Why Plants Get Their Color?

Have you ever wondered how plants receive their color, why they have different colors, why they change color in the fall, or why they have color at all? It's an interesting topic for Residential Strata maintenance maple ridge, in part because the solution is more complicated than you may expect! The lovely colors we see in flowers and leaves are produced by pigments. However, a number of other factors combine to produce colorful interior plants as well as outdoor plants with vibrant flowers and leaves. Let's examine how and why plants have color as well as the varied and inventive ways that humans have exploited plant pigments. 

Why Plants Are Colored the Way They Are 

Why then do plants differ in color? The quantity and distribution of various pigments within plant cells determines the various colors that plants display. Different pigment combinations can be seen in action when flowers bloom or plants change color in the autumn. The color of the plant will show up more brightly the more dominating a certain pigment is. For instance, plants with high anthocyanin concentrations will have a crimson or purple appearance because of the quantity of this pigment. Seasonal fluctuations can also affect pigment levels, which allow some plants to change color. If you've ever wondered why plants change color in the fall, you can stop wondering now! 

How Plant Colors Have Been Used by People 

Plants have been utilized for millennia to produce colors, herbal remedies, and aesthetics. Actually, some of the earliest colors were created using plants! Other frequent applications for plant hues include: 

Dyes 

Plant dyes have been used to color leather, hair, and even fabric. Plants can also be used to make food coloring, which is frequently a healthier alternative to other types. 

Natural remedies 

Herbal remedies have been made from plants for ages. Various diseases can be treated using the active components in plants. For instance, willow tree bark has been used to relieve inflammation and pain. Colds and respiratory illnesses have been treated using eucalyptus tree leaves in the past. Additionally, chamomile flowers have been used to alleviate insomnia and anxiety. 

Aesthetics 

People have utilized plants throughout history to provide color to architecture, paint, stained glass, and a variety of other things. The ancient Egyptians employed plant colors to make cosmetics and remedies. 

Understanding Pigments 

Pigments are substances that selectively absorb some visible light wavelengths while reflecting other ones. The plant's outermost layer, or epidermis, contains many layers that contain pigment-containing plant cells. The color that is perceived depends on the type and quantity of pigment present, the thickness of these cell layers, and other factors. Among the pigments frequently discovered in plants are: 

Chlorophyll 

The pigment that gives leaves their green color is called chlorophyll. It aids plants in the process of photosynthesis, which turns light into energy, and is located in the chloroplasts of plant cells. In contrast to reflecting green wavelengths of light, chlorophyll absorbs red and blue ones. 

Carotenoids  

Another form of pigment found in plants is called a carotenoid. These yellow, orange, or red pigments give the leaves their autumnal hues. Plant cells' chromoplasts contain carotenoids. They reflect yellow, orange, and red light while absorbing blue and green light. 

Anthocyanins 

Anthocyanins, which are pigments that dissolve in water, are what give flowers their blue, purple, or red hues. All light wavelengths, with the exception of blue, which they reflect, can be absorbed by them, which are present in the vacuoles of plant cells. 

Betalains 

Beets and other plants have a red or yellow color because of pigments called betalains. They can absorb all visible light wavelengths, with the exception of red and yellow, which they reflect. They are present in the vacuoles of plant cells.