#mutant flower

At Dawn, by Lira Morina (Lira Mo), via wowxwow.com.

We grew a mutant daffodil! It appears that every part of the flower head was replaced by more petals!

This is seriously one of the coolest wildflowers I’ve ever seen. This is a Pacific trillium, Trillium ovatum, with a very unique appearance due to an ABC gene mutation. ABC genes control flower whorl development (essentially, the structure of the organs that make up the flower). A gene mutants have reproductive stamens and carpels in place of petals and sepals, B gene mutants have sepals instead of petals and carpels instead of stamen, and C gene mutants - the one gardeners really like to cultivate as “double” flowers - generally have petals instead of stamen and sepals instead of carpels. This trillium seems to have a C gene mutation, where half of its stamens (most Pacific trilliums have six) have been replaced with petals (it should have three). It also has unusual bract-like sepals. 

It's pretty cool.

I was walking when I stopped and saw this amazing "mutant" flower. Cool, don't you think? At least, it is very unusual, and I felt really amazed and somehow privileged to witness such a phenomenon (I know, that's not much... but it's so rare!). It was like Nature giving me a little sign, like "Look, miracles exists!"

Cool mutant