The word "flower" comes from the word "color", "a small piece of color." Indeed, these amazing plants strike an incredible variety of shades! Why are flowers of different colors? And why are their petals painted that way? Let's try to figure it out.
Where does this diversity come from?
Flavonoids are responsible for the color of the plant - organic compounds that are present in large quantities in each flower. It is their combinations and combinations that give the plant its unique look and shade. They are absolutely utilitarian in nature, that is, they were created not only for us to admire the beauty of flowers. Flavonoids protect plants from excessive ultraviolet radiation, from temperature changes, from external chemical aggression and, of course, attract bright insects pollinators. A huge number of flavonoids are known that belong to several groups in chemical structure.
So, anthocyanin gives the colors purple, blue, lilac, red and other shades. And, for example, green, orange and yellow appear due to other pigments, which include chlorophyll, carotene and similar substances, which also have a diverse chemical structure. Yellow pigments absorb UV light well, and plants do not fade from the sun. By the way, alpine flowers, as a rule, are painted in this particular shade.
Why the flowers are of different colors can explain their level of acidity. The higher it is, the stronger the flower tends to a red tint. If you drip vinegar on a blue petal, it will turn red. In the fall, by the way, the level of acidity in plants increases, so even the foliage begins to delight us with amazing shades of red, yellow and orange. And most of the flowers that open at the beginning of autumn have the same sunny color.
If the corolla cells do not have any pigment, then a white color is obtained . Since pigments flavonoids perform the protective function as the main function, and their presence in the flower increases its resistance to environmental influences, their complete absence gives the flower vulnerability. That is probably why white flowers are so tender.
Flowers with unusual coloring
That is why flowers of different colors are determined by different chemical compounds present in their cells. As a rule, all the petals of one flower are colored the same way, but there are exceptions. For example, in tricolor violets (pansies) and venus slippers, the petals are multi-colored, often in contrasting colors. And in some flowers, the corolla changes color during flowering. So, at the bud of the Lungwort, when it opens, the petals are pink. And over time, they gradually turn blue until, when flowering, the corolla turns out to be blue or blue. There are plants with spotted or striped petals and even with a colored border on the edge of the corolla. Garden flowers, photos of which you can see in this article, confirm their amazing variety.
Knowing why the flowers are of different colors, many breeders are experimenting by deriving house plants that are amazing in color and resistance, not only by crossing, but also by acidifying the soil and special feeding. For example, calcium and magnesium help create a more saturated blue color, and potassium - red. Thus, from the bricks created by nature, a person can build an amazingly beautiful world.