First off, your Rose de Rescht has a symptom that is often caused by phytoplasmas. Phytoplasmas are submicroscopic particles; most often we see them manifest with this odd stem on dandylions in the spring. I visited the Missourit Botanica Garden and one of the guys there had collected dried phytoplasma stems from about thirty different plants.

In my garage I have one from a rose, one of the double once blooming spring red ramblers. That odd width of stem was the only thing wrong. We let the stem live, and the next spring only one side of it (about a third) was still alive. So we cut it off. That plant never developed RRD in that place, but six or seven years later it did get RRD when it was along a fenceline where other roses had sickened (bad wind flow situation there that tends to drop mites.)

Also, in the E-book you'll see a photo of a RRD-sickened Rose de Rescht (at the feet of Dr. Mark Windham who's chairing the RRD thing at the ARS meeting.) That Rose de Rescht was chock full of symptoms and IIRC none of them were this sort of stem.

Let's be kind to Auburn and point out that they are not seeing a lot of RRD on Knockouts so may have missed one. Again, take a look at Mark's article in the ARS earlier this year. It has a lot of pictures of RRD on Knockouts.

Ann

Here is a link that might be useful: Rose Rosette e-book

To me it looks like plant fasciation, rather than rose rosette disease. It is usually caused by a genetic mutation due to a bacterial issue. It is not contagious, but the bacteria itself can spread to other plants. In your plant, you can see, at the tip where the rose bud forms, the tell-tale flattening and ribbon-like ridges of fasciation. You removed the damaged cane, so your chances of this re-occuring are slim.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fasciation

Thanks so much Ann and Aurora! I'm very relieved that it's not another RRD case. Aurora, I thought it was interesting that the fasciation link you posted said in some plants it can be pretty and a desirable trait. Not so, in my Rose de Rescht...not pretty at all to me...lol. Ann, on the phytoplasmas issue. I've had to remove several coneflowers last year and this year due to Aster Yellows disease...a bacterial problem passed along by mites that causes weird phytoplasmas problems in coneflowers. Aster Yellows is incurable in coneflowers and other coneflowers can be contaminated by bugs going from a sick plant to a healthy one. I removed an infected coneflower close to Rose de Rescht this summer. Do you think that could have any relation to RdR's phytoplasmas/fasciation showing or just coincidence?

Coming from a long line of and marrying into a family of huge (almost to the point of obsessive) Alabama fans, it would be easy to throw Auburn under the bus, but I do respect them as an agricultural institution, so I'll cut them some slack...but I have little doubt those Knockouts have RRD.

The one example of desirable fasciation that I know of are the fall everlasting dried flowers called Cockscombs. The bigger ones, that look brain-ish are the end product.

Out in Nebraska we saw an unfasciated cockscomb that had just a whisp of a fluffy bit.

With the desirability of collecting 'monsterosas' back in the 1800's, I'm surprised your original rose's fasciation didn't become a collectible. Well, not that plant, but surely we aren't the only ones to have seen fasciation on roses.

It really has an odd, but interesting look to it.

Pat, you could always send it to Alabama! Interesting conversation.
Susan

How interesting. Ann your posts seem to be sending me on google treks lately!

Here is a link that might be useful: A previous discussion of facination on GW

I had a rose cane like that before, it appeared as if two canes merged into one. I thought it was fascination. I honestly forget which rose it was, but it didn't come down with RRD.