Variegated

Questions.
What makes a plant all of a sudden become variegated naturally in the wild?
Can it be and/or is it induced or coaxed to happen?
Anyone have a theory or fact on this?

Variegation is due to the presence of normal and abnormal chloroplasts in the leaf structure or even a lack of chloroplasts in some cases.

There are several kinds of variegation, it's commonly seen in diseased plants, usually viral where chloroplasts are destroyed or mutilated. This is pathalogical variegation.

Genetic makeup of the plant can also be the cause of variegation, Pigment varigation is usually due to the levels of anthocyanin (red/purple) produced and result in dark leaves or streaks. Chimeral varigations are the result of normal and abnormal chloroplasts or lack of chloroplasts in the leaf structure. Sometimes a varigation occurs due to the air in the tissues too, the air layer or bubble can reflect a lighter colour, some Eryngium species show this with white veined leaves.

How do you cause variegation? I'm not entirely sure that you can although sometimes mechanical damage to leaf buds can result in damaged chloroplasts although it's not a reliable way of creating variegation. Varigation occurs as a natrual genetic hiccup in the main although in the wild the variegated plants are often weaker (due to the lack of chlorophyll) and tend to die out.

OK, this sheds some light.
The reason i ask is, I have a cactus plant that one of the stems is variegated and all the others are not.
On one side of the stem of the variegated one, there are scars from something, at the base.
So, If i separated this one variegated stem and propagated it, would all the resulting offspring retain this genetic malfunction?

Most probably yes although it may evenutally revert to green again, these kind of mutations can be very unstable

I'll give it a shot & see what happens.
Thanks Baa.

I found some variegated Commelina earlier this fall and brought it home. I put it in my kitchen window with some water hoping to multiply it, but so far, nearly all the new growth has come in solid green, even with pinching it back. Most likely I found a neat curiosity with a virus.

On the other hand, I found a neato baby blue barrel (?) cactus that has naturally mutated variegation in it. It has some random yellow splotches on it, and it's perfectly healthy.

QB

Well, I havent clipped the variegated one yet, I'm letting it get bigger & older so that it stands a better chance of survival when I do. Probably in springtime. Cross my fingers.

I've seen 2 and have 1 cacti that has naturally mutated variegation.
One was in the wild, an Echinocatus fasciculatus.

The other is happening right now in my garden on a Austrocylindropuntia subulata.
(but i'm letting it grow like it's in wild)
Maybe the wound facilitated the contraction of the virus. (shrugs...probably)

I have a beautiful variegated yellow with red streaks Four O'clock that happened spontaniously.
I suppose that a yellow and a red Four O'clock seeds germinated close together and formed one single plant?
Or could it be the result of cross pollination? Whichever it is, I am glad it happened, because it is beautiful. Also the seed from that plant has carried the variegation through the second generation. I hope it continues.

Josephine.

This message was edited Jan 17, 2005 9:02 AM

Yes, I just looked, Amazing!
this one, right?
http://www.texasstar.org/index.php?pg=four-oclock&sec=12

Yes, that is the one, If you would like some seed I will be glad to send it to you.
Josephine.

Baa,
Your one plant smart cookie.lol.Jody