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The beauty of our everyday plants is one reason why we garden and keep plants in our environments. However, sometimes Nature throws us a curve ball and we find an intriguing anomaly to add to our collection. Read on to learn more about a most unusual phenomenon . . .
Cresting and Waving
The growing tips of most normal plants grow in a somewhat cylindrical and vertical fashion with a defined tip or apical meristem and branches or side shoots beneath it. As the tip grows, throwing new leaves and branch buds, it continues upwards as a single main tip. Occasionally this process goes awry and the meristem begins to grow horizontally instead of vertically, causing a flattened, often wavy or curved structure instead of the typical stem. This phenomenon is known as cresting or fasciation, and a fasciated plant is also referred to as "cristate". An example of a fasciated tip on a Saguaro cactus stem is shown in the thumbnail picture. This can occur at branch tips, in flowers or inflorescences and in roots as well. The results can be quite bizarre, humorous, or even extremely ornamental. Sometimes a normal appearing plant will show cristation in the inflorescences only. A familiar example of the very ornamental type of fasciation is the blooms of the cockscomb Celosia. These are grown from seed and the cristate flowerheads come true from seed as well.
Flat-out weird!
I believe that my first experience with a crested plant was when I saw a fasciated cactus. I'm not sure if it was a true cactus or from the genus Euphorbia, as both groups have a number of members that can exhibit this type of growth. However, it was impressive because I remember that the plant was all convoluted, somewhat like a botanical version of a brain! These plants do not grow vertically very much after they become fasciated, so they end up getting wider over time, rather than taller. This is why an old cristate cactus that is normally round will take on the appearance of a brain over time. I even saw a picture of one young specimen that looked like a frowning face; the plant was aptly named "Sad Sack"! Another one looked like a smiling face. One of the fascinations of this phenomenon is the unusual forms that can result, especially in cacti and succulents.
The cause of fasciation is still not completely understood. Sometimes it appears to be a mutation that is inheritable, as in Celosia, while other times it appears the result of injury either by insects, pathogens, or mechanical damage. One time I was growing a balsam plant (Impatiens balsamina) and I knew that when they began flowering, the vertical growth slowed down drastically. So I decided to do a little experiment in which I pinched off all the flowers just after they faded, so as to prevent any seed production. Normally this plant grew about 18 inches tall, but my balsam ended up about 5 feet tall before it was over with! Additionally, a side effect was when it reached this size, the terminal growing point became fasciated. Of course, the vertical growth stopped then, but I was quite interested in this unusual development. Perhaps preventing the plant from seeding threw the hormonal balance off and helped to induce the cresting.
Something else I have observed in regards to fasciation is that on occasion a perfectly normal branch will spring from a fasciated growing point. This observation would seen to indicate that the phenomenon is reversible. It also suggests to me that the unusual growth pattern may be the result of a triggered gene that can be turned off or on under the right conditions. A close look at the photo above, left, reveals some normal heads among the fasciated mass of Mammillaria geminispina 'Cristata' as well as some "smiles" and "frowns".
All in all, the phenomenon of fasciation adds more interest to our enjoyment of plants, and can be an unexpected surprise in our gardens as well.
LariAnn has been gardening and working with plants since her teenage years growing up in Maryland. Her intense interest in plants led her to college at the University of Florida, where she obtained her Bachelor's degree in Botany and Master of Agriculture in Plant Physiology. In the late 1970s she began hybridizing Alocasias, and that work has expanded to Philodendrons, Anthuriums, and Caladiums as well. She lives in south Florida with her partner and son and is research director at Aroidia Research, her privately funded organization devoted to the study and breeding of new, hardier, and more interesting aroid plants.
Posted by zzizz (from san salvador
(El Salvador)) on October 27, 2008 at 6:02 PM:
I was given the sprout with two leaves of a tree I had admired. But the leafcutter ants took away every last vestage of leaf and so it sat for a month or so. Then one day it had two full size leaves. Hmmm, thought I and I started to keep an eye on it. Eventually there appeared something like a little chrysalis. I wondered if a bug was hibernating there. It got longer, about a half inch. Then a week or so went by and nothing seemed to be happening and I sorta forgot about it. Finally I looked and the chrysalis had lengenthened into what looked like a skinny string bean. The end was curved up in a “j”.
A few days later the “ j” had split into two “ j”s and in a few days, from each side of the length of each “j” there unfurled the side of a leaf. The “j” was now the vane in the leaf and also a stem--voilá two new leaves. Soon there were 4 new leaves but I don't want to speculate on how that happened so fast! Since then, a couple of months, no action. Anything you can tell me about this leaf formation would be greatly appreciated! Thank you, zzizzi
...
Subject: Very fasciation
Posted by weed_woman (from Coffs Harbour
(Australia)) on October 20, 2008 at 5:42 AM:
Hi Lariann, I have had alot of plants go awry. I have had a fasciate Agapanthus flower, with a flat, downward curving stem and masses of small flowers on it, a Fasciate Phormium (flax) with many more than normal, flower heads, and leaves growing on the flower stalks, also some Phormium from seed have grown dwarfed, and have yellow flowers instead of red. I have had a number of other strange things occur also. My Cyathea (tree ferns) have forked trunks, with up to four heads, (although I recently cut two off that one!) and a normal Bird-Of-Paradise (Strelitzia) that is over 6 foot tall, and Variegated foliage on plants that are not known for variegated foliage (I'm hoping to make a million dollars on those!) I live on a couple of acres that apparently used to be a swamp. It was developed about 10 years ago, and is rural-residential. I imagine the land was probably grazing land at some stage.
I often wonder if there are residual chemicals in the ground, but there doesn't seem to be any unusual plant growth on the surrounding properties.
Maybe I'm just lucky!
Phormium
...
Posted by weed_woman (from Coffs Harbour
(Australia)) on October 20, 2008 at 5:43 AM:
A Euphorbia flanniganii 'Christa' that i purchased
...
Posted by weed_woman (from Coffs Harbour
(Australia)) on October 20, 2008 at 5:50 AM:
If any others show up this year, I'll be sure to let you know! LOL
...
Posted by tufe (from Newtonville, MA) on October 28, 2008 at 9:42 PM:
Is this a form of plant cancer?
...
Posted by weed_woman (from Coffs Harbour
(Australia)) on October 29, 2008 at 1:33 AM:
You might be on to something!
...
Subject: witches broom
Posted by Pughbear7 (from Tulsa, OK) on October 14, 2008 at 1:54 PM:
Is this what causes witches broom or does some other factor cause it? Just curious.
Dave
...
Posted by LariAnn (from Miami, FL) on October 14, 2008 at 9:44 PM:
Witches broom is another factor entirely, as the growing points do not flatten out as in fasciation.
LariAnn
...
Posted by Pughbear7 (from Tulsa, OK) on October 15, 2008 at 1:58 PM:
Thank you
...
Subject: Anthuriums
Posted by ikebana67 (from Javea
(Spain)) on October 14, 2008 at 9:17 AM:
Hi, I read your interesting article and saw that you are an expert in Anthuriums (among many other plants!). I live in Spain in the equivalent of zone 10a, and have mixed luck growing anthuriums. Even with the same care some flourish and others struggle. Have you written any articles about anthurium culture? I manage to be reasonably successful growing orchids. Hope you have time to reply.
saludos from Spain
George
...
Posted by LariAnn (from Miami, FL) on October 14, 2008 at 9:47 PM:
George,
I do plan some articles on Anthuriums, probably covering the different major groups and their individual cultural requirements.
Many Anthuriums require similar care to Orchids. The larger types require a medium more like a regular potting mix. Which types are struggling for you?
LariAnn
The cause of fasciation is still not completely understood. Sometimes it appears to be a mutation that is inheritable, as in Celosia, while other times it appears the result of injury either by insects, pathogens, or mechanical damage. One time I was growing a balsam plant (Impatiens balsamina) and I knew that when they began flowering, the vertical growth slowed down drastically. So I decided to do a little experiment in which I pinched off all the flowers just after they faded, so as to prevent any seed production. Normally this plant grew about 18 inches tall, but my balsam ended up about 5 feet tall before it was over with! Additionally, a side effect was when it reached this size, the terminal growing point became fasciated. Of course, the vertical growth stopped then, but I was quite interested in this unusual development. Perhaps preventing the plant from seeding threw the hormonal balance off and helped to induce the cresting.
