What counts for this project?
Since I've been having a lot of questions about this, I thought I'd elaborate further. This project branched off from the original "Amazing Aberrants" project, which aimed to collect observations of unusual genetic mutations and aberrant. Albinos, odd colour forms that were atypical, or otherwise. The decision was eventually made to diverge "cristate" and "fasciate" plants into a new project as seen here.
Fasciation, sometimes called cresting or cristation, is when plant structures do not grow in a typical fashion, forming unusual structures of multiple merged stems, deformed flower clusters, or peculiar leaves. The common appearance is flowers or stems appearing "doubled up", with features almost literally blending together.
The intention is to track cases where this is just a random genetic mutation. However this may be caused visually by a number of more quantifiable reasons: diseases, arthropod galls, such as those caused by mites or wasps. Fungi such as those causing "witches broom". Bacteria and other infections. These are non-genetic examples and are not the focus of the project! I realize this reaches only a minority of folks since in many cases the cause is unknown. But if it is a known pathogen or gall species causing the result, it does not need to be included.
Also see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasciation
Comments
So this is only for genetic mutants!
A pity, otherwise I might have included a few instances of Protea Witches Broom. However, this fasciation is caused by a phytoplasma, see https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/955853-Protea-witches-broom-phytoplasma
But 15 years ago I could have placed it here, as the cause was unknown. Other than that it spread rapidly through protea orchards, and unless infected plants were cut out and burned, it would take over the orchards. It was presumed to be spread by a mite that lives off the fasciation, and to be viral, but nothing could be detected. We now know about jumping genes and naked DNA or phytoplasmas
For cases where it is a known disease or phytoplasma in this case, the observations in that case can be tracked under the taxon responsible. So a pity or not, I am satisfied that iNaturalist allows a way to monitor it all, both erratically (as in this project) and pathogenically (through the species/taxa labels, such as with the Protea witches broom).
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