Strange frozen goop oozing from Missouri plants is rare fall phenomenon, state says

The idea of plants in Missouri bursting and oozing a frozen puss sounds appropriate for 2020, the year everything seemed to go bad.

However, officials with the Missouri State Parks system say the phenomenon is not as crazy as it seems.

The department shared multiple photos on Facebook, showing examples of plants that appeared to be festering, with bulbs of what appears to be a milky substance clinging to their stems.

This is a fall phenomenon that often goes unnoticed due to its fleeting appearance, state officials said.

“When temperatures drop during our first frosts, the sap inside a plant’s stem freezes and bursts to create flower-like ribbons of ice,” the park system posted Nov. 14.

In some cases, the ornate crystals resemble “puffs of cotton candy, or snarls of white thread,” the Missouri Department of Conservation reports.

“Frost flowers” aren’t easily seen because conditions must be a perfect mix of freezing air and warm ground, the state says. The growths show up on only a few types of native plants in Missouri and melt as the sun rises, officials say.

“Scientists don’t know what it is about these species (dittany, stinkweed, and white crownbeard) that allow them to produce frost flowers,” the state reports.

“Perhaps their root systems are more active later in the year than other species, or their stems rupture in just the right way to force the ribbons of sap.”

This story was originally published November 20, 2020 at 9:35 AM with the headline "Strange frozen goop oozing from Missouri plants is rare fall phenomenon, state says."