Today in our front yard I noticed that one of our rose bushes has a strange, weird blossom. Here it is:
The mystery blossom is definitely not a rose.
Even its stem is not the stem of a rose. It’s soft, fuzzy, and does not have any thorns. Its leaves are not the leaves of roses. It does not look like a rose. But it is growing right out of a branch of the rose bush. Unmistakably.
Here is a picture of one of its leaves:
Is it some kind of parasite that preys on roses? The blossom is quite delicate and actually pretty. It lasted about three or four days in good bloom before it started wilting.
I tried to google this but to no avail. Do I have nature-savvy readers who can help with this? What is this mystery blossom on our rose bush?
Hi Norbert,
Thanks for a lovely visit Saturday night. You two are the best hosts!
Sometimes roses get “suckers.” A sucker is a branch that comes from below the crown of the grafted base of the rose. They are generally lighter green and grow fast. The leaves and flower can look different. Could this be a beautiful sucker?
Here’s a link to more info on rose suckers.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/roses/removing-rose-suckers.htm
Jane
Interesting.
No, ours is coming out of the cane (a rose stem with thorns on it about a foot above the ground). I don’t think it’s a sucker. It’s something else.
Please take a closeup picture of one of the leaves, lying flat, and send it to me.
Hi Norbert,
I found this: https://www.hausgarten.net/glossar/garten-w/wildtrieb.html
It’s in German though. I’m not sure how you would say Wildtrieb in English.
Hope it helps. To me it sounds like an explanation.
Micha