Moonflower vine mutation. Help!

Hexatrix 14 years ago

I`ve had a moonflower canopy in my room for about 10 months , and it was doing beautifully! Then one day it sends out a new shoot and the leaves are different. Normally they r the nice big heart shaped ones of a typical moonflower, but these r shaped like an ivy! I`ll get pics up as soon as i can.

At first i thought it was from me winding them around the lines and maybe pinching the edges, but i was extra carefull and its happening with ones i havent even touched!

Again these vines r in my room four stories up, so its not a cross polination let alone me not having any other type of vine. It seems to be just the one off-shoot as the rest of the new leaves are unaffected.

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David Hare-Scott 14 years ago

This is called a sport, or a bud sport. It is uncommon but not so rare as to be not seen in your life. If you like the habit of the new section try propagating it from cuttings. If you don't then cut it off and destroy it.

Probably not anything you did. The new section will be genetically different from the old, probably due to a mutation.

Yes this is typical.

David

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Hexatrix 14 years ago

pics of the "mutated vine"

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Hexatrix 14 years ago

Thanks alot! i looked it up on wikipedia once i new what to research. I`m hoping that it produces flowers and if so i plan to get seeds. I`m located in Canada and im willing to ship seeds within the country if anyone desires some.

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Amos Nomore 14 years ago

I grew an Ipomoea alba vine which sported an offshoot bearing ruffled purple flowers. The few seeds I recovered were deformed and failed to germinate.

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