Question

Are purple leaves real?

Answer 1

Hint: Plants like the cercis canadensis (forest pansy), Heuchera (Midnight rose) and cotinus (royal purple) have purple leaves.

Complete answer:
The different pigments within a plant's cells determine the colour of its leaf. We know that most plants are green in colour because of the presence of chlorophyll, which is absorbed during photosynthesis from the green light of the spectrum which is reflected and is visible on the leaf.

In a similar way, Anthocyanin, a pigment, is normally responsible for purple leaves. Anthocyanin absorbs green and yellow rays, giving them a deep red or purple appearance to the naked eye. These leaves still have chlorophyll, otherwise they wouldn't be able to photosynthesise, but the high anthocyanin pigmentation hides the green coloration.

A plant may have a collection of purple leaves for a variety of reasons. For example, new leaves and seedlings have red-purple leaves to shield them from sun damage. Another purpose is to avoid insect and herbivore predators.

Scientists assume that certain plants, such as Persian shield, oyster plant, and ornamental cabbage, have purple leaves that serve as a natural "sunscreen," shielding the plant's cells from too much light. Photoinhibition, or a reduction in the plant's ability to carry out photosynthesis, may occur when it receives too much sunlight.

Thus, we may conclude that purple leaves are real.

Note: The other pigments found in plants are carotenoids which form yellow, orange and red hues. Flavonoids are widely distributed between flowers, fruits and leaves, their typical colours consist of yellow, red, blue and purple. Another type of pigment is the betalains. They are present in flowers and fungi and they cause colour change from red to violet and also yellow to orange