Okra Pods "fused" together

Okra Plant Gone Mad

My okra has done well this year and had produced quite a crop. When I count the pods I've cut from each plant so far, most of them are around 40-50 pods per plant, and counting. That said, one plant in particular has been a superstar. My variety of choice is Clemson Spineless and it commonly forks off into multiple branches. But this plant is an absolute beast! I've got well over 100 pods from this single plant, with no end in sight. One problem though... the top of the plant, and all the pods it would have produced, have grown together, or "fused" into what you see in the picture above. This is the main stem of the plant. All the other growth is doing great, but this glob of okra has confounded me. Have you seen anything like this before?  The anthers from many pods sticking out the top of this thing are clearly visible. I've just left it alone, not wanting to damage the main stem of this great producing plant. Also visible are the brown stubs from where earlier pods were cut.