Fasciation

Herrick Brown is the new curator of the A C Moore Herbarium at the University of South Carolina, taking over from our friend Dr. John – a k a Dr. John Nelson. Herrick also has a terminal (not fatal in this case, fortunately) degree, too, but I think one Herbarium Doctor is enough and Herrick is a youngster compared to John and me. He’s kindly been one of Making It Grow guests several times. Now you might now think that preserved plant specimens wouldn’t be very exciting show and tell items, but you’d be wrong. Fasciation was the feature of some specimens Herrick brought recently – a weird type of plant growth when the something goes awry in the apical meristem – the specialized group of cells at the tip of a plant –and instead of elongating they flatten out and divide.