The leaves are from a milkweed plant in our garden. Asymmetry in foliage coloration is certainly not rare, but these examples were particularly striking. Perhaps the difference starts with leaf morphogenesis, with a cell dividing and the two halves following different clocks, or maybe it's a phenomenon that is a result of the vascular pattern. It's nothing important - just as oddity AFAIK.
I'm heading back to the Arboretum later this week. Prime leaf-peeping season has begun.
Guess: dew on part of the leaf and none on the other reduces the temp just enough to induce color change?
ReplyDeletePerhaps the moisture in the veins in the leaf are routed to one side first, perhaps allowing one to stay green (or whatever) longer?
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