Fasciation has many causes both internal and external. Internally, it happens because of a hormonal imbalance in the growth cells, a bacterial or viral infection, or a random genetic mutation. There are also environmental causes, like chemical exposure, cold and frost exposure, or fungi, mite, and insect attacks.
https://hackaday.com/2021/04/22/the-fascinating-world-of-fasciation/
Looks like a case of fasciation!
Oh man I haven’t seen hackaday in YEARS.
Thanks for the info, that’s super interesting. It had to be insect attack. I’ve been dealing with aphids this year and this plant got hit pretty bad.