🌿 Why Do Some Houseplants Have Red-Backed Leaves? 🌟

In this video, we dive deep into the intriguing question: why do some houseplants have red-backed leaves? If you're a plant enthusiast or a rare houseplant collector, this video is perfect for you. 🌿🌺
Houseplants like Calatheas, some Philodendrons, and many more are known for their stunning red-backed leaves. But what's the science behind this? We explore four leading scientific theories that explain this fascinating phenomenon. From light recycling to antioxidant properties, herbivore deterrents, and protection from light, I cover it all. 🌱🔬
Houseplant collectors and scientists alike have long been fascinated by the red backs of these leaves. This video will take you on a journey through the various theories and uncover the secrets behind these vibrant colors. Whether you're an amateur plant hobbyist or a seasoned botanist, you'll find this exploration both educational and captivating.
Why Do Houseplants Have Red-Backed Leaves?
Light Recycling: One of the leading theories is that red backs help in recycling light. The red pigment reflects light back into the leaf, allowing the plant to maximize its photosynthesis process, especially in low-light conditions. This adaptation is particularly beneficial for plants that grow in the understory of forests where light is limited.
Antioxidant Properties: Another theory suggests that the red pigment acts as an antioxidant. This helps protect the plant from oxidative stress caused by various environmental factors. By neutralizing free radicals, the red pigment helps in maintaining the overall health of the plant.
Herbivore Deterrent: The red color can also serve as a deterrent to herbivores. Some animals might associate the red color with toxicity or bad taste, thus avoiding the plant. This natural defense mechanism helps the plant survive in environments with a high presence of herbivores.
Protection from Light: Lastly, the red pigment can provide protection from excessive light. In bright conditions, the red pigment can help reduce the amount of light that penetrates the leaf, preventing damage to the plant’s tissues. This is especially useful for plants exposed to intense sunlight for prolonged periods.
By the end of this video, you'll have a deeper understanding of why some houseplants have red backs to their leaves and appreciate the intricate ways plants have adapted to their environments. 🌿🔍
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Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:38 Red back examples
03:04 Theory 1 - Light Utilisation
06:43 Theory 2 - Photoprotection
10:44 Theory 3 - Herbivore Deterant
13:59 Theory 4 - Antioxidant properties
16:08 Final Thoughts
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Anthocyanin image
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Пікірлер: 43

  • @allonewordcaps
    @allonewordcaps14 күн бұрын

    Drinking coffee and watching your video. So happy 😊

  • @meredithdavis5167

    @meredithdavis5167

    13 күн бұрын

    Antioxidants in your coffee!

  • @Houseplantygoodness

    @Houseplantygoodness

    12 күн бұрын

    ☕😊 Glad to be part of your coffee time! Thanks for watching! 🌿

  • @silviap4478
    @silviap447813 күн бұрын

    I love these geeky videos, where you talk about science behind plants. Thank you so much, it must take a lot of time to read through all those studies. ❤

  • @Houseplantygoodness

    @Houseplantygoodness

    12 күн бұрын

    Thank you! 😊 I love diving into plant science and sharing it with fellow enthusiasts! 🌿❤️

  • @annylindsay5358
    @annylindsay535813 күн бұрын

    Wow, well researched. And the sun reflect/ block both seem to be the same basic mechanism. The red sun stress happens on the front of the leaves facing the sun, whereas the red on the back blocks it from passing through, so keeps it on the green side for use by the plant. Makes sense. As your opinion of context in nature, their design seems to fit their habitat and growth. Always enjoy your interest in everything planty! Thanks for your hard work and sharing with all.

  • @Houseplantygoodness

    @Houseplantygoodness

    12 күн бұрын

    Thank you so much! 😊 The interplay of sun stress and leaf color is indeed fascinating. Glad you enjoy the deep dives into plant science! 🌿

  • @carolstuff
    @carolstuff13 күн бұрын

    Plants are so interesting; they’ve evolved over time to withstand their environment..more than humans have. Thanks for sharing Memo!

  • @Houseplantygoodness

    @Houseplantygoodness

    12 күн бұрын

    Thanks for the thoughtful comment Carol! 🌿 Plants are truly fascinating in their adaptations. 😊

  • @allonewordcaps
    @allonewordcaps14 күн бұрын

    Great video. Wonderful way to start the day. I love all this science nerd stuff. Thank you for all your study on this subject.

  • @Houseplantygoodness

    @Houseplantygoodness

    12 күн бұрын

    Thank you! 😊 It's great to share these plant science theories with fellow enthusiasts! 🌿🔍

  • @WhistleintheWind
    @WhistleintheWind13 күн бұрын

    Oh great topic!!! Keep up the great work.

  • @Houseplantygoodness

    @Houseplantygoodness

    12 күн бұрын

    Thank you! So happy you enjoyed it! 🌿🌟

  • @jillianleblanc9370
    @jillianleblanc937013 күн бұрын

    Good morning thank you for Sharing your houseplants collections lovely

  • @Houseplantygoodness

    @Houseplantygoodness

    12 күн бұрын

    Good morning! 🌞 Thank you for watching and appreciating my plant collection! 🌿

  • @danielaimiemontez5845
    @danielaimiemontez584513 күн бұрын

    Very interesting. Your channel is so informative which helps amateurs like me. Thank you

  • @Houseplantygoodness

    @Houseplantygoodness

    12 күн бұрын

    Thank you! 😊 Happy to help fellow plant lovers grow their knowledge! 🌿

  • @meredithdavis5167
    @meredithdavis516713 күн бұрын

    Fascinating! It makes sense that there may be an antioxidant quality to the coloration - we know it in our fruits and veggies - why not other plants? The theory I've heard most was the first you discussed and it makes sense with both explanations... Leaves may suffer less stress the higher they grow - maybe? And with more light, they don't need the reflective quality. Fabulous way to start my day especially as I was working with a Calathea - getting her from soil to semi-hydro by way of water propagation. The plants I put in water to grow new roots always do better than those I move straight over. And it teaches patience! I love geeking out with you 💚

  • @Houseplantygoodness

    @Houseplantygoodness

    12 күн бұрын

    Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences Meredith! 😊 Antioxidants in plants make total sense, and your propagation method sounds awesome! 🌿💚

  • @tonymayse7727
    @tonymayse772713 күн бұрын

    Most/all mammalian herbivores are red/green colorblind so I don't think that hypothesis is well considered: the other large herbivores are reptiles and they aren't known to cause large scale crop damage, and insects which are destructive. There are certainly various pressures that have promoted red backed leaves, but the ideas that make the most sense to me are related to insect pests and reflected light. Many insects prefer the leaf backs to inhabit and a darker, less green backs may prevent certain pests from seeking the plant out. When I've shined light through blister variegation, I haven't seen a large drop in light transmission between blistered and non-blistered areas meaning that, while it looks bright to us, it's actually not that reflective of direct light: it appears to interact more by scattering ambient light. Considering that red light is both more likely to reach filtered locations (like a sunset), and that red is where a big chunk of the photosynthetically active radiation spectrum is found, reflection starts to make a lot of sense. I have additional evidence not discussed and that's the enormous number of plants that fluoresce bright red under blue light. I wonder if there is any evidence to support the insect pest hypothesis.

  • @Houseplantygoodness

    @Houseplantygoodness

    12 күн бұрын

    Thank you for sharing such detailed insights! 😊 The interplay between light, insect pests, and leaf color is fascinating and complex. Reflecting and scattering light seems very plausible! 🌿🔬

  • @SparkleInMoonlight
    @SparkleInMoonlight14 күн бұрын

    I´m in for the Theory 1 🙂 I wish the red/purple backs scared away all spidermites, thrips etc. - that would be so wonderful 😀 I love plants with red or purple backs. Since many of my plants are facing the window, the backs are often the only interesting thing I can see 😃 So the more interesting back, the better 😃 I very much prefer and select plants based on whether they have red/purple back or not 🙂

  • @Houseplantygoodness

    @Houseplantygoodness

    12 күн бұрын

    Theory 1 is fascinating, isn't it? 😊 Red and purple backs are stunning and functional-here's hoping for natural pest deterrents, but sadly mine haven't got the hint! 🌿🕵️‍♂️

  • @aleigh-xe3pc
    @aleigh-xe3pc13 күн бұрын

    My angel wing begonia has SUPER dark maroon backs now that it has good light I don't know which of the reasons you mentioned it would be but it's so gorgeous so I'm happy whatever the reason!

  • @Houseplantygoodness

    @Houseplantygoodness

    12 күн бұрын

    Those dark maroon backs sound stunning! 😊 Glad to hear your begonia is thriving in good light! 🌿🌺

  • @lindaedwards4632
    @lindaedwards463213 күн бұрын

    Interesting video 🧐🇨🇦

  • @Houseplantygoodness

    @Houseplantygoodness

    12 күн бұрын

    Thank you Linda! 🧐 So glad you found it interesting! 🌿

  • @clairepook2703
    @clairepook270313 күн бұрын

    Very interesting so could effect the light we should give the plant

  • @Houseplantygoodness

    @Houseplantygoodness

    12 күн бұрын

    Definitely! 🌞 Light conditions play a big role in plant health and leaf coloration. Thanks for watching! 🌿

  • @DaphneTriesPlants
    @DaphneTriesPlants13 күн бұрын

    I’ve been wondering about this very topic! I have a red stripe maranta and what I’ve noticed is if the new leaf gets a bit more light when it’s still rolled up, the back of it (which at that time is exposed to the light) becomes more red. Another thing is I’ve found a correlation between how red the backs are and how much dark green is on the front of the leaf. I love it when the leaves have a larger dark green surface and intense red backs and I’m trying to figure out the optimal conditions for those to occur

  • @Houseplantygoodness

    @Houseplantygoodness

    12 күн бұрын

    Interesting observations! 🌿 Light exposure definitely plays a big role in leaf coloration. Finding the optimal conditions is part of the fun! 😊

  • @TerriOsborne-xk7op
    @TerriOsborne-xk7op13 күн бұрын

    really interesting. Thank you so much for all the research you have done to enable you to create this post. It totally makes sense. I have a Calathea Lancifolia (rattlesnake plant) which I used to keep in low light and it had beautiful strong colour on the underside of the leaves. When I moved it nearer to a window the depth of colour has faded. Think its going to be moved this weekend.

  • @Houseplantygoodness

    @Houseplantygoodness

    12 күн бұрын

    Thank you Terri! 🌿 Your experience with the Calathea Lancifolia is a perfect example of how light affects leaf color. Hope the move helps! 🌞

  • @agneslazarenko2653
    @agneslazarenko265311 күн бұрын

    I love the nerdy stuff ❤

  • @od.vandeveer
    @od.vandeveer13 күн бұрын

    The red as a warning is normal for animals but plants use red to show something is ripe as a come and eat me ( to disperse the seeds ), think tomato oisonous when green, edible when red.

  • @Houseplantygoodness

    @Houseplantygoodness

    12 күн бұрын

    Great point! 😊 The color red can have so many different functions in nature. Plants are incredibly versatile! 🌿

  • @tanya.quintieri
    @tanya.quintieri13 күн бұрын

    Hm. I like the second theory. Like many others, the El Choco Red loses the red as the plant matures, i.e. mature leaves no longer emerge with that intensity of red. Also makes sense that emergent leaves are more delicate, hence the redness being most intense at that point. Edit: Plot twist… it’s a combo of one and two. And something at a cellular level can shift to either reflect the light, or draw it in. I don’t think it has to do with 3 or 4. Plants are very zen.

  • @Houseplantygoodness

    @Houseplantygoodness

    12 күн бұрын

    I can always count on you for great observations Tanya! 😊 The dynamic nature of leaf color is fascinating, and a combination of theories might just be the key! 🌿

  • @arleenperez836
    @arleenperez83613 күн бұрын

  • @minnos_junglee
    @minnos_junglee13 күн бұрын

    Oh then why Calethea's always has bug issue 🤣 I guess thrips doesnt get the warning well 😅

  • @Houseplantygoodness

    @Houseplantygoodness

    12 күн бұрын

    Haha, thrips are definitely stubborn! 😅 Calatheas sure keep us on our toes! 🌿

  • @mariajesusmorales6121
    @mariajesusmorales612113 күн бұрын

    💌

  • @Houseplantygoodness

    @Houseplantygoodness

    12 күн бұрын

    💌 🌿