Has anyone ever heard of color changing flowers. I found this crowdfunding campaign that is developing color changing petunias. Have there been other attempts to making color changing flowers in the past? Moderator removed link
Hi. Yes I can tell you of one that does and I would feel sure theres others though I can only bring this one to mind immediately. Its flowers do change colour but in this ones case I believe its due to them starting one colour and then fading off to another as the flowers age. The plant I have in mind is the spotted leafed Pulmonaria officinalis - its flowers start blue then change/fade to pink so both colours can be seen on the plant at the same time - its happening right now in my garden. That plant is an old cottage garden one and like so many of them has aquired a variety of popular names over the many years - these names can/do vary also from area to area up and down the country - the same plant can have these different "popular" names depending on where.. One of the many for this plant is "Soldiers and Sailors" and this due to these blue and pink flowers out together. I would guess theres also apart from deliberate actions by breeders, botanical and chemical reasons involved ( as with plant sports) but they are over my head. I make a distinction here between "popular" and "Botanical" names - it also proves the value of the true Botanical name for a plant which is the same world wide and wherever. Interesting to read it all up. Syd.
The one that comes to my mind is the Rangoon Creeper, Drunken Sailor Quisqualis indica It starts off as white or very pale pink and by the end of the day its a deep red.
HI. Having thought about it over night a few further but not by any means all certain comments. I have a not often seen plant called a Hacquetia epipactis - this is in flower now with yellow and as these age and then for the rest of the season they turn to green. Another which can have its colour influenced is certain ( if not all ?) Hydrangeas i.e. pink in limy soil but blue-ing up in an iron rich medium - done deliberately sometimes I believe. There was a whiles ago a Rose which had two different colour blooms on the same plant - cannot recall its name - perhaps someone can. Last was a shrub and cannot remember its name but was bred by combining two plants which each produced their own flowers on the same - will try and remember its name. When I mentioned the Pulmonaria turning blue to pink as the flowers aged the then pink flowers remained nice for days. Syd. Edit. Have remembered name of shrub - its a deliberate cross between a Laburnum and a Broom - name Laburnocytisus Adamii. - has two different coloured flowers on it.
I consider the genetically modified plants the OP was promoting to be FrankenFlowers. They are a disgraceful attempt to combine art and floriculture, when the Great Artist has already made such under-appreciated trees and plants for us to enjoy already. As for natural versions of plants that change colors of flowers, Brunsfelsia species, yesterday today tomorrow, change flower colors from white to blue to purple, all appearing on the same plant at once, though I'm not sure in what order they change. Do take care if growing them since they are poisonous.
I have a rose that starts out white, and becomes pinker and pinker before shattering (I think it's Saphrona). Also there is a native Texas plant, the sharp-podded morning glory, that starts out pale pink, and becomes much darker before closing. And of course there is the thistle that has a yellow bloom that becomes deep red from my blood when I try to pull it!
