Re: lutescence and viridescent

Hi Barbara
       This isn't the first time that I've been told I don't make myself very clear. :-) I'm really not much of a writer, I guess. When I was talking about seedlings, "first or second leaves" meant the first to appear, and "newer leaves" meant the ones that came a few weeks later, the fourth, fifth leaves etc. If the fourth leaf is brighter than the first, then the first has become greener than it was to begin with in the time it took for the fourth leaf to emerge. Therefore this seedling will be a plant that emerges yellow and turns greener with time, and it is viridescent. If the fourth leaf emerges greener than the first, then the first one has turned more yellow, and the plant will be lutescent.
      I hope this is clearer, but if it isn't let me know and I'll try again.
                                                                                                                         .........Bill Meyer

Bill, I thought that a gradual leaf color change to greener as new leaves emerged meant that the plant was viridesent, and that a change toward yellow indicated lutescence. You have said the opposite! Slip of the fingers or am I mistaken?  Barbara Weitemier

Hi Jim,
      The basic definitions given by Pat (and George Schmid) explain the terms. When it comes to gold and partly gold hostas we see one of these phenomena. The tissue will become more or less green as the season progresses. Some change dramatically, and others only a little, but they all change color one way or the other. If the conditions stay the same this should be a steady, gradual change. Other things, especially sunlight, affect the color as well and must be taken into account, but golds fall into one category or the other. It is my thinking that lutescence is a sieboldiana/tokudama trait that does not come from any other species. Most if not all species produce gold seedlings and all the ones I've grown from other species were viridescent. When it comes to hybrids, I would say that only hybrids with sieboldiana/tokudama in their parentage will show lutescence. If both types result from a specific cross, the lutescent ones usually outnumber the viridescent ones.
       You can tell very early which a seedling is by comparing the first or second leaves to the later ones. If the new ones are brighter yellow, than it is viridescent. If the newer ones are greener, it's lutescent. This becomes less obvious the more fertilizer you use, as nitrogen makes them all get a lot greener.
       Has anybody found anything different to be the case?
                                                                          ........Bill Meyer
 


     Would any of you fine Ladies and Gentlemen go into some detail in
explaining lutescence and viridescent quality in leaf color.

                                                                    Jim Towle
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