Why do blossoms have different numbers of petals?

[Lycopersica]

This morning, I was admiring (and pollinating, hee-hee) the blossoms on my tomato plants. Up until now, I thought they only grew blossoms in the shape of little five-pointed stars, but today I noticed a couple with six petals (and six sepals). Why would a single plant grow mostly five-petaled blossoms but occasionally put one out with six petals? Is it because they're hybrid (red robin) plants? Does the number of petals correspond to the number of seed chambers in the fruit?

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Lycopersica

This morning, I was admiring (and pollinating, hee-hee) the blossoms on my tomato plants. Up until now, I thought they only grew blossoms in the shape of little five-pointed stars, but today I noticed a couple with six petals (and six sepals). Why would a single plant grow mostly five-petaled blossoms but occasionally put one out with six petals? Is it because they're hybrid (red robin) plants? Does the number of petals correspond to the number of seed chambers in the fruit?

One of my closest childhood friends had 6 toes on each foot and 6 fingers on each hand. She had to wear open toe sandals and her mother had to knit her mittens with room for those extra digits.

This before there was any surgery to correct for what is called polydactyly ( Sp?, I didn't look it up), as in too many digits.

No different than occasional mutations that cause 6 petalled blossoms, or blossoms that appear directly out of the main stem instead of a side branch, and so many other weirdos one can see with plants humans, animals with two heads, you name it.

Chalk it up to spontaneous mutations. Some are for the good and some are not.

Carolyn