Fasciation symptoms on Allocasuarina
Fasciation is a condition that can randomly affect a diverse range of plants. The condition has been recorded in about 40 plant families, including native Australian plants. The image shows fasciation in a species of Allocasuarina. The word fasciation comes from the Latin fascia, meaning a ‘band’. Common symptoms are stems which are flattened and ribbon-shaped, and flowers are twisted and grotesquely distorted. What happens is the growing point (the apical meristem) becomes abnormally broadened and flattened instead of circular. Fasciation rarely occurs on the roots of plants but root fasciation has been seen in potatoes. According to the Royal Horticultural Society the condition may be caused by random genetic disruption or bacterial infection, or it could be initiated chemically (such as by herbicides) or mechanically by frost, insects, or physical damage when digging, hoeing or forking. Other sources suggest that feeding insects rarely cause fasciation. Fasciation is not actually a disease and cannot spread.
Size: 4287px × 2848px
Location: Pomonal, Victoria, Australia
Photo credit: © Denis Crawford / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: abnormal, australia, botany, conditon, fasciation, flora, growth, macro
