This year I noticed something unusual with one of my yellow calendula plants. From one flower head, several stems and flower buds developed.
I didn’t even realize that this was a possibility and didn’t know what to call it. After searching on the internet, I realized that it has a name – proliferation. This can happen with other flowers like daisies and roses. It is not very common and appears to be due to a genetic mutation. On this particular calendula plant, I noticed 4 different proliferations.
According to the library at the University of Washington Botanic Gardens, flower proliferation can be triggered by late frost, insect damage, extreme heat or a virus. In my case, I think the flower proliferation was triggered by the late spring frost we had this year.
