HYB: pigment extractions

Extraction of pigments from MYSTERY BLUSH shows some pink pigment in the
water/alcohol layer of the first extraction.  It is a very pale
apricot.  I'm assuming this is two pigments - one pink, the other
yellow, but I guess it could be one pigment that is orangish?

The beard on MB is mostly white or blue white with only the very
faintest brushing of rust on the tips of a few hairs in the throat.  It
has some blue veins on the shoulders, but no anthocyanin showed up in
the extraction - probably not enough to be visible.

I wondered if some of the pigments in this pink might be different from
pigments in 'tangerine' or 'flamingo' pinks since it didn't seem to have
any hint of red or orange in the beard.  Which is why I did the
extraction.  But maybe those few faint tips of color mean that it does
have those same genes, just not expressed in the beard in this
particular flower.

Most of the pink color  remained in the flower after alcohol/water
extraction, so other than the slight trace of pink in the first
extraction and the white beard, it seems to be like other pinks, i.e.,
mostly lycopene (oil soluble).  Only difference is that it was harder to
extract than the previous extractions I did.  Had to really smash it up.

Still fascinates me how lycopene pigment can look so pink in the petal
and so "tangerine" in the extraction.
--
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
East Tennessee Iris Society <http://www.korrnet.org/etis>
American Iris Society web site <http://www.irises.org>
talk archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-talk/>
photos archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-photos/>
online R&I <http://www.irisregister.com>

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