Variegated (flowers)

Flowers having more than one color in an irregular pattern comprising variable splotches, flecks, stripes, streaks, spots and/or sectors.  While the term variegated is preferable, gardeners may sometimes refer to this effect as broken colors or color breaking.

The mechanisms for flower variegation in daylilies will require a formal genetic analysis. While transposons (transposable elements or “jumping genes”) are involved in certain forms of flower variegation in other plants, whether this is also the case in daylilies remains unproven.  There is currently no evidence to suggest that a virus is involved.

These images show different examples of variegation in daylily flowers.