I have owned this plant for 10 years and it has never produced such an amazing bloom, what is unique is its completely 50/50 and the stem color is even opposite the pedal color, how it this possible?
Thank you for contacting Toronto Master Gardeners;
It is a sport that produces a new plant, or Mosaicism or genetic mosaicism: to be technically correct, I need to provide the definition of a sport (lusus) and Mosaicism or genetic mosaicism as defined by Wikipedia: it is part of a plant that is different from the rest of the plant. According to Wikipedia “it is a chance genetic mutation”, completely different from the original plant. Yours is a bud sport as the one branch is different from all the other branches. Sports usually die out and revert back to the normal growth pattern and colors. It does not affect the plant as a virus would.
Below are good definitions from Wikipedia:
Mosaicism or genetic mosaicism
Breeders have taken sports and genetic mosaicism to grow new plants: for example, with climbing hybrid tea roses, the original tea roses are not climbers. It is believed the nectarine developed from a genetic mutation of a peach over 2000 years ago in China.
Enjoy the new found colors of your hibiscus.
June 2, 2024