What is the result of incomplete dominance in flowers?

The result of incomplete dominance in flowers is best illustrated by the blending of traits from two different parent phenotypes. In the case of red and white flowers, instead of one color being dominant over the other, the two colors blend to create a third phenotype. This is most aptly described as red and white flowers producing red, white, and pink flowers.

In incomplete dominance, the phenotype of the heterozygote (purple flowers in the case of crossing red and white flowers) is a mix of the two alleles, resulting in a third phenotype that is distinct from both parent phenotypes. Thus, a cross between a homozygous red flower and a homozygous white flower would result in a heterozygous pink flower, as well as maintaining the original phenotypes of red and white flowers in the population.

This scenario contrasts with complete dominance, where one phenotype completely masks the other, leading to only the dominant phenotype being expressed in the offspring. The concept of incomplete dominance precisely captures the idea that both traits contribute to the phenotype but do not fully mask one another, resulting in a unique blend.