This rare multicoloured chrysanthemum is half pink and half yellow. Making it the stunning Chrysanthemum ever. Founded by William Underwood, 73 in his garden in Cavendish, Suffolk, England. The plant only has one stem and one head and experts say the split in colour straight down the middle of the flower is caused by a very rare genetic mutation.
Mr Underwood has been a keen gardener after marrying his late wife Katherine, who was a professional flower arranger, 40 years ago. The retired long-distance lorry driver, who bought the flower seeds from a nursery near Chichester, West Sussex, was amazed with the discovery.
Mr Underwood has been a keen gardener after marrying his late wife Katherine, who was a professional flower arranger, 40 years ago. The retired long-distance lorry driver, who bought the flower seeds from a nursery near Chichester, West Sussex, was amazed with the discovery.
James Armitage, a botanist from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), said the flower was a mutation only ever seen about five times a year in Britain.
He said: "Bi-coloured flowers are an abnormality and while we take tens of thousands of calls here every year we don't hear of very many.
"The phenomenon probably occurs at a very early stage of the flower's development, probably when it consists of just two cells.
"At this stage, one cell suffers a mutation in its flower colour genes that leads a different colour to be expressed.
"As the cells divide, half are of the new colour and half are the standard colour. This results in a very odd-looking flower with a definite demarcation line down the middle.
"We only hear of a handful every year and they are rare."
There are about 650 different types of chrysanthemum spread across the Europe and Asia and they were first cultivated in China almost 2500 years ago.
Source : Telegraph.co.uk , 22 August 2009
He said: "Bi-coloured flowers are an abnormality and while we take tens of thousands of calls here every year we don't hear of very many.
"The phenomenon probably occurs at a very early stage of the flower's development, probably when it consists of just two cells.
"At this stage, one cell suffers a mutation in its flower colour genes that leads a different colour to be expressed.
"As the cells divide, half are of the new colour and half are the standard colour. This results in a very odd-looking flower with a definite demarcation line down the middle.
"We only hear of a handful every year and they are rare."
There are about 650 different types of chrysanthemum spread across the Europe and Asia and they were first cultivated in China almost 2500 years ago.
Source : Telegraph.co.uk , 22 August 2009
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