I was dead heading my calendulas and other flowers this afternoon, and in addition to getting stung by a wasp (OUCH!) I noticed this crazy looking calendula. I've never seen anything like it. Hoping to get some seeds when they are ready. Thought I'd share some photos.
Pretty neat! Kinda like those fireworks that explode, then explode again with a secondary shower of sparkles.
I wonder if Calendula is susceptible to Aster Yellows?
This message was edited Oct 19, 2014 10:28 PM
Actually I wouldn't be surprised if it was a virus. The aphids and bugs love the calendula and help keep my other plants aphid-free.
I looked it up and apparently Calendula is one of about a zillion plants that can have Aster Yellows...even carrots can get it.
Last year quite a few DG members had problems with Aster Yellows on their Echinacea.
Here's a link to a picture off the internet. There are lots more out there, along with all kinds of info. Also, the deformities can really vary.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Phyllody_on_Coneflower_with_aster_yellows.jpg
Sorry...I hope I didn't ruin your excitement over the unusual growth. But if it is something like Aster Yellows, I figured you'd want to know.
I looked at pics of carrots too after you mentioned this, and my carrots were infected as well I believe. I thought it was something strange with the carrot cultivar because they were stunted and very thready root growth. I'll have to make sure to do some fall cleanup of all of the nearby annuals. I wonder where it came from, never had any issue in 10+ years of growing around here.
