White Macro

I've had several white pups that have put up a leaf or two before dying (for lack of chlorophyll). The cell walls are so fragile that one leaf will melt before the second leaf is open. This pup has a streak of green at the base of the petioles, and I'm hoping it will be just enough to keep it alive. It has made two full leaves, with the second predictably larger, indicating that the root system is developing normally. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

This message was edited Sep 8, 2004 3:15 PM

Very nice, ethereal even, though probably doomed, I suppose.

The parent of this one is on my "to acquire" list. :)

yeah that isn't a good sign in costus either. A ginger person told me to pinch back to where it is turning all white. Is that all happening in the same type of soil? lack of chlorophyll doesn't that run through the plant and will kill it? and doesn't a lack of chlorophyll mean that it is lacking N- nitrogen? ely

My understanding is that in this type of a variegate, the pups can have varying amounts of chlorophyll in them, depending on which combination of genetic cells they received from their parent. If they don't end up with enough of the chlorophyll producing cells, then they die from lack of food. On a robust plant, though, much of the leaf can be non-productive (white) and still not hurt the plant because of the output of the green portions.

This is the principal of all of our variegates, although some have a patterning gene, rather than a mixture of genes (chimera). It is genetic, rather than a soil deficiency, and the white rarely spreads, since the green cells are so productive. In fact, the plant will often revert to all green if it gets seriously stressed.

That makes since. so regardless if he dries the bulb out and replants it, or if he cuts it to the ground it is going to die?

ely

If it doesn't show any green at all, it will definately die. If it does manage to pull a flicker of green, as he said he was hoping, then it has a slim chance of surviving to be quite an interesting specimen.

Feel free to jump in here, PlanterRik :)

so you can stop the lack of chlorophyll only in some plants but this one you can't?

ely

If the lack of chlorophyll is an environmental issue, then yes, you can change the environment. If it is genetic, there is nothing you can do. In variegates, this lack of chlorophyll is desirable (as long as there is healthy green tissue as well). In everything else, it's usually a sign that something is wrong.

There are in between cases, such as viruses, which can result in chlorosis. Viruses are incurable and the plant should be destroyed to keep them from spreading.