Have you seen anything like this? A band of thick, fine thorns moves up the stem in a candy cane pattern.
I think this seedling is [Orangeade x R. nitida] x Prairie Joy.
Wow, that is really interesting!!!
Hi Joe, from what I can see it is on the whole plant, is that right. How amazing, next trick is to see how the flower comes out, well done Joe.
It would be interesting to know if that is a chimera. I wonder for instance if micropropagated tissue from the one side would be thornless. Regardless, a fascinating visual demonstration of the spiraling growth pattern I think.
Joe, am I correct in seeing that all of the nodes/buds are in the “clean” area, and not amid the spines?
interesting!
That is so weirdly wonderful–never have seen anything close to that in a rose!!
Philip - you are correct that the nodes/buds appear to be in the non-thorny “clean” area.
David Mears - I didn’t spend a whole lot of time examining the plant, but I observed that this spiral growth seems to be only in canes of intermediate age and size. The younger/smaller twigs seem to have only widely spaced thorns and also most of the old wood, although in the pic it seems like there might be some of the pattern on one of the old canes. But maybe I misunderstood your question - yes, it is happening all over the plant in last year’s canes of this size. There are more canes out of the frame that have the same pattern.
Joe, no misunderstanding, just my wierd thinking, "how might the flower come out ?
It strikes me that you have a beautiful graphic illustration of the spiral phyllotaxy of a rose, and how it relates to the rest of the stem’s growth. (pentastichous phyllotaxy?)
http://www.biologydiscussion.com/leaf/phyllotaxy-arrangement-of-leaves-cyclic-and-spinal-phyllotaxy/13243
I suppose that pattern exists on the stem in other roses, but wouldn’t be so self-evident. I wonder what caused the segregation of thorns and non-thorns. It will be interesting to see if the twigs developing from the nodes on the smooth face will bear thorns.