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PINK: The development of a
pink bluebonnet was thought to be an impossible task. Even Carroll Abbott considered location, purification and proliferation
of the pink, and eventually red, bluebonnet a bit farfetched. This great plantsman had roamed the fields of Texas
his entire life and had seen only three pink bluebonnet plants. Most of his native plant friends had never seen even one!
In searching for the pink strain, the same criterion used to successfully locate and purify the white bluebonnet strain
was used. People were told to collect only seed from pinks in large groups so that natural selection would have already bred
some of the blue out of the pinks. However, the pinks were indeed so rare that only four locations throughout the entire state
were reported. The "mother lode" of pinks was found within the city limits of San
Antonio. Once a gene source was located the pink and shades thereof were added to the bluebonnet color
spectrum.
Because the pink strain of bluebonnet was so rare and so special, it has been named after the mentor of
this project. The 'Abbott Pink' bluebonnet is now a reality. Its unique and subtle beauty will always serve as a reminder
of Carroll Abbott's dedication and inspiration to all who love and appreciate nature's rarities.
OTHER COLOR STRAINS: Like Carroll Abbott himself, the pink bluebonnet is full of surprises. The 'Abbott Pink' strain is providing
wonderful "bonus" color hues which none could have initially imagined. The purification of a pink bluebonnet strain will eventually
lead to the creation of an entirely new color variant which will make the bluebonnet without a doubt the most revered state
flower in history to a certain segment of the Texas population.
Geneticists indicate that for every color in nature, there exist hues or shades of that color. For instance, within the pink
bluebonnet there should exist a series of shades of darker pink and, eventually, red. Another spectrum of colors should exist
when blue color shades are mixed with dark pink or red to create lavender or possibly even maroon. Now isn't there a group
of Texans who might show a subtle interest in developing a maroon colored state flower? Sounds
as if the Aggies may have done it again!
The additional colors of the state flower were not genetically created by
man; these colors have existed for as long as bluebonnets have bloomed. The additional colors, which already existed in nature
and have for hundreds of years, were simply isolated, purified and grown in large numbers. No plant breeding or genetic manipulation
of bluebonnets has been done except by God. All of these colors have been developed to enhance the Texas state flower. ALL of these colors, by law, are legally the state flower. Now, for
the first time in history, color patterns of the state flower can be planted and enjoyed. And, since these colors are all
naturally occurring selections, they complement each other perfectly, making design and color selection almost fool-proof.
There is nothing prettier than a mixed bed of pink, white and blue bluebonnets. Through working with Mother Nature, the Texas state flower can now be raised to new heights of beauty and enjoyment.
Others hasten to add: "If a bluebonnet flower is white, it shouldn't be called a bluebonnet, it's a whitebonnet."
The state flower is the bluebonnet, written as one word. A color variant of that flower would be properly described with the
name of that color, PLUS the name of the flower. Consequently, the terms white bluebonnet, pink bluebonnet, and maroon bluebonnet
are correct. Be advised that from all packets of seed or flats of transplants of bluebonnet color strains such as pink, white
or 'Worthington Blue' there will be some plants which will bloom with the standard blue color. The new color strains are not
100 percent pure and thus will occasionally exhibit the ancestral blue and possibly other hues as well. Also, be advised that
in bluebonnet stands which have been allowed to naturally reseed the mixing of blues with pinks or whites will, in several
years, result in reversion to the blue color due to cross-pollination and the subsequent masking of the less dominant color
strain.
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