how does the calla lily leaf turn pink? big brain requested.

20 years ago

I saw in a recent issue of garden gate magazine that someone had sent in a pic of a calla lily with a pink flower and the leaf was in the process of becoming entirely the same color as the flower!!

I have seen this phenomena occur with my yellow calla and the leaf turning the same shocking yellow color on a couple plants--seemed like the leaf had to be TOUCHING the flower for this to occur.

Now seeing it occur with other flower colors (like in the magazine). and reading the explaination they gave (I don't have it to reference but I think they made a one sentence explaination ...possibly a mutation or climate..) I wonder if anyone can explain this more thoroughly.

If i tie my leaves to my blooms can I expect to see more of this? Does this happen in any other plants you know of? Are these plants aroids? .... How is this possible- chorophyll (sp) is green- are the choroplasts leaving the leaf? dying? actually changing into flower tissue??

I need someone with a big brain here.

and thx

karen

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Comments (7)

keiko2
20 years ago
Karen,
It's hard to tell whether we are talking about the exact same thing here, but I often have Callas produce what I might call a half leaf/half spathe, it's colored, but has no spadix or actual flower. And then some times I will have a double: two spathes around a single spadix.

I think this is a response to stress, in Dallas mainly starting dormant tubers so they flower in summer when it's about 20oF hotter than they would like to be. This has nothing to do with a leaf touching a spathe on mine.

This is much more common on the large hybrids like Solfatare & Blackeyed Beauty than the species. The same tubers just produce normal flowers in milder temperatures, below about 90oF.

Keiko
susanlynne48
20 years ago
Keiko, I've wanted to ask you for some time, but where do you get your callas - mail order or locally?

I have tried to find some on the web, but generally they are just the common garden variety - aren't there any species out there other than aethiopica? I need to check out the aroid.org website.

Are you guys expecting the cold weather Wednesday? Supposed to get down to 10 degrees, high of 22 on Wednesday, with snow - if it's wet snow, I'll be totally shocked. It's been so dry here.

Susan
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Nigella
20 years ago
Hi Susan, I really think you should rethink EBay, don't forget to check out the EBay stores:

Todays selection of Callas on EBay
keiko2
20 years ago
Susan,
Brent and Becky's and McClure & Zimmerman both have good prices on healthy tubers. Parks/Wayside has newer varieties that are very reasonable when they put them on 50-70% off clearance in May or June.

Lowe's has them really cheap in spring, but those tiny tubers need ICU to grow, usually won't bloom the first year, and then they are almost always mislabeled as to variety, so I think that's a major bummer.

Often Krogers has 6" Azalea pots crammed full of dwarf hybrids in flower that can be cheaper & more reliable than ordering dormant tubers if you like those kinds.

Didn't have to wait for the Wednesday cold front here. My whole backyard jungle froze and turned to mush last night.
Time to start piling leaves over everything.

Keiko
Nicole Trejo
2 years ago
Variegated
Nicole Trejo
2 years ago
Possibly?
Nicole Trejo
2 years ago