Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Adenium The Peach Mutated

This is a flower of adenium the peach which is apparently looks different than the usual adenium the peach. The colour is absract and no certain pattern, sometimes look like a dalmatian pattern. Some said it is a mutation, some said it is infected by virus, other said it is seems not a mutation nor virus attack, but it is looks like phytoplasmas infection. Adenium diseases associated with the presence of phytoplasmas typically exhibit a number of symptoms, include:
1. Virescence, loss of normal flower colour, green flowers
2. Phyllody, development of floral parts into leaf-like structures
3. Witches broom, proliferation of auxilary shoots
Etc, etc.

The phytoplasmas will move from infected plants into healthy plant by grafting (from rootstock or scion), but not by grafting tools.

It may well be that the plants with 'witches broom' growth and phyllody are phytoplasma infection symptoms. Maybe the color break in 'Peach' and Jade Peony are too- we just don't know.

Its my experience that the symptoms are variable- they will go on and off in the same plant and seem at least partly related to growing conditions. I feel growth and blooming are definitely affected, especially when the symptoms are severe.

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