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Mutant Flowers

RichardK

RichardK

Something strange going on inside the flowers of several plants I'm growing this year, and it's happening to more than one variety (some I have grown before with no problem) and on a few it has gone away (so it's not a genetic mutation).

Few weeks ago I noticed some of my (very healthy looking) C. Chinense plants that were exploding with flowers were not setting a lick, the temps were normal and everything seemed fine until I peered inside the flowers and noticed no stigma sticking out! Upon further inspection (removing the petals) I noticed that on the tip of the immature fruit were purple things growing on the sides connected to "flaps" and that under the flaps was the inside of the fruit (completely exposed interior with immature seeds visible!). Also visible was a very dwarf and badly mutated stigma either growing sideways and loopy or straight but a stub with a very flat shape (like a blade instead of a tube).

When I looked closer at the "purple" objects growing on the fruit I all of a sudden noticed that they were Anthers! Anthers growing where the stigma should? WTF!?!?!? No wonder they were not setting!

Here is an image I made showing Mutant vs Normal.

mutanthabaneroflowers.jpg


Has anyone every seen this before? Any ideas whats causing it? How to correct it? Thanks :)
 
No, all the flowers on this one plant are mutant, however the "Normal" flowers came off a plant that, at one time, was also mutant but is now normal... Both of them are different C. Chinenses.

Even if I open flowers that are to bloom in a week or so, they are still mutated.
 
This is new...
A plant that produces mutant flowers.
I would think that its a genetic defect and that there was surely no come back to normality.

If you have a normal plant that was once a mutant then I really don't understand how can this be.
Are ALL flowers from the normal plant normal or some of them are mutant and some are normal?
Where did you get those plants? Are they related?

Bleash
 
I would chalk this one up to stress of some sort if it was mutated on one plant and then it grew out of it. Maybe an OD of a supplement, or just environmental.
I've never seen one do that though.
 
The one that went mutant and back to normal was a cross I made, the current mutant is a Jamaican Hot (C. Chinense). Now I have other Crosses (of the same type) and Jamaican Hot's that have normal flowers, I also had a West Indies (C. Chinense also) with mutant flowers but that went back to normal as well.

I have no idea why, but at least the ones that have reverted to normal, seem to be staying that way. I'd hate to see several very healthy plants produce little or no fruit all year due to something I nor anyone else for that matter has ever seen before.

Now if the stigma wasn't mutated as well (it was normal or mostly normal) this could be a good thing I suppose, extra pollen extra close to the sweet spot.

Well thanks for the replies anyway, :)
 
J762 said:
I would chalk this one up to stress of some sort if it was mutated on one plant and then it grew out of it. Maybe an OD of a supplement, or just environmental.
I've never seen one do that though.
Click to expand...

Ya, I'd have to go with stress induced mutation. Were you feeding the plants heavily, or with any hormones or supplements?
 
POTAWIE said:
Ya, I'd have to go with stress induced mutation. Were you feeding the plants heavily, or with any hormones or supplements?
Click to expand...

Everything gets the same treatment, which is as little fert as you can get away with, water when needed and the usual 7+ hours of sun a day. And they do not look stressed at all, in fact they are quite the opposite. Probably the best looking plants I've ever grown, and since most of them have corrected I'm sure the last few will follow as well.
 
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