Knots in leaves

ptr727

10 years ago

Hi, my plants are getting "knots" in their leaves, some help please.

What are these plants called?

What is the problem with the leaves?

Thank you for the help.

Featured Answer

ronalawn82

10 years ago

ptr727, I have seen the condition, here and there, on indoor plants. It reminds me of a huddle / tangle of youth on a playground; and this one is trying to extricate his head from the mass of humanity. It seems to me that, for some unknown reason, a particular leaf in the spindle is elongating faster than the rest. The blade of a leaf elongates from the top side of the juncture with the sheath (dewlap). The sheath elongates on the bottom side of the dewlap. This elongating exerts a force that would cause the leaf to emerge - unless the tip is tightly held in the spindle. The opposing forces would result in the leaf blade and sheath bending in the manner shown in the images. It is unusual to see the condition in more than one leaf or stalk. Some visible yellowing on a few leaves might indicate other causes.

As we used to say during our student days, "One of the great tragedies of life is the murder of a beautiful theory, by a brutal gang of facts".

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Comments (8)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
where are you ... might matter ..

looks like yucca ...

and if you can rule out someone messing with your head ... it could look like herbicide/chemical damage ...

what are the round things down in the floret ... are they related to the plant ... they seem to be scattered all over the area???? .... could they be fert ... chemical damage????

ken
ptr727
Original Author
10 years ago
I am in 90266, near Los Angeles.

The plant looks like some kind of New Zealand flax.

The little ball things are droppings from a strawberry tree.
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
never seen a NZ flax ...

sticking with yucca.. see link: https://www.google.com/search?q=New+Zealand+flax.&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjYqcDT58fKAhUsmYMKHYQXBroQ_AUIBygB&biw=987&bih=745&dpr=0.9#tbm=isch&q=variegated+yucca

look to the tips of the leaves... yucca are dangerous pointed ... flax LOOKS rounded ..

i am sure someone will roll thru and give you a definitive answer ... might get the ID faster in the name that plant forum ...

ken
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
10 years ago
It IS a phormium, New Zealand flax, not a yucca. So there is no question as to ID :-))

The second question as to why the leaves are kinking, I don't have an answer. I have had the same thing happen from time to time on phormium I have grown as well. Sometimes the leaf blades straighten out as they mature.

Diagnosing plant problems is part of my job description and I have done more research on this issue than I care to admit or even feel justified in doing and I can find nothing that addresses a specific cause. My theory is that something has altered the natural growth process of the blade as it is emerging from the root crown but what that may be exactly is up for grabs.

I would certainly clean out any debris that falls into the center of the plant. It can restrict proper blade development but more importantly, it can help to hold moisture in the center of the plant, which can lead to rot. While doing that, I'd check closely for mealy bugs - mealies on phormium are very common and hard to see, as they congregate deeply down where the leaf blades attach, and as sucking insects they could certainly alter cell structure, cause leaf deformation and contribute to the kinking issue. Cold damage could also be a factor, but doubt that is a big concern for a phormium in LA.

Sorry I can't be any more definitive and I'd be eager to see what anyone else comes up with but I have never found a satisfactory answer to the cause of this issue.
ptr727 thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
what gal said on ID ...

i sometimes see something very similar.. in early spring.. on hosta ... when a frost or freeze .... hits the emerging bud ... not killing it.. but damaging the tips ... and then the leaves continue growing.. while the damage part does not ... leading to the pretzel like contortions a few weeks later ... by which time.. you forgot about the cold damage.. lol ..

no clue if that has anything to do with this plant or NZ ...

ken
ptr727 thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
ptr727
Original Author
10 years ago
Ok, thank you for the info.

I'll inspect for bugs, and clean out the debris.
BarbJP 15-16/9B CA Bay Area
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
My guess would be thrips feeding in the folds of the tip when it's new. This feeding can cause the leaf surfaces to stick together and makes it hard for the rest of the leaf to emerge. I've seen it happen on my banana leaves and rose buds and dracena leaves. The growth pattern of dracena leaves is similar to your phomium.

Thrips are very tiny and thin and can easily slip between where the leaf surfaces are next to each other in the tip area, and they love to feed on the tender new cells under there. They rasp the surface skin and suck up the liquid from the broken cells. Then when the plant tries to heal the damage it kind of grafts it's own leaf surface to itself.

I've gently pulled apart the stuck parts and then the leaf usually grows correctly, though with some scaring. If it's bad I just cut off the tip and the then the leaf will expand, but yep, with a scared tip.

Just my guess though.