Half & Half Colored Japanese Apricot (White & Pink)! 白とピンクのハーフ＆ハーフの梅？

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I knew that pink and white prunus mume flowers bloom on a tree, but looking at a Japanese apricot tree blooming with not only pink and white flowers but also this "half & half" colored flower in person, was amazing enough to make me run toward the tree.

A half and half colored Japanese apricot flower ハーフ＆ハーフ？

Pink and white prunus mume flowers on a tree 同じ木に紅白梅

Pink and white Japanese apricot flowers on a tree 源平咲きの梅

The only half and half colored flower on this tree ハーフ＆ハーフはこれだけ

So pretty that I stood there for a while 綺麗すぎてしばらく眺めてました

Scientifically, there's no white prunus mume trees, but red prunus mume trees have white flowers when the trees cannot produce enough anthocyanins to make flowers red (or pink). In other words, this tree tried to turn this flower's color from white to pink (or even red) first, but it wasn't able to produce enough anthocyanins, ending up creating such a lovely half pink and half white flower (first photo), or the flower is just in the process of a "metamorphosis" from white to pink. 

So, I went there on the following day again to see which was correct. You can find out the answer in the picture below. No change at all, meaning that the tree ran out of anthocyanins before producing enough of them to turn all the petals of this flower pink😭.

Still half & half on the following day due to insufficient anthocyanin
アントシアニン不足でピンクにはなれず（無念）😭

In Japan, having red/pink and white flowers on a tree is called "Gen Pei" flowering because "Gen" or the "Gen clan" used white flags while the "Pei" or "Hei (which is pronounced 'Pei' after Gen) clan" using red flags in a civil war (1180-1185). The Gen clan and the Hei (Pei) clan are both samurai, two of the four most important clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian Period (794-1185) of Japanese history.

A lovely flower. A lovely day!!😊

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梅です。でもよくご覧ください。白とピンクが両方咲いてる！しかも、ピンクと白のハーフ＆ハーフも咲いてる～！

1本の木に赤と白の花が咲くことを「源平咲き」というそうです。源平合戦で源氏が白旗、平氏が赤旗を用いていたからだとか。フムフム。

でももっと面白いのは、1本の木に赤い花と白い花が咲く理由。何でも白い梅の花の木はなく、紅い梅の木に白い梅が咲くだけとのこと。赤い色はアントシアニンという色素から作られるのですが、アントシアニンを作るには多くの酵素が必要で、この酵素が一つでもうまく働かなくないと赤くなれず、白のままになってしまうそうです。

ということは、このハーフ＆ハーフの梅は、白からピンクに代わる途中でアントシアニン不足になっちゃったってこと？それともまだ変身中？

というわけで翌日も行ってみました。前日と変化なし。どうも力尽きてしまったようです😭。でもカワイイ！いい日です！😊

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