For the past seven years she has always been a single Species type Peony, pretty pink with a big gold button. In her eighth year, look what shes gone and done !, shes elongated the guard leaves, changed colors and grew a topnot . What do you think has happened ?
Bill
This message was edited May 21, 2006 7:52 PM
I think this is called fasciation - it can happen on any flower and just seems to happen every now and again. You probably won't see this next year!
Excerpts from a letter I recieved earlier this evening from one of our Directers at APS about my Peony.
Bill
Hi Bill, the pictures you have attached illustrates one of the several anatomical changes leading to what for show table purposes is called Double (or, "full" double in text to emphasize the difference from the class Semidouble). The factor shown here is the flower-in-flower (also called two-stage).
What you see is the bottom or basic flower of a two-stage double having the guard petals and stamens, there may be also the natural seed-forming capsules, carpels (complete or abortive), encircled by the stamens of the lower flower. Then there is another complete flower arising out of the center of the carpels.
Don Hollingsworth for the American Peony Society
This message was edited May 24, 2006 11:30 PM
Galanthophile, All the flowers of this Peony were as you see, beautiful !, no deformities of any type to be seen on flowers or plant.
I believe genetics is the cause of what your seeing, as far as fasciation goes, I think not.
Bill
