Fun! Keepers!

I have done the same thing with leaves from chimeras just to see what would happen. Usually, the leaf gives a plant similar to the violet that the chimera sported from as yours did. Since this is an unstable variety, I would say that it is the instability showing. I would hang on to it if I were you. The foliage is beautiful and the flowers may stabilize into the original blooms which are also very nice. Sometimes, mites will give this appearance to flowers but usually after they have taken a good hold on the violet which doesn't appear to be the case here. Make sure to post a photo of the second one in bloom!

Thank you, Horitculturist. I will hang on to it and see what the little freak does next. I didn't think it was mites, but I was quite taken aback by the new blooms' appearance - glad neither you nor Joanne think it is anything contagious. And I will watch its sibling closely so I can update this thread at some later date.

Possibly it is showing instability - which very rarely gives you anything useful - usually sporting produces something less desirable.

Need to keep you on your toes - INSV virus produces mottled distorted blossoms and leaves with variable green coloration. So be very vigilant with this plant, isolate it and see how it does. If you can tell that it is getting stunted - chuck it, do not put leaves down and make sure ou do not have thrips. Do not use the same tools on the rest of the plants - the virus is passed with "body fluids'.

With all the fun - but playing Round Robin - you can get something that will wipe your collection. Bugs - you can eradicate - virus infection is treated with a 100% Dumpster...

I would say - one more distorted flower - and off it goes.

Been there, done that - it is devastating

Well, Irina, I have to thank you for that warning. I have never seen INSV, but I've read a bit about it and it is scary stuff. I do still have it isolated and will be sure to isolate its sibling as well, just to be sure. I will watch it closely for a SHORT while and then decide, but I'm with you - better to send it out with the trash than to take a chance. And even if it is just instability and not INSV, I'm not inclined to keep something so unstable. Too little space to play around like that at my house.

NO NO NO!!!!!!! Not the trash can!!!!!!!!!! Ohhhh Anne, you are killing me! lol They are beautiful!!!!!!!

Ok, someone please explain,,,what is "wrong" with birthmark? I mean is it really harmful? I thought it was just, well, I don't know, something that happens but not really harmful. Rosie

That first plant is gorgeous ....

Birthmarking is the red gene in the leaf expressing itself. Another instability but not harmful.

No, Rosie, It's not the birth marking that is harmful (although birth marking is a sign of instability - something is changing in the plant.) What Irina is talking about is a very serious virus, INSV, that could spread through my whole collection - and there is no cure for it BUT the trash can. So, if this thing continues to look strange, it is indeed getting bagged and disposed of. So save your tears, Rosie; there is NO WAY I would let you adopt it. ;-)

Yes, Aegis. I was happy with the first blooms, too. I was going to keep it even though it is not any named variety...but now, well. We'll see.

Confirmed case of Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus - my plants - County Extension asked me to donate the plants for their seminar... at least some use besides a trash can.. Anyway - there is blotching, not birthmarks, and the flowers have distorted shape and color is mottled.

On the last photo - leaf has paler areas, it is very typical for the early stage of INSV.

And YES - the virus stimulates a birthmarking. Birthmark on otherwise healthy plant - it is a mutation. But birthmarks on a plant that has other issues - stunting, weird flowers it is a very probable infection.

Please - watch your new acquisitions - and if you get Round Robin leaves - one leaf with infection - and if you use the same blade to trim the stems - without dipping it in alcohol - the whole new batch will be infected.

Infection is spread by thrips - they feed on infected plant - and they pass the virus to every single plant in a house. The chance of getting thrips in summer is very high - so - better safe then sorry. I would get rid of suspicious plant and wach the rest like a hawk.

Oh, thanks sniff for the info sniff sniff. I get it now. It is wah wah terminal.

One more question,,,,,,I was under the impression a Chimera would not reproduce ANYTHING. As in no babies of any kind. No reproduction unless a person cuts off the top of the violet to make it sucker and then you grow the sucker. But certainly no babies from a leaf.

And Anne grew babies from a Chimera??? Are you magical??? Rosie

Regarding Chimera propagation - suckers and rooted bloomstalks - takes much longer, but if a plant is not suckering and you do not want to take the head off, and your bloomstalk has good size leaflets - it is possible.

If you plant a Chimera leaf - usually you get either the color of the edhge or the color of the stripe. Some Chimeras every so often come true from the leaf. In my experience - Yukako - comes up true - very rarely. Usually the leaf gives you white with green edge star shaped flower or purple.

Sometimes a regular fantasy or edged AV - gives you a Chimera baby - that's how chimeras come to life.

Stanley Ko from Hong Kong produced lots of new Chimeras - his approach - to root leaves of bi-color or multiclolrf AVs in acid rooting medium with high temeratures - it stresses the growth - and chimeras pop-up. I think he has it more scientific now - but he started with reusing old stinky soil for potting leaves. And the temperatures in low 90s.

You can do research on Stanley Ko presentation in Raleigh AVSA convention.

Thanks Irina! That is interesting. I have never tried to root a bloomstalk of any violet. And I am going to google Stanley Ko. That sounds like an interesting read. Thanks for the info. Rosie

Irina, thank you so much for relating your experience with INSV and posting your photos. I looked again at my plant and my gut feeling is that there is something wrong here. It is not just playing games, it is sick. In my years of growing roses, I have always feared Rose Rosette Disease making its way north into my area. RRD, too, is a fatal virus that is spread by mites that travel on the wind. So many areas of the US are so plagued with it now a days that in some places people are giving up growing roses entirely. The sick rose goes into hyper growth that is weird, twisted and wrong sized, often bright red colored, overly thorny and distorted - in short, a monster. The photos make me shudder. And that's what I think of when I examine these tiny distorted blooms closely. They're in no way beautiful to my eye. Thank goodness that I don't have any thrips now, nor have I had any in over two years so perhaps I will dodge a bullet, here. Officially diagnosed or not, it's close enough for me to worry. The plant is in the trash can in the garage and I have isolated its sibling which does have one bloom stalk formed that so far appears to be normal, but I will closely watch it to see. If the leaf I got had INSV, then wouldn't all the baby plants have it? If you think that's a yes, I'll just chuck the sister plant right now and be done with it. I don't need this violet that badly!

To reiterate-a chimera leaf, or any violet leaf, is capable of reproduction. Put very simply, a chimera is the result of a different type of genetic arrangement due to a mutation. This genetic difference from the usual violet means it must be propagated differently than usual. The leaves will propagate but the results will not have the full genetic component of the chimera and only certain genes will be expressed.

Isn't it amazing? Quite a miracle.

If you cut the stem of the regular violet - it will have a consistent color - dark reddish green or light green depending on th color of the leaves. You will see dots in circle - a darkler color vascular "ring" - the "blood" vessels of the plant, but otherwise the tissue is more or less consistent. If you cut a stem of a pinwheel chimera - you will have outer ring and center of the different colors - dark outside with pale inside - will match the dark flowers with white stripes and vice versa.

If you put a leaf down - a new plant will start from one cell - so it will be either this or that. When you have a sucker - it is very probable that the bud that started it - will copy the concentric ring arrangement of the main stem - it is not coming from one cell - it grows from many cells.

When chimera starts sporting - it loses the orderly arrangement of cells - you will have some flowers coming true, some solid - because a new stem growth is losing it. Sometomes it is only one side of the stem produces chimera flowers, the other side is not. Sometimes you manage to save it - if you lop the top off - the suckers coming from a lower part of the stem - should be coming true.

Interesting. Following this discussion intently. Thanks! Rosie

Here is the second plant (sibling to the too-weird-blooming one I showed at the beginning of this post, which is no longer with us.) This bloom has been in a half-opened state for well over a week now and I'm getting impatient with it. There is only the one bloom on this bloom stalk and no other flower buds that I can see. I'm not sure what it is doing, but it is not in a hurry to show itself fully...maybe fearing the trash can that its sister was sent to. Ha!

It IS in isolation, just in case, and no, there are no weird tiny blooms but neither am I seeing a flower that looks like the pretty ruffled ones of the first round of bloom. Also, the center leaves look like its sibling plant, different from the crown in the earlier photo when they first bloomed so they both changed in that way. I'm not seeing much here that pleads for me to keep it...

Ohhhh, Anne!!!! Can I plead for it's life???? Provided it is not "diseased" etc?? Maybe it is just shy? It is a beautiful plant! Look at those markings! Reminds me of a Modesty only pink instead of blue! Give her a chance!!!!! Just tuck her in a corner!!!! She will be ok, I am sure!!! Rosie

Leaves do not look suspicious - but the flower is very off, the color is variable and washed out. For crying out loud - it is a sport... I would chuck it now. That's why Round Robin nowdays is like playing with fire. The grower is not aware of the problem...and he or she shares it with the whole group...

I also have plants in isolation - under suspicion - my friend brought them to me to try to save... "Feather" and couple more... Myself - I would already chucked them. Will observe for another couple weeks - if the new growth is not healthy - they are out. the only reason we are still working with them - they are rare.

Rosie - you have a desire to save a potentially untreatable sick and very contagious plant... Think about it - if you see an animal that very probably has rabies... will you try to save it and bring it in your house to live with the rest of your pets? Knowing that you can condemn your furry friends to death if this animal is infected?

I am not afraid of spiders, snakes and mice, as long as they are not in my pants...But the idea of this virus makes me shiver... brrrr...

Sadly, it looks healthy, just a "runt." I don't see evidence of insv, Joanne

Sadly, sick or not, it really doesn't look like a plant that deserves my shelf space - and certainly as I said before, with its health in any doubt I would not share it. After re-reading my own posts and all the comments (Rosie's plea not withstanding) I am going to put it in the trash today. Yes, it is just a sport and I don't think I'm missing out on anything special by letting it go.

You have a valid point, Irina about Round Robins. I have nothing against trades with a person I am familiar with and can trust - but the blind origin of a whole box of leaves seems pretty risky to me now. In fact, I was a bit leery when I signed up for the RR that brought me the leaf marked "Mac's Crystal Cupid" and after the box arrived I was asking myself why I did it. I never gave it a thought when I was just starting out, but now I have time and money invested in my collection of AV's I really don't like to take the chance, even with practicing isolation. By not knowing who the leaf came from you can't even go back and ask a question or two down the road. So not worth it.

Thank you all for your comments on this thread. It has been very helpful to me!

Anne

Anne -

if somebody is sending you a leaf off a Chimera - it means - this is not a very experienced person - which increases the risk. You look at your plant - and if it doesn't look right - you will do investigation - and either fix the problem - or dispose of the straggler. The enthusiastic newbie often doesn't see the problem until the plant is dead - and keeps sharing.

This has been informative. With the RR's I've participated in, we all knew who the leaves came from. Joanne

The only approach - is to isolate and keep it under close observation for more than a month - better covered. In 3 months the problems will show up. We are all vulnerable - no matter how accurate we are.