I noticed that a few of my hostas have long, flat "planks" instead of rods growing from them. I don't think it's bad but just unusual. Has anyone seen this before?

Maybe fasciated (spelling)?

that's fasciation. It's not confined to hostas but there's an article about it in hostas here:

http://www.bloomingtononline.n...

Thank you (again) Sooby for helping me out. That was a fascinating read and the "something new" i learned for the day. What's weird is that each plant that has one of these fasciations has just one. The rest of the flower spikes are singular. It's very cool and nature never ceases to amaze me.

sooby said: that's fasciation. It's not confined to hostas but there's an article about it in hostas here:

http://www.bloomingtononline.n...

I guess whatever caused it just happened to the one meristem. I once saw a rose shoot that was fasciated, it was very wide and smothered in the extra flowers. Didn't have a camera with me at the time, it's not something one sees very often.

@sooby and @sallysmom: After a long and bug-filled summer I was doing some fall cleanup. I noticed that something strange was going on with my Gerbera daisies. What do you know? I actually have the answer because y'all taught me that this is fasciation. And after reading about it, it seems to be a somewhat rare but naturally occurring phenomenon so it makes me wonder if there is a virus or something floating around in the air here? This is the third plant that has shown this condition. Any thoughts?

I hope everyone had a wonderful summer and I that others will enjoy seeing this strange growth. Thank you again!
Terri.

IJsbrandtGA said: sooby and sallysmom: After a long and bug-filled summer I was doing some fall cleanup....actually have the answer because y'all taught me that this is fasciation. And after reading about it, it seems to be a somewhat rare but naturally occurring phenomenon so it makes me wonder if there is a virus or something floating around in the air here? This is the third plant that has shown this condition. Any thoughts?

I'd be surprised if it was a virus, if it was the plants would be permanently infected. There are a couple of viruses that both hosta and gerbera can get but I think it's more likely something else that's causing it. Plant viruses don't really float around in the air, the two I noticed that are common to both plants are vectored by nematodes. Are the gerberas planted in the ground or in pots?

They are in pots. And I shouldn't have said virus. I was trying to think of the word for whatever something was flying around and possibly causing this to happen to more than just the hostas the lilies and Gerbera daisies.

Terri, my gerbers do that at times. I think that it it something in the plant genes. Not all of the stems are affected and it does no harm to the plant. So, I just accept it as a twist of nature.

Viruses can cause it but I think you would see it in lots of other plants as well.

sooby said: I guess whatever caused it just happened to the one meristem. I once saw a rose shoot that was fasciated, it was very wide and smothered in the extra flowers. Didn't have a camera with me at the time, it's not something one sees very often.

Hello Sue and all! What do you know.....its one year later and i have "fasciation" again on a daisy that was next to the fasciated one I posted last year. It seems to be happening regularly around here.....something in the water??!