Why do these gymnocalycium ragonesei have pink flowers?

[keithp2012]

The body looks normal but instead of white the flowers are pink.

[iann]

That's different! The petals themselves are pretty close to white, but the flower stalks are a very weird shade, like those fluorescent grafted ones.

[greenknight]

The flowers often have red centers, so pink flowers wouldn't be much of a stretch - but that's really peculiar.

[DaveW]

Another alternative is hybridity. Not all plants sold by the trade are pure strains since seed growers don't always take proper precautions against cross pollination in mixed collections where other Gymno's are flowering at the same time. Sports can also appear in cultivation and as Spence says any flower with red in it could produce a pink flowered sport. I have not heard of pink flowered forms being found in habitat though.

[oldcat61]

I don't much care how it happened but I would, for sure, buy one. Do you remember where you got it? How cool, next to the white flowered version. Sue

[keithp2012]

I don't much care how it happened but I would, for sure, buy one. Do you remember where you got it? How cool, next to the white flowered version. Sue

It was off eBay and I got white flower too.