Why do variegated leaves curl?

Here is one of the variegated leaves on my Kagiri nishiki. Vertrees mentions that they curve based on the amount of variagation, and the other leaves seem regular. Does anyone know what makes this happen?

Laura

It is only an logical guess ...but the leafs on a varigated tree are usually much more tender than other non- varigated types and the part of the leaf that is varigated is the most tender thus lending itself to the curl from sun, dryness ,or maybe even humidity... the more tender any leaf is the less stiff and straight it will be and the more suscetible to outside conditions distorting it's shape ...David

Interesting suggestion. Isn't this new foliage? This is just some musing about it.

This is a photo of my Butterfly foliage and it doesn't curl even when it's burnt.

There are also trees that genetically curl.

See 'Green Trompengerg'
http://www.japanesemaples.com/catalog/index.php?id=2&page=2 (not variegated)

Also
'Kurui Jishi' (not variegated)
‘Higasa yama’ (variegated)
Ogon sarasa (not variegated)

But if it's just one leaf and such a new one then it may just be a fluke. It will be interesting to find out what it looks like later in the season.

Well, here are a couple more pics to follow. It is common to all the variegated leaves on the tree. The first flush of leaves that bud out have no markings, but over the weeks that follow, the leaves, mostly on the tips of the branches, gain the pink and white colors of this cultivar. I will try and find some pics of the same leaves over a set of days apart and see if I can post them as the colors develop. Interesting to compare it to 'butterfly'. I saw one at a nursery this week, but it had much less white on it than yours.

I'll also post one broader view so you can see the distribution of the leaves.

Laura

Number 2

Wider view