Rita planted hydrangeas in her and her grandmother’s home. The same batch of seeds produced blue flowers in her home and pink fl
owers in her grandmother’s home. This made her conclude that the soil in her grandmother’s garden is alkaline while that in her garden is acidic. This is an example of which type of variation? Explain.
This flower must have grown in neutral soil, with little aluminum.
In some varieties of bigleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla), soil pH determines whether the plant will produce blue or pink flowers. Blooms appear bluest when grown in acidic soil with a pH in the 5.0 to 5.5 range. The same cultivar may sport pink blossoms in soil with a more neutral pH, such as 6.5 to 7.0. Florists control flower color by potting soil mixture
