Monday, July 18, 2011

Four, Five, Six... What's up with this?

This is my clematis.

It's been growing happily at the corner of our deck for a number of years, its beautiful 4-petaled flowers brightening my day whenever I look at it.

But.

This year is different.

Four petals:


And five petals:


And six petals:


Wait, what?
How can the same clematis vine have totally different flowers on it?
Any botanists out there?
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9 comments:

  1. Bobbie WallaceJuly 19, 2011 at 1:53 AM

    I've never grown clematis, so I have no idea, but that is weird! Maybe it has something to so with the age of the plant; kind of like how money trees get more leaves as they are older? Love the color though!

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  2. JoansieJuly 19, 2011 at 8:59 AM

    I love, love, love clematis. Though I have a green thumb, I've never been successful with it. Yours are gorgeous! Thanks for sharing

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  3. UnknownJuly 19, 2011 at 9:47 AM

    Its called a 'sport' a spontanious genitic anomaly. who know maybe some garden /nursery supply company will see you blog post, and contact you.

    delicious apples are a sport--a branch on an other variety of apple tree, suddenly just started to produce delicious apple--and all the the delicious apple in the world are clones from that branch.

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  4. WanderingcatstudioJuly 19, 2011 at 9:55 AM

    That is strange - but to be honest - I've never seen four-petaled clematis before. Mine have always been six.

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  5. DorothyJuly 19, 2011 at 10:42 AM

    Perhaps a strange mutant clematis caused by radiation drifting over from Japan?

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  6. CookieJuly 19, 2011 at 4:57 PM

    I agree with Helen. Very pretty, btw.

    xo

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  7. BullwinkleJuly 20, 2011 at 5:35 AM

    A friend's has 6 petals (I went over to check - I've been meaning to get that into my yard for ages, but not just now (too hot).)

    But more importantly - what have you been watering it with ;)

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  8. AngieJuly 31, 2011 at 1:56 PM

    That's interesting! And so are the suggestions...I especially like the watering question. :D

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  9. LaurieAugust 6, 2011 at 9:40 PM

    Very weird. Odd things are happening in Vermont, clearly.

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