18 October 2021

I don't know why this happens


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.

2 comments:

  1. Guess: dew on part of the leaf and none on the other reduces the temp just enough to induce color change?

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  2. Perhaps 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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