I have seen big differences in pod shapes on the same plant and wondered if anyone had a good explanation. Here is a good example on this Fatalii plant. Feel free to share examples you also have.
If you're just seeing one or two pods that are highly different, it could just be a mutation or malformation - no different from some people being born with cleft pallates while most are not. I think most of us have seen "warped" pods on various plants. If you're seeing more, though, it could be an interesting cross.
Is it possible that your plant didn't drop the corolla of the flower (the flower petals as a unit) after it set to fruit? My Fatalii plant produces fruit constricted by the corolla. I haven't seen a pod constricted enough to produce that sort of tail though.I have seen big differences in pod shapes on the same plant and wondered if anyone had a good explanation. Here is a good example on this Fatalii plant. Feel free to share examples you also have.
The Just purchased some habaneros or did I? thread is on the topic of orange Habaneros with stingers.this relates to the current discussion, but I don't have pics.
Yesterday I was working with 10 pounds of regular, orange, bought-through-the-produce-company (California grown) orange habaneros.
At least 20% of the orange habs had the indented bottom and sharp stinger Scorpion look. If it had been one or two pods out of 10 pounds works, I'd not think about it, but to have 20-25% of the pods have the indent and sharp curled stinger.
I'm interested to hear comments.
Scovie's [Almighty] theory....Every flower gets pollinated= every flower that gets pollinated produces fruit.Answer= Cross pollination.(shoot me down, I have a parachute) LOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!Good thing you weren't here on a Sat. Richard, I'd have been feeding you one of my Sunday breakfasts... (legendary)
That's one cool picture. I've never seen anything like it. Are your plants STILL alive now that your back from your trip?! You should overwinter that guy, see if next year it's consistently putting out the combo shape pods. Hope your trip was fun dude!
So what might be going on? One suggestion is a somatic mutation. A plant of Green Gage, which has yellow fruits, had one branch that had all red fruits of the same shape. That's the result of a somatic mutation. The variety Yellow Riesentraube arose b'c one fruit on a plant with all red fruits was yellow. That's a somatic mutation. My plant of Dix Doight de Naples had one branch that all red fruit, same color as expected, but the fruit shape was totally different. That's a somatic mutation.
If this was a somatic mutation that mutation would have had to occur early in the growth of the plant such that all fruits were yellow.
Somatic mutation are rare, I've seen only two in my tomato patch ever, and while it's possible, I've never read about a somatic mutation that affected ALL fruits on a plant although it's theoretically possible.
I'd suggest saving seed from several of the yellow fruits and growing out some plants next your season and/or making available to those who wanted those seeds to grow for our next season.
if it's a somatic mutation, they are permanent and heritable so all plants should give yellow fruits from those saved seeds, unless there's been any X pollination going on this growing season for you.