, virus, insects, frost and physical
damage to the growing point.
The good news is that fasciation itself is not "contagious"
and does not spread through a planting. And just because a particular
plant exhibited fasciation one season does not necessarily mean
it will again in the future. In most cases, fasciation is just a
random oddity.
Some plants are actually valued for their fasciations, most notably
the cockscomb Celosia, a popular bedding plant flower, and the fantail
willow, an ornamental shrub also popular for floral arrangements.
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