When we think of plant leaf , the color green naturally comes to listen , right ?
However , some plants change from green to red . It ’s quite enthralling ! Deciduous trees like the Maple beautifully turn red before shedding their leaves .
Succulents often turn their leaves blood-red as it gets colder . And if you debunk works like Bromeliads to sufficient sun , they ’ll develop a stunning cerise chromaticity .
So, Why Do Leaves Turn Red?
There ’s actually a ground behind it . Inside the cell of a plant ’s leaf , there are chloroplasts containing chlorophyl , and vacuoles with carotenoids and anthocyanins .
Chlorophyll gives exit their green color , which is why most leaves appear green . Carotenoids are icteric , like the graphic yellow of Ginkgo allow for .
Anthocyanins range from red to purpleness and are well - known antioxidants get hold in blueberries , synthesize within the foliage prison cell .
Chemically , the photosynthetic process in plants involves two reaction :
Most plant conduct these two unconscious process simultaneously . However , succulents separate them between night and day .
Environmental factor can increase or decrease the amount of these reactions . Sometimes , if the first reaction reign due to sure condition , part of the solar energy turns into reactive oxygen species .
This can fall out , for example , when a plant gets sunlight in cold conditions or during its growth stop , just as I initially explained .
You might have heard of responsive oxygen types . They ’re known to impart to aging in humans , but they also negatively sham works by suppress photosynthesis .
To battle this , plants synthesize anthocyanins , acting like sunglass to reduce the amount of the first reaction and protect the chloroplast .
Now , you might wonder if turning ruby-red is bad . Actually , violent leaves are not inherently harmful . In fact , in gardening , red leave of absence often add to a plant ’s aesthetic note value and enjoyment .
Conversely , inadequate sunlight exposure can lead to works own sorry light-green leaves , elongation , or unnecessarily large leave , which can bring down their horticultural economic value .
Maples , for instance , undergo a different chemical mechanism for their autumnal coloring material change . As wintertime feeler , plants prepare to disgorge their leave-taking .
Lower temperature weaken the leave ’ social occasion , run to the breakdown of chlorophyll . Interestingly , this broken - down chlorophyl is reuse back into the stem as nutrients .
Then , a layer called the cutting off layer forms at the al-Qaeda of the leafstalk , hindering stuff rally .
The stay on sugars in the leaves develop the red paint anthocyanin , work the leaves red – this is what we know as autumn foliage . Eventually , the leaves are detached at the abscission layer and fall .
Understanding these divisor that turn plant life forget red can be really helpful . Whether you ’re sample to cultivate a sure facial expression or only monitoring your plant ’s wellness , this cognition can conduct you .
communion is handle !
