What characterizes incomplete dominance in genetics?

Incomplete dominance is characterized by a situation where neither allele in a gene pair is completely dominant over the other. This results in both alleles contributing to the phenotype in a way that blends their effects, producing a distinct intermediate phenotype. For example, if one allele represents red flower color and the other represents white flower color, incomplete dominance would produce offspring with pink flowers, showcasing a blend of the traits from both parents.

The concept behind this characteristic is that the alleles do not mask each other's effects but rather combine to form a new trait that is different from either of the parental phenotypes. This blending is crucial to understanding incomplete dominance, as it illustrates the unique way in which certain traits are expressed when both alleles are present.