Factors determining petal colour of baccara roses I: The contribution of epidermis and mesophyll

I. Biran*, M. Robinson, A. H. Halevy

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

The partition of light radiated on to the outer epidermis of a Baccara rose petal or on to an intact petal was examined. Most of the red light was either reflected or transmitted whereas other wavelengths and especially the green range were absorbed. When the total amount of light transmitted (epidermis) or reflected (intact petal) increased, a rise in the blue range was recorded and the colour of the petal, determined objectively by CIE or Munsell's method, became more purple.Examination of the partition of light in the different layers of the petal revealed that light reflected from the outer epidermis is made up of two parts; one part is reflected directly and the other part is first transmitted through the epidermis, reaches the mesophyll, is reflected from it and is then transmitted through the epidermis. This latter part causes a shift in colour from purple to red.Colour differences between different petals on one flower and different parts of the same petal were defined objectively. The change from red to purple colour was connected with vigorous growth of either the petal or epidermal cells, respectively.The contribution of the mesophyll in changing the reflectance curve of petals is explained and it is suggested that although the mesophyll is colourless, it contributes to a great extent to the changes occurring in petal colour.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)614-623
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Experimental Botany
Volume25
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 1974

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