I'm hoping someone can confirm my suspicions that this plant ('Red Velvet') is exhibiting viral symptoms. I've had it for three years now and this is the first time I've noticed anything unusual. Most of the foliage is clear, but one on of the two stems (near the top) the last half-dozen or so leaves have unusual chlorotic markings. All of the blooms (fewer than previous years) are unmarked, although one bud was malformed (which, in and of itself, doesn't usually concern me, as I do seem to get a few across my collection each year that I think are caused by the weather).



Deformed bloom (with one tepal accidentally knocked off):


Thoughts?

Possibly virused. Or possibly stressed. Maybe keep it in the pot and see what happens with it next year?

Inconclusive. The flower does not point to virus. Could this correspond with your insect spraying? If you have other Red Velvets in pots that don't show same, then I would toss this one. Keep in mind that Red Velvet should be rather vigorous, although I should qualify my statement in that I don't know what it does in Australia. Be sure to take everything in consideration, including comparisons with other Red Velvets in pots or in the ground. I suspect this one might have good virus tolerance.

@Australis I think it may simply be a lack of nutrient (&possibly not enough direct sun exposure, too- by the looks of the the amount of leaning.) If there were yellowish or back/brown round spots, then I would consider virus as a suspect, especially if there were contorted or twisted leaves. I woud try Iron, or Manganese, or adding some other metallic minerals to see if that helps, first.

Could also be heat stress. Being planted in a black plastic pot. They absorb heat and hold it. Soil can get too dry or too warm inside the pot. Just a thought. Don't know if it's under shade or in direct sun.

Thanks for all the comments. The pot was with a number of others that gets good morning sun (I moved it for photos), although the pot itself is mostly shaded by adjacent stuff (that said, I recognise the black pot is far from ideal and no doubt contributes heat stress, but it's the best I could do at the time).

The leaning is more to do with the wild weather we had in spring than lack of light (although everything here does lean towards the north, even when they're in the garden bed in full sun); often quite straight stems will be damaged and I have to stake them.

I haven't sprayed 'Red Velvet' directly this year; the only thing it could be is overspray from the adjacent Aurelians or my Orchids (in both cases I've used pest oils), so I don't think this is a likely cause.

I'll separate it out and see what I can do to improve the shading of the pot as well as nutrients; certainly some of my original pots did not use a good medium and would be nutrient deficient, although this shouldn't be one of them (having been repotted two years ago in better media).

I don't think it is a lack (or overabundance) of any nutrient(s).

Thanks Rick.

It's the over assembling of the leaves/distortion that has me thinking virus. Colors/ mottling can change in leaf (with nutrient deficiency or stress) but in my experience, distortion doesn't.