My girlfriend thinks it looks disgusting especially the "veins" of the growth, but i find it pretty interesting.
Canker is the first word that comes to mind. The grain of the bark looks very interesting, therefor, I would have liked to see a slightly greater DOF to see it on the otherside of the canker. You also have nipped the very tips of the leaves of the offshoot. Interesting shot. Thanks for sharing.
It was just after the sun went below the horizon, so that would explain the lighting. Thanks for the insight, Taking photos of the same object with varying depths of field, angles, positions, framing, is just something I am going to need to remember next time I go out. And I never noticed the small amount of leaf that i did cut off.. thanks