My Tomatoes Have Noses!

[Likeopene]

July07 093.jpg

July07 092.jpg
Has anybody ever seen this before? Some of my Burpee 4th of July tomatoes are growing appendages! I can't figure out if this is typical of the variety, or if it's environmental. None of the other varieties I am growing this year have it, nor have any varieties I've grown in the past... ever!

Any ideas? Does anybody else have this variety, and/or have you seen this before? Just curious... the extra growth tastes pretty much like the rest of the tomato. They should have named this variety "Pinocchio"!

[bcday]

Here's an explanation that was given in another thread last year, I'm just going to copy and paste it here:

"The tomato flower is made up of several fused ovaries which extend into a fused stigma. When one or several of these ovule's stigmata do not become completely fused with the others they result in side appendages."

Several queries about it appear every year so it's not all that uncommon. Very amusing when it shows up in the garden though!

[Likeopene]

Thanks for the response - I guess I sort of have the tomato equivalent of twins! Odd that I've never seen it before, and this year I have a handful like that. This variety must be more prone to it than others!