Aquilegia downy mildew vs variegated


Aquilegia Downy Mildew vs Variegation

Variegated leaves	Variegated leaves are a brighter yellow with green, there can be a few shades of green / yellow as can be seen on the right. The amount of green vs the yellow varies from plant to plant. Variegation in seedlings can be seen as soon as they germinate.
	Sometimes it looks more like green variegation on a golden background, sometimes the other way around. There may be tiny red edges to the leaves.

Downy Mildewed leaves	This is about as strong a colour variegation as possible with downy mildew, usually it is much more subtle. Look how the yellowy areas are angular, following the lines of the leaf veins (as DM is blocked from growing across the vein easily)
	Look how the yellowy areas are angular, following the lines of the leaf veins (as DM is blocked from growing across the vein easily)

Golden leaves	Gold foliage on aquilegias is very beautiful. Again, it can be seen as soon as the seed germinates.
Downy Mildew	I do not think you will mistake the whiter-green leaves of systemically infected new aquilegia leaves with golden foliage, as it is not yellow. However, here are such infected leaves for comparison. I have purposely selected rather 'burnt out' images that exaggerate the brightness of the fully infected leaves.

	Do you want to visit the page about DOWNY MILDEW ON VARIEGATED LEAVES

Touchwood Aquilegias: how to distinguish VARIEGATED LEAVES from ones affected by DOWNY MILDEW OF AQUILEGIAS