A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall Gardener's Chat Is this unusual?

I've been growing coneflowers for many years now.
I don't weed out babies that pop up each year, but allow them to get big enough for me to dig up and pot up for another spot, or to share with friends and family.

I had dug up this one, which is a very nice size - about 2 1/2 feet tall - about a month ago. It had some buds on it, but no open flowers yet. I was going to plant it at my parents' house, but when I lost so many to the @#$% critters, I decided to keep it for myself. I haven't had a chance to plant it out yet, but the first flower is fully open and it has a GREEN center!!!! ALL my others have orange centers! Is this a mutant? Do I have something special here? It's so pretty!

Sorry the green center didn't come out that well in this shot...
but you can definitely tell it's not orange like all the rest!


Some buds with the same green centers on the same plant

very pretty lynne. i've seen green centers in pictures of other people's but not many

I found this online Rudbeckia 'Herbstonne' (also called R. nitida 'Autumn Sun') is a gem for the back of a border. It has large, gently lobed leaves and five-inch-wide blossoms. The yellow petals droop so that the green central cones stand up like noses. In my garden 'Herbstonne' grows happily in clay-based soil, rising seven to eight feet without any staking

Very strange Lynne, nothing surprises me any more whn it comes to bloom colours. Seems like some plants just play chameleon like a lizard. I have astilbes that are pink one year and red the next......

Interesting, Sheri, but these do not have yellow petals at all - they are stark white, and they are not a rudbeckia. Plus it was definitely a baby from where all the coneflowers are growing.

It "might" turn a bit orange as it matures - I looked at other pictures online last night and it did seem that some did that.

then how about

Echinacea 'Coconut Lime' PPAF


Common Name: “Coneflower”

(Coneflower) Echinacea 'Coconut Lime' PPAF is the first ever double white coneflower! These totally unique flowers are shaped like pompoms that start out green in the center and age to pale lime green. The outer ring of lower ray petals are pure white. The flowers are wonderfully fragrant and make great cut flowers! Echinacea 'Coconut Lime' blooms profusely from mid through late summer atop strong, well branched stems. As the flowers age, they give way to orange cones that provide winter interest and a tasty treat for birds.

It is very strange . . . but interesting. You'll have to keep us posted as these greenies keep popping.

Maybe it's missing some pigment or something - dunno'.

very interesting to say the least.--I love them, Lynne.

Sheri - nice guess again, but sorry it's not cocoanut lime - I saw those yesterday at a nursery - soooooooo pretty, but the cone is fuzzy!!!

I do think that these might actually orange up when the cone gets larger - I saw some at another small nursery yesterday and the small ones were green while the larger flowers had some orange to them.

time will tell...

I'm outta guesses.

I don't know how it happened Lynne But I Likey likey !!!