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Double Flower Stalk on Capensis

Hey fellow forumites(I like the word),
I just noticed one of my capensis plants has a flower stalk that splits into two at the end. The stalk is otherwise normal(but unusually healthy), but at the end it splits into two separate stems with buds attached. The plant itself is large, very healthy, windowsill grown, and in a community pot with a few other, smaller capensis. One half-stalk holds about fourteen buds, while the other has twelve. More are growing on both, and none of the buds have opened yet. I once saw a pic of a Sarracenia scape where something similar had happened. I think it's in the rare and unusual section in the pic gallery of carnivorousplants.org--check it out. Has anyone had this happen with a plant before(never happened to me)? I'm looking forward to when it flowers--I think it'll periodically have two flowers open at once. The stalk is really pretty cool looking! My only fear is that the stalk will abort(suddenly stop growing and die without apparent reason), but that is doubtful.
Speculation: The growth tip of the stalk was somehow incised or battered by unfortunate environmental conditions(bumped by my elbow?), and just started growing into two as a result, or, genetically, the plant is different and made an 'incorrect' stalk because it is programmed to. I definitely don't have the knowledge or documentation to back up the latter explanation. Again, has this ever happened to anyone?
Chris
 
Forumites?....sounds more like a bug! Call for pest control! :)

I have never seen a split scape but I would guess its just a mutation that happens naturally from time to time (sort of like when a single fertilized egg splits and you get twins). I have seen a few freaky doubled things in the plant world. Out of all the millions of plants growing, somewhere along the line will be a rare incorrect genetic code which tells the plant to do something its doesnt normally do.

Take a photo of it if you can!

Suzanne
 
Flower scape splits do happen from time to time, I've had several on my capillaris. I have a friend who's capensis stalk split into nine stalks, he got a lot of seeds from that one
smile.gif
Take a pic if you want, but if you have a lot of plants it does occurr every once in a while. I've noticed this (and similar leaf splits) seem to happen in batches, mabey due to stress?

Noah
 
Hmmm...forumites does sound like a bug, which contradicts the dislike of some insects by some of us(like some crickets!
smile.gif
).
I'd take a conventional(non-digital)pic, but either me or my camera is not good at close-ups!
nine stalks?! and I thought two was unusual!
I don't really see how it could be stress , though--the plant has been happily growing(and flowering constantly)in the same spot for more than a year.
I guess it was just a random genetic mis-match...
that twin comparison is interesting
Chris

(Edited by Dionaea Enthusiast at 6:26 am on Jan. 13, 2002)
 
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