Not all plants are created equal. But generally, a rose looks like a rose, smells like a rose, and is a rose by any other name. Except, of course, when Mother Nature decides to stir things up a bit. Sometimes, plants pop up from the earth and appear to be from another planet. They might look weird, deformed, or even alarming. They may even be cute, ultra-beautiful, or other-worldly. Either way, they’re unique.
When plants don’t look like their ‘peers,’ and have things like twisted stems, Siamese twins, flattened flower stalks, or blooms that seem like alien growths, it’s often as a result of something called fasciation. These botanical mishaps are caused by abnormal activity in the growing tip of the plant. Science aside, they’re fascinating to look at.
That’s probably why there’s an entire page dedicated to honoring these “freaks of nature.” Simply called Fasciation, the community shares photographs showcasing the wild phenomenon. From twocumbers to grinning flowers, Bored Panda has put together a list of the page’s best posts. Many are proof that Mother Nature has some tricks up her sleeve, and gardening can be quite an unpredictable business.
Botany experts say that fasciation can happen to any plant, but it's most frequently seen in cacti, daisies, asters, legumes, willows, and plants in the rose family. Some plants are prized for their tendency to fasciate. For example, heirloom tomatoes, beefsteaks, or the giant strawberries we sometimes see that appear to be fused together.
