cactus turning purple
cactus turning purple
What does it mean when a cactus becomes a bit purple?
Mike,
I wouldn't worry. Many Cacti that get strong sun typically react by tuning purple. The most famous of such cacti is Opuntia santa-rita or Santa Rita Prickly Pear. This is a fairly common species, but oddly enough, it doesn't look like I have a picture of that one. A quick search on Google will show you what I mean.
Daiv
I wouldn't worry. Many Cacti that get strong sun typically react by tuning purple. The most famous of such cacti is Opuntia santa-rita or Santa Rita Prickly Pear. This is a fairly common species, but oddly enough, it doesn't look like I have a picture of that one. A quick search on Google will show you what I mean.
Daiv
RE: Purple Cactus
Yes it should turn back if it is kept out of direct sunlight. I had a similar experience with a Stenocereus where it turned purple then I got it back to green. As soon as I put it back out in the sun it turned purplish again.
Hi everyone, it's my first time in this forum.
The color is a dey that is made by the plant to further protect it against the intense UV rays. in addition, it is an indication of a problem with the roots system as those plants grow under the hottest sun most of those species are from Mexico and North America.
in some plants if the roots problem exists the plant will no longer be able to protect it self and eventually a sun scorch will result.
I'll post some pics of my plants that have the purple color very soon.
Best regards,
The color is a dey that is made by the plant to further protect it against the intense UV rays. in addition, it is an indication of a problem with the roots system as those plants grow under the hottest sun most of those species are from Mexico and North America.
in some plants if the roots problem exists the plant will no longer be able to protect it self and eventually a sun scorch will result.
I'll post some pics of my plants that have the purple color very soon.
Best regards,
In the "species diagnosis" for Opuntia violacea var. violacea Benson writes:
"The violet-purple color is conspicuous from a distance. This feature was a highlight of the day for Col. Emory, in command of the military expedition [survey of the new US/Mex. border] that discovered the species in 1846. The same steep hillside he observed is still dotted with the cacti."
The condition occurs in many Opuntia during the winter. I was hoping to find what the compound is, I thought it was in the Benson text... maybe I jus' cain't find it!
kari
"The violet-purple color is conspicuous from a distance. This feature was a highlight of the day for Col. Emory, in command of the military expedition [survey of the new US/Mex. border] that discovered the species in 1846. The same steep hillside he observed is still dotted with the cacti."
The condition occurs in many Opuntia during the winter. I was hoping to find what the compound is, I thought it was in the Benson text... maybe I jus' cain't find it!
kari
For many cacti and succulents turning purple or brown is a sign of stress. This can be caused by very high temperatures, excessive sun exposure, too less water given or even very frequent repotting (as Kakteen said it may reflect discomfort or problems with the root system) or combinations of these.
But if they have a good root fixation I think you don't have to worry too much.
It happens to many species (i.e. Aloes, Haworthia, Gasteria) even in natural habitat - wild plants photographed are looking sometimes very different than the cultivated ones.
It happens to many of my cacti and succulents, especially during the winter rest when they are kept completely dry, but with at least couple of hours of full sun exposure - especially to my Aloes, Ferocactus pilosus, Gymnocalycium marsoneri (getting almost completely purple - brown), Echinopsis Chamaecereus, Cleistocactus winteri (this one is getting yellow), etc. The leaves of my Echeveria rubromarginata are getting purple edges even in late summer.
I had a play with an Aloe last year - placing it in full sun the whole day and with no water given (as ondy did with his Stenocereus)- in two or three weeks it was completely brown. I've placed it in shade and started to water it regularly, and it turned emerald green in less than a month. And than I've changed again and this chameleonic behaviour has continued.
If you don't push it to its limits nothing wrong happens. It's just a signal that the plant needs something. Sometimes they're looking even better.
But if they have a good root fixation I think you don't have to worry too much.
It happens to many species (i.e. Aloes, Haworthia, Gasteria) even in natural habitat - wild plants photographed are looking sometimes very different than the cultivated ones.
It happens to many of my cacti and succulents, especially during the winter rest when they are kept completely dry, but with at least couple of hours of full sun exposure - especially to my Aloes, Ferocactus pilosus, Gymnocalycium marsoneri (getting almost completely purple - brown), Echinopsis Chamaecereus, Cleistocactus winteri (this one is getting yellow), etc. The leaves of my Echeveria rubromarginata are getting purple edges even in late summer.
I had a play with an Aloe last year - placing it in full sun the whole day and with no water given (as ondy did with his Stenocereus)- in two or three weeks it was completely brown. I've placed it in shade and started to water it regularly, and it turned emerald green in less than a month. And than I've changed again and this chameleonic behaviour has continued.
If you don't push it to its limits nothing wrong happens. It's just a signal that the plant needs something. Sometimes they're looking even better.
Info on the purple-causing compounds
OK, y'all I found it!
The compounds are betacyanins, and what is interesting about them is that the Order Cactales and some in the Order Caryophyllales (anyone know what these are?) have betacyanins instead of anthocyanins.. anyway, here's the text from Benson, 1982, pp 70 and 104. [Kari's comments in brackets]
"In all but two orders of flowering plants, coloring ranging from near red to near blue (violet to purple) is due to pigments called anthocyanins [antho = flower, cyan = blue]. These change color from an acid to a basic medium just as litmus paper does [like the flowers of hydrangea]. Colors ranging from yellow to orange may be due to the related anthoxanthins [xanthus = yellow in latin]. During the last few years, a group of chemically unrelated pigments have been found, so far as investigated, to produce parallel results in most of the families of the Caryophyllales and in the Cactales. These are betalains -- betacyanins corresponding in color to anthocyanins and betaxanthins to anthoxanthins. However, the betalains containnitrogen; the anthocyanins and anthoxanthins do not. Anthoxanthins and betaxanthins often occur in the same species or individual, but the occurrence together of betacyanins and anthocyanins has been reported only once. The presence of betacyains rather than anthocyanins is a significant taxonomic character, because it is restricted to the Caryophyllales (except the Caryophyllaceae and the subfamily Molluginoideae of the Aizoaceae) and to the Cactales."
further...about preserving/preparing specimens...
"...betacyanins in cacti produce colors in the magenta series, and these are altered according to the acidity or alkalinity of the cell sap. Thus, they tend toward red in an acid medium and toward blue in an alkaline one. No matter how the pressing of a specimen has been done, these dissolved [water-soluble] pigments will not retain the original color; they turn to a dull blue. However, the presence of these pigments is indicated by the blue, even though it is altered from the original color."
So, Eduart was right on point, although not all occurrences of the purple/red notes stressful conditions to the particular species. My local prickly pears, Opuntia pheacantha major and O. macrorhiza (cymochila?) exhibit the reddening during the winter and extreme drought, which are, in all actuality, stressful situations but common. Species such as Opuntia violacea (includes santa-rita) and a couple of others, exhibit the purple naturally, but moreso during extreme heat and drought.
There, how's that?
kari
The compounds are betacyanins, and what is interesting about them is that the Order Cactales and some in the Order Caryophyllales (anyone know what these are?) have betacyanins instead of anthocyanins.. anyway, here's the text from Benson, 1982, pp 70 and 104. [Kari's comments in brackets]
"In all but two orders of flowering plants, coloring ranging from near red to near blue (violet to purple) is due to pigments called anthocyanins [antho = flower, cyan = blue]. These change color from an acid to a basic medium just as litmus paper does [like the flowers of hydrangea]. Colors ranging from yellow to orange may be due to the related anthoxanthins [xanthus = yellow in latin]. During the last few years, a group of chemically unrelated pigments have been found, so far as investigated, to produce parallel results in most of the families of the Caryophyllales and in the Cactales. These are betalains -- betacyanins corresponding in color to anthocyanins and betaxanthins to anthoxanthins. However, the betalains containnitrogen; the anthocyanins and anthoxanthins do not. Anthoxanthins and betaxanthins often occur in the same species or individual, but the occurrence together of betacyanins and anthocyanins has been reported only once. The presence of betacyains rather than anthocyanins is a significant taxonomic character, because it is restricted to the Caryophyllales (except the Caryophyllaceae and the subfamily Molluginoideae of the Aizoaceae) and to the Cactales."
further...about preserving/preparing specimens...
"...betacyanins in cacti produce colors in the magenta series, and these are altered according to the acidity or alkalinity of the cell sap. Thus, they tend toward red in an acid medium and toward blue in an alkaline one. No matter how the pressing of a specimen has been done, these dissolved [water-soluble] pigments will not retain the original color; they turn to a dull blue. However, the presence of these pigments is indicated by the blue, even though it is altered from the original color."
So, Eduart was right on point, although not all occurrences of the purple/red notes stressful conditions to the particular species. My local prickly pears, Opuntia pheacantha major and O. macrorhiza (cymochila?) exhibit the reddening during the winter and extreme drought, which are, in all actuality, stressful situations but common. Species such as Opuntia violacea (includes santa-rita) and a couple of others, exhibit the purple naturally, but moreso during extreme heat and drought.
There, how's that?
kari