Color Changes in Camellias: Understanding Graft Reversion

Why Your White Camellia Is Producing Pink Flowers

Camellias are beloved for their exquisite blooms, but sometimes they surprise us with unexpected color variations. If your white camellia suddenly produces deep pink flowers, pink-splashed blooms, or even flowers that are half pink and half white, you're likely witnessing a phenomenon called graft reversion or rootstock suckering.

The Grafted Nature of Most Camellias

Most named camellia cultivars are propagated by grafting onto a hardy rootstock (often Camellia japonica or C. sasanqua seedlings). The desirable variety (the scion) grows above the graft union, while the rootstock provides vigor and disease resistance. The graft union is typically near soil level, appearing as a slight swelling or change in bark texture.

Identifying Rootstock Growth

When you see dramatically different flower colors on the same plant—especially if the different-colored blooms appear on lower branches near the base—it's almost certainly growth from the rootstock. Rootstock seedlings are genetically variable and often produce flowers of a different color, size, or form than the grafted cultivar.

What to Do About It

• If you like the new color: You can leave the branch. It won't harm the plant, and you'll have a unique two-tone camellia.
• If you want to maintain the original variety: Prune off the offending branch at its point of origin, making a clean cut just above the graft union. Use sharp, clean pruners.
• Monitor regularly: Check for new rootstock shoots emerging from below the graft union and remove them promptly.

Other Causes of Color Variation

While graft reversion is the most common cause, other factors can occasionally cause color changes:

• Sport mutations: Rare genetic mutations on a single branch can produce different flower colors. These are stable and can be propagated as new cultivars.
• Environmental factors: Soil pH, temperature fluctuations, or nutrient imbalances can sometimes affect flower color intensity, but rarely cause such dramatic changes.
• Viral infections: Some viruses cause flower breaking (color streaking), but this usually appears as irregular patterns, not solid color differences on separate branches.

In your case, with two camellias planted close together and one showing distinct pink flowers on a white plant, graft reversion is by far the most likely explanation. Simply prune out the rootstock growth if undesired, and enjoy your camellias!