Do blue mutants of cacti exist?
-
- Posts: 312
- Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2014 8:26 pm
Do blue mutants of cacti exist?
I know rarely yellow can occur instead of normal green, but what about blue?
- Brunãozinho
- Posts: 424
- Joined: Sat Aug 25, 2012 1:33 am
- Location: Paraíba, Eastern Brazil
Re: Do blue mutants of cacti exist?
From what I have read, the yellow and red color are something equivalent to the sunscreen of cacti, so, when cacti lack clorophil, these "sunscreen" colors become more evident.
Some cacti that have a very blueish color (like some popular Pilosocereus) are just natural plants with no mutation.
Some cacti that have a very blueish color (like some popular Pilosocereus) are just natural plants with no mutation.
Bruno
-
- Posts: 312
- Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2014 8:26 pm
Re: Do blue mutants of cacti exist?
So blue naturally occurring mutants are impossible, only red and yellow?Brunãozinho wrote:From what I have read, the yellow and red color are something equivalent to the sunscreen of cacti, so, when cacti lack clorophil, these "sunscreen" colors become more evident.
Some cacti that have a very blueish color (like some popular Pilosocereus) are just natural plants with no mutation.
Re: Do blue mutants of cacti exist?
You can't get blue pigmentation in cacti. Any blue cactus is that way because of the glaucous or waxy coating that covers the plant. You can tell because if you rub one with a cloth it will turn green.
Blue is the least common natural pigment color in nature and for the most part if it doesn't exist in a group there is no way for it to suddenly appear. I'd guess less than 5% of plants have the genetic makeup to create blue pigmentation.
Blue is the least common natural pigment color in nature and for the most part if it doesn't exist in a group there is no way for it to suddenly appear. I'd guess less than 5% of plants have the genetic makeup to create blue pigmentation.
I'm now selling plants on Ebay. Check it out! Kyle's Plants
-
- Posts: 312
- Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2014 8:26 pm
Re: Do blue mutants of cacti exist?
I got mixed up with animal pigmentation, as green iguana mutants occur in yellow or blue so I thought mabye plants could to?Saxicola wrote:You can't get blue pigmentation in cacti. Any blue cactus is that way because of the glaucous or waxy coating that covers the plant. You can tell because if you rub one with a cloth it will turn green.
Blue is the least common natural pigment color in nature and for the most part if it doesn't exist in a group there is no way for it to suddenly appear. I'd guess less than 5% of plants have the genetic makeup to create blue pigmentation.
Re: Do blue mutants of cacti exist?
Cacti can't even have true blue flowers due to their chemical make up:-
"Why are there no cacti with blue flowers?
Plants colours are due to 2 main families of elements: betalaines and anthocyanes. There are other origins of colour, like chrorophyll, but the possibilities are rather limited. Betalaines and Anthocyanes are exclusive to each other, that means that a plant synthesizing anthocyanes cannot synthesise betalaines and vice versa. Most of the plant families use anthocyanes, except the Caryophyllaes, a super-family including beet, but also the mesembryanthemacae and the cacti.
The cacti's colourings are the betalaines, divided in 2 groups: the betaxanthines (yellow colour) and the betacyanines (red colour). A betalaine of blue colour does not exist (their chemical composition does not allow to give that colour), and so there will never be blue flowering cacti, neither Lithops.
Certain plants can be found having a tinge close to blue (Wittia amazonica for instance), but the colour (that actually is rather violet) is not due to a colouring but to the structure of the cells at the surface of the flowers." = Structural Colouration.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structural_coloration" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mattslandscape.com/detail/?p ... 0amazonica" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The coloured plants you refer to usually lack chlorophyll, or are partly lacking it.
"Why are there no cacti with blue flowers?
Plants colours are due to 2 main families of elements: betalaines and anthocyanes. There are other origins of colour, like chrorophyll, but the possibilities are rather limited. Betalaines and Anthocyanes are exclusive to each other, that means that a plant synthesizing anthocyanes cannot synthesise betalaines and vice versa. Most of the plant families use anthocyanes, except the Caryophyllaes, a super-family including beet, but also the mesembryanthemacae and the cacti.
The cacti's colourings are the betalaines, divided in 2 groups: the betaxanthines (yellow colour) and the betacyanines (red colour). A betalaine of blue colour does not exist (their chemical composition does not allow to give that colour), and so there will never be blue flowering cacti, neither Lithops.
Certain plants can be found having a tinge close to blue (Wittia amazonica for instance), but the colour (that actually is rather violet) is not due to a colouring but to the structure of the cells at the surface of the flowers." = Structural Colouration.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structural_coloration" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mattslandscape.com/detail/?p ... 0amazonica" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The coloured plants you refer to usually lack chlorophyll, or are partly lacking it.
Re: Do blue mutants of cacti exist?
I have blue cacti, don't think they are mutants, i believe this is a melocactus azureus.. but i thought it was a Pilosocereus azureus (?)
- Attachments
-
- 1416860378115.jpg (11.55 KiB) Viewed 3090 times
Re: Do blue mutants of cacti exist?
It only turns this beautiful blue inn full sun, when shady its a soft greenish/blue. It's kinda like when we go outside and get tanned and turn darker from the sun, same goes to these beautiful blue cacti and many Pilosocereus cacti
-
- Posts: 312
- Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2014 8:26 pm
Re: Do blue mutants of cacti exist?
It's still nice looking!KittieKAT wrote:I have blue cacti, don't think they are mutants, i believe this is a melocactus azureus.. but i thought it was a Pilosocereus azureus (?)
- adetheproducer
- Posts: 1576
- Joined: Tue Sep 03, 2013 4:15 pm
- Location: Porth, the Rhondda, Wales
Re: Do blue mutants of cacti exist?
There is a blue variety of echinocactus texensis on ebay, looks quite blue. Also pariodia magnifica or one of its many synonyms tbey can get nice blue tones.
And as the walls come down and as I look in your eyes
My fear begins to fade recalling all of the times
I have died and will die.
It's all right.
I dont mind
I dont mind.
I DONT MIND
My fear begins to fade recalling all of the times
I have died and will die.
It's all right.
I dont mind
I dont mind.
I DONT MIND
Re: Do blue mutants of cacti exist?
Kat and Ade,
That blue coloration you see is what I was referring to in my post as the waxy covering (or glaucous coating) of the plant. Rub the skin of the plant and it will turn green. That isn't to diminish how attractive it can be, but it isn't blue pigment. Heck, even the waxy coating itself isn't blue, it is white.
That blue coloration you see is what I was referring to in my post as the waxy covering (or glaucous coating) of the plant. Rub the skin of the plant and it will turn green. That isn't to diminish how attractive it can be, but it isn't blue pigment. Heck, even the waxy coating itself isn't blue, it is white.
I'm now selling plants on Ebay. Check it out! Kyle's Plants
Re: Do blue mutants of cacti exist?
Better with the flash on my camera
You Can see how it's greene towards the bottom where the sundoesn't get to it that much, still nice looking reguardless
You Can see how it's greene towards the bottom where the sundoesn't get to it that much, still nice looking reguardless
- Attachments
-
- IMG_20141124_175154.jpg (32.47 KiB) Viewed 3073 times
Re: Do blue mutants of cacti exist?
I kno the cacti Isnt really blue, it only turns blue inn the sun, but you'd prob have to runs pretty hard to get to to be green, cause I've rubbed it and its still got the blue tint
Re: Do blue mutants of cacti exist?
The blue epidermis colour on your Melocactus azureus and other cacti as Saxicola says is a wax coating refracting light which is usually produced as a sunscreen on the younger growth. Think of it like the bloom on a bunch of black grapes which if you rub them comes off. Alas it usually disappears with age and often is not produced in dull climates. We don't get Notocatus magnificus turning as blue in our UK climate where it tends to remain more green, unlike its waxy blue colour in hotter climates and in habitat:-
http://www.arkive.org/melocactus/melocactus-azureus/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
We see the parts of white light the plant epidermis reflects, not the ones it absorbs:-
http://www.itp.uni-hannover.de/~zawisch ... tzooE.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.arkive.org/melocactus/melocactus-azureus/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
We see the parts of white light the plant epidermis reflects, not the ones it absorbs:-
http://www.itp.uni-hannover.de/~zawisch ... tzooE.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-
- Posts: 72
- Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2012 3:47 pm
Re: Do blue mutants of cacti exist?
Thailand growers have been able to create a blue/violet flowering astrophytum. I can't remember where I saw the photo.