2-minute read
When it comes to growing flowers on your patch, are you partial to fiery reds, eye-popping pinks, cool blues, or vivid violets? Maybe all of the above? If you’re digging into the hopeful fall task of planting bulbs and perennials in anticipation of shades of spring to come, you may be interested to learn that there is more to flower color than meets the eye. How flowering plants keep on doing that beautiful blooming thing they do is partly owing to the protective power of pigment.
According to new research from Clemson University, petal pigmentation has been rapidly increasing in response to the stress of environmental change, helping pollen-producing parts of flowers to stay in good working order. This built-in mechanism for adjusting color intensity protects pollen from damage caused by ultraviolet (UV) radiation and higher temperatures, which can negatively impact plant reproduction.
Over the course of the 20th century, a decline in ozone led to more UV rays hitting the Earth’s surface. Flower petals can either absorb or reflect radiation to shield exposed or enclosed pollen-filled anthers from overexposure to UV. When ozone decreases and radiation increases, the Clemson research found that one way flowering plants with exposed anthers reduce UV stress is by increasing radiation-absorbing pigmentation. The study examined 42 species of plants on three continents over a period of eight decades and found that petal pigmentation has been increasing by about 2% a year.
Why the fuss about a bump up in petal pigment? More highly pigmented petals don’t just hang around looking pretty. By reducing the reflection of radiation onto the exposed anthers, the flower power of pigment increases resilience to changes in radiation so that pollen remains fertile and the plant can reproduce and bloom on. Learning more about how flowering plants adapt to environmental stress so when growing gets tough, the tough keep growing will be critical to maintaining the health of green living things for the benefit of both people and pollinators.
If you’ve tucked in the last of your tulip bulbs and poppy seeds and now you’re feeling the urge to go big, you can find out about the how, what and where of tree planting from our pals at American Forests.
