noticklish, I remember having that happen a couple of years ago. I thought it was a particular variety. I had started them from seed given to me so I wasn't sure. I have a photo that only shows it beginning to open, but see if yours looks anything like this.....

I had a veronicastrum that did a weird fused brain-celosia (Celosia cristata) thing one year. I thought maybe something weird had happened to it just as the flower buds were forming.

That's exactly what they look like in the photo except mine are fuschia and light pink. The plants are self seeded ones in their 2nd or third growing season. They are growing in a spot where they may have been stepped on in the past.

Well, I was given my seed from a trade, so I guess they would be self sown as well. I would be surprised if stepping on them had anything to do with it. Mine weren't stepped on and I still got that effect. Oh well, another mystery. :-)

http://perrone.blogs.com/horticultural/flowers/
I found some info here under freaky foxglove on someone's blog.

not, well if that isn't the darndest thing! the link was terrific so thanks for that too
mindy

I just bought three young foxglove plants for my garden on Long Island. As they have grown, I noticed that one looks normal, with separate stalks and buds forming along the length of them. The other two, however, have all the stalks fused together into one hard band. The flower buds look squashed and strange, am wondering what will happen if/when they bloom!

You have Foxglove that is blooming already??

Just saw that this is an old thread. Please disregard my posts. 8-P