stange cross species

Question

Cleaning up my garden (Feb.’18 – Southern Vancouver Island, B.C.) I discovered the oddest thing. We had an old wisteria glowing near a rhododendron. It seemed to die after one very cold winter a few years back. The next year, it sent up new growth. It’s in a neglected area so I haven’t paid much attention to it, other than to hack it back when it seemed to be smothering that old rhodo which is about 4 feet high. Today, I was amazed to discover that somehow, it has invaded a portion of the rhododendron internally. At the base of the rhodo, there are several long wisteria tendrils growing directly out of the trunk about 2 or 3 Iinches from the ground level. Half way up the trunk of the rhodo, there is a branch that looks like a regular rhodo branch, but as it nears the height of the bush, it divides into more wisteria tendrils that are reaching towards and wrapped around the post of the porch. (?!?) Other branches on this bush are regular rhodo branches with leaves and flower buds. This anomaly must have been going on for some time and I’ve never noticed. I do remember last year, tugging on some of those unruly vines and the rhodo seemingly attached. I thought it was just caught in the vines, but now I see that the wisteria is part of this rhodo bush. How can this be? Something strange must be going on down at the root level. Have you ever heard of such a thing? It’s too dark to get a picture now, but I thought I’d send this anyway. I’ll take some photos tomorrow. Thanks . . . K

Answer 1

Yes, please get some photos up! This is impossible given that they are not closely related. I’m very curious to see what is going on. I am sorry that I do not have an answer for you yet, but I am very interested in a follow up.