تبرقش الأوراق والكيميرا

When it comes to plants, variegation is a general term used when a plant or a part of a plant exhibits deviations from it’s normal pigmentation. It can come in the form of patterns or random, irregular spots, blotches, streaks and stripes comprising of several colors that are usually different shades of green, yellow, and white.

In plant biology, chimera is often used to denote a specific case of visible variegation called Genetic mosaicism, which is a phenomena where cells of different genetic load are present within the tissue of one plant. Not all variegated plants are chimeras; moreover, most cases of chimeras do not create symptoms visible to the naked eye.

Abnormal variegated tissue is mainly a sign for the inability of a tissue to produce chlorophyll. This can result in an overall slower growth rate.