Beginner Gardening: Purple Dawn Camellia, 2 by HelloMissMary

HelloMissMary wrote:
35+ years ago, someone gave my mother a blossom that was snipped from a Purple Dawn Camellia. My mother stuck it into a glass of water and enjoyed it until the petals fell. As she was about to throw away the stem and leaves, she decided to just stick it into the ground instead. She did not use any rooting solution and did not give it any special attention, except for watering. Much to everyone's surprise, it rooted and grew with vigor. Through the years, many have taken cuttings and attempted to root them, all to no avail. Different methods were tried (including what had worked for my mother) but nothing ever took.

In the last couple of years, this shrub has started to put out blossoms that look strikingly different from its usual. The traditional-looking ones are still there, mingled in with these variegated ones. The pink and white ones have yellow stamens showing in the center, where the original blossoms were closed in the middle.

The first photo is the way the blossoms have looked until last year. The second photo is of a bunch of buds and blossoms that were knocked off by a recent rain. I gathered them together ("posed" them) and took the shot. The background was very distracting, so I replaced it with a solid background.

My questions are (1) why no one has ever been able to successfully root a cutting and (2) what has brought about the change in appearance.