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You are viewing a single post made by DaisyI in the thread called Can anyone shed light on the plant physiology behind this picture??.
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Jun 1, 2021 2:28 PM CST
Name: Daisy I
Reno, Nv (Zone 6b)
Not all who wander are lost
Garden Sages Plant Identifier
What ElPollo was talking about is a chimera - when two or more genetically distinct cell sets meet in one plant. The easiest to undertand are plants with variegated leaves but grafted plants are also chimera. But, the second cell set can't be invented, it had to be in the plant genetics to begin with. There are variegated Loropetalums. Is yours possibly variegated but the variegation has been "lost" (DNA is never lost, just misplaced within the plant)?

What I suggested is anthocyanin degradation, usually caused by environmental stresses. For some reason, the red in the leaves degrades and allows the green to show through. Red leaves in too much shade will lose anthocyanin but not usually in a pattern. That's what made the kale article interesting.

The chlorophyll is obviously there but masked by the anthocyanin, otherwise your plant would not be alive. So where did the anthocyanin go? Maybe your plant is a closet chimera or maybe environmental stresses caused the anthocyanin to degrade in interesting patterns.

Or it could be a hickup and the plant will never do this again. Smiling
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming...."WOW What a Ride!!" -Mark Frost

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