bonsaiTALK Community - View Single Post - zelkova sport? forked leafs

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockm

"That looks pretty distinct for a glitch."

No it's not distinct. It happens alot. Plants produce leaves that have weird, or at least unnusual shapes sometimes. Happens quite alot. Look at the variation in Acer Palmatum leaves, etc. Stress, changing light levels, pruning, too much fertlizer, insects, etc can all produce unnusual foliage.

Saying this is some kind of new cultivar is quite a reach.

Saying that it is not is a reach as well. There is a glitch that happens quite often with Pines known as a Witch's Broom that for one reason or another a branch or portion of a tree will produce odd growth. This may be due to some pathogen or infestation or infection but for what reason it is there. In some cases this oddity can be reproduced through cuttings or grafting passing on the oddity to another generation. Sometimes a Witch's Broom is the result of a genetic hicup that causes the anomaly.

Sometimes it is the case with a Witch's Broom that the condition or oddity will clear up once the issue that caused it has been relieved. Whether or not this is the case with this Zelkova cannot for certain be determined until next year if the same anomaly occurs again. Until that time there is no reason to jump up and down and run in circles about a new cultivar.