• Question: why do flowers diferent colours

    Asked by bryan to Bernerd, Erick, Joseph, Ken, Peter on 6 Jul 2017.
    • Photo: Joseph Olwendo

      Joseph Olwendo answered on 6 Jul 2017:


      Flower colors come mainly from the pigments called anthocyanins, which are in the class of chemicals called flavanoids (what gives plants their color). Other pigments are carotenoids, found in tomatoes and carrots, that provide yellow, red and orange in the plastids.Aug 23, 2012

    • Photo: Peter Nguhiu

      Peter Nguhiu answered on 11 Jul 2017:


      Why questions are always hard to answer. Physical chemistry can tell us how a flower petal gets to look a certain color. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavonoid#Functions_of_flavonoids_in_plants

      Why the flower has color, on the other hand, is a more difficult question. One way to approach it is to assume that philosophical stand that form follows function. Then by considering the function of a flower, we can try and see if its form (shape, color, structure) fits the intended function.

      So what’s the principle function of a flower? Plants need to reproduce to survive. Reproduction can either be asexual or sexual. Asexual reproduction e.g. growing of sugarcane cuttings is simple (cells just divide and multiply) but has some disadvantages – can you name any? Sexual reproduction provides better chances of survival due to increased genetic diversity among other reasons, but requires gametes to come together. this is particularly more challenging in plants since they’re, well, immobile.

      So in order to get gametes to come together (what is termed pollination), plants have to be ‘creative’. Some use wind to carry gametes – their flowers would be designed to trap spores travelling in air.. think of the maize flowers. http://www.pollinator.ca/bestpractices/wind_pollination.html

      Others use animals. So here’s a question. If you were a plant, how would you design your flower to attract a bee to you? How would you attract a hummingbird? Did you say nectar? you are spot on! So the flowers act as signposts to where nectar is. Nicely colored signposts.

      Finally, an interesting thing is bees don’t see color as we do (they don’t ‘see’ low red wavelength light, their sight range is green through blue, to ultraviolet). This news article here tells more about this. http://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2016-11-16/birds-and-bees-prefer-have-flower-colours-preferences/7959382

    • Photo: Bernerd Fulanda

      Bernerd Fulanda answered on 14 Jul 2017:


      Dear Bryan
      Ever heard that “Variety is the spice of Life”?
      Well…
      The reason a flower has color is the same reason a person may be born with brown or blond hair, possess blue or green eyes, dress in colorful clothing or wear red lipstick.
      Color, when you boil it down to the simplest terms, exists solely to reproduce and procreate – in plants and in humans. The Color Making Process The color of flowers, such as the red in roses and yellow in marigolds, are found in pigments that are decided upon in the hereditary genome of the plant. Flower colors of red, pink, blue and purple come mainly from the pigments called anthocyanins, which are in the class of chemicals called flavanoids (what gives plants their color). Other pigments are carotenoids, found in tomatoes and carrots, that provide yellow, red and orange in the plastids. Chlorophyll is the most well known pigment, providing all that green you see in leaves and foliage. All these scientific terms really mean that, similar to people, plants carry certain pigments in their genes that decide before they are “born” what color they will be.

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