Regreening of involucral leaves of female Leucadendron (Proteaceae) after flowering
M. Schmeisser A B , W. J. Steyn A and G. Jacobs AA Department of Horticultural Science, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa.
B Corresponding author. Email: schmeisser@sun.ac.za
Australian Journal of Botany 58(7) 586-596 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT10129
Submitted: 25 May 2010 Accepted: 26 July 2010 Published: 27 October 2010
Abstract
Involucral leaves of Leucadendron have the remarkable ability to turn yellow upon flowering and regreen naturally as the florets of the inflorescence wilt. This colour change results from degradation of chlorophyll and to a lesser degree carotenoids, resulting in the unmasking of yellow colour. Chlorophyll levels were restored upon regreening. Degreening coincided with the complete dismantling of the thylakoid system, while keeping the outer plastid envelope intact. Regreening resulted from the complete redifferentiation of these gerontoplast-like plastids into functional chloroplasts. The colour change was directly linked to the development of the inflorescence. Complete removal of the inflorescence before flowering prevented the colour change while removal at full bloom, when involucral leaves were yellow, resulted in significantly faster regreening. This designates the inflorescence or florets as the possible origin of the colour change trigger and suggests that the colour change is involved with attraction of pollinators. Degreening and regreening also took place in a growth chamber under continuous high light intensity. Therefore neither pollination nor the presence of roots is required for regreening. It appears that colour change in Leucadendron results from a well-regulated degradation and subsequent synthesis of photosynthetic pigments.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank H. Hettasch at the commercial protea farm Arnelia (Hopefield, South Africa) for providing the trial site and free plant material and Dr S. Midgley for additional reviewing and constructive comments on the first manuscript. The author is indebted to Mohammed Jaffer from the Electron Microscope Unit at the University of Cape Town for support and technical advice. This research was supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) under Grant No. GUN: 2069401, the THRIP program of the National Department of Trade and Industry, Protea Producers South Africa (PPSA) and The South African Protea Producers and Exporters Association (SAPPEX). Any opinion, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Research Foundation, the PPSA or SAPPEX.
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