Weird outside plant

by Chris
(New Hampshire)

The plant is a green plant that is round shape. It has a long stem that goes from the ground to the round shape plant.From the round shape that is a size of a golf ball is growing spouts of small stems with green shape like grass and inside of those has small looking seeds. I do not know how else to say what this looks like. The easy way is if I can send a picture of this to you. By the way, this plant is in Rhode Island. I am helping out a friend.

Thank you,

Chris

Hi Chris, I'm thinking that this is some kind of mutation.

The grassy parts are probably what this plant normally looks like, but there is some kind of gall caused by damage to the growing point by disease or insects that is causing this.

I've never seen a plant that looks this way deliberately, but I have seen some galls caused by wasps laying their eggs inside the stem. The larvae hatch out and live inside the stem, and the plant tries to compartmentalize the damage from the insects by creating a gall.

If you cut this open, I would think there will be a tiny grub in the center of it. These are not harmful to the plant, generally, but they are a bit unsightly.

Hope that helps with your weird plant!
Jacki