All my BES's were grown from seeds collected nearby. This is the only plant that has this shape and all the flowers are like this (not shown in photo). Disease? Virus? Mutation?
It is kind of pretty honestly, but wondering if I should get rid of it.
by MacMello_
9 Comments
Just a mutation, not harmful. Pretty cool looking tbh.
this is cool AF!! that composite seems like it is producing the wrong petals in the wrong place and i kinda like it
BES seem to mutate / form new cultivars a lot. We had one create a new flower last year too
He’s just vibing and doing his own thing
This is so cool, it’s a really good example of how aster type flowers form! Asters are compound flowers as you probably know, meaning the “petals” are actually ray florets and the “center of the flower” actually consists of a bunch of small flowers. The outer ray florets/petals of the “flower” are actually individual flowers that get a signal/gene telling it to become a flat, sterile petal-like structure, ultimately to attract insects/pollinators.
The *CYCLOIDEA*-like gene that forces this specialization is inactive so the flowers revert to a more fundamental, tubular shape, similar to the florets in the center. You can read all about the specific genetics controlling this trait in this research paper:
[https://doi.org/10.1038/s41438-018-0056-8](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41438-018-0056-8).
I love Reddit because you get science. Post this on Facebook and you’ll have four thousand people screaming “aster yellows” at you and all but demanding you destroy the plant immediately with pitchforks in their hands. Literally every single thing that looks different from the ideal perfect flower gets labeled as diseased over there. It’s exhausting.
This is such a cool mutation and the picture made me smile. What a fun little flower being different from the crowd.
Thank you everyone for your knowledge and help!! This neat-looking mutant will stay, and I will be keeping the seeds in hopes I can replicate the flower shape next season. Cheers!
If you like the look of it check out the [Henry Eilers rudbeckia](https://butterflybushes.com/products/henry-eilers-sweet-confeflower#:~:text=The%20%22sweet%22%20part%20of%20its,:%20Rudbeckia%20subtomentosa%20’Henry%20Eilers’)
Part of the fun of a meadow (or any largish collection of straight species flower) is seeing exactly what “genetic diversity” looks like, which is of course one of the reasons to plant straight species.
I haven’t seen anything super freaky, but it is easy to see lots of differences.
It also brings home the fact that cultivars really are clones. I think cultivars can be great and use them a lot in my yard. but it’s a reminder of what’s missing.
It’s also a reminder of the value of local ecotypes when possible. On the front end, they’re adapted to your climate, soil, etc. And on the back end the hope is that your little meadow becomes part of the larger ecosystem.