Neighbour has this copper coloured shrub, about 1 meter high.
It is an evergreen (or should that be evercopper!) but just a
few shoots have a mixture of copper and some green leaves. He
is no real gardener, these were planted for him, but wonders
why - so do I.

Pictures are at:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1043284...40020407/Bush?
authkey=Gv1sRgCObny-Ds4vaecA

Pictures 1 & 2 show the green area. There are both green and
copper on the same branch. The green leaves seem to have
started yellowing a bit (Pic 1).

Picture 3 shows a bi-coloured leaf

Picture 4 shows the whole bush

--
Roger T

700 ft up in Mid-Wales

In article -
september.org, says...

Neighbour has this copper coloured shrub, about 1 meter high.
It is an evergreen (or should that be evercopper!) but just a
few shoots have a mixture of copper and some green leaves. He
is no real gardener, these were planted for him, but wonders
why - so do I.

Pictures are at:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1043284...40020407/Bush?
authkey=Gv1sRgCObny-Ds4vaecA

Pictures 1 & 2 show the green area. There are both green and
copper on the same branch. The green leaves seem to have
started yellowing a bit (Pic 1).

Picture 3 shows a bi-coloured leaf

Picture 4 shows the whole bush

Sorry, the link got truncated/wrapped by my news reader. You
need the whole 2 lines! (Some readers may realise this)

--
Roger T

700 ft up in Mid-Wales

On 05/08/2014 22:43, Roger Tonkin wrote:

Neighbour has this copper coloured shrub, about 1 meter high.
It is an evergreen (or should that be evercopper!) but just a
few shoots have a mixture of copper and some green leaves. He
is no real gardener, these were planted for him, but wonders
why - so do I.

Pictures are at:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1043284...40020407/Bush?
authkey=Gv1sRgCObny-Ds4vaecA

Pictures 1 & 2 show the green area. There are both green and
copper on the same branch. The green leaves seem to have
started yellowing a bit (Pic 1).

Picture 3 shows a bi-coloured leaf

Picture 4 shows the whole bush

Looks like Physocarpus opulifolius "Diablo" to me. Sometimes plants
with coloured leaves start off green and the colour changes as the
leaves age. In this case, though, it looks like there is a reversion to
the normal leaf colour. The way to deal with it is to cut out the whole
green-leaved branch as close to the main stem as possible, as it will be
more vigorous than the dark-leaved branches and soon outgrow them.

--

Jeff

In article ,
Roger Tonkin wrote:

Neighbour has this copper coloured shrub, about 1 meter high.
It is an evergreen (or should that be evercopper!) but just a
few shoots have a mixture of copper and some green leaves. He
is no real gardener, these were planted for him, but wonders
why - so do I.

Pictures are at:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1043284...40020407/Bush?
authkey=Gv1sRgCObny-Ds4vaecA

Pictures 1 & 2 show the green area. There are both green and
copper on the same branch. The green leaves seem to have
started yellowing a bit (Pic 1).

Picture 3 shows a bi-coloured leaf

Picture 4 shows the whole bush

It is possible that real experts know, but this is just one of the
many ways where plant genetics and development are very different
from animal, and poorly understood. Plant cells have a 'cellular
memory' (a.k.a. are differentiated), but many or most are also
totipotent (i.e. can develop into any other type of cell). That
also applies to many colour variations, growth habit (e.g. bush
ivy) and other properties. Also, their meristems (growing cells
at the tip) are usually free of viruses even in virus-ridden plants,
and sometimes de-differentiate (including changing colour and
growth habit).

I.e. plants do that sort of thing, and nobody seems to know why.
Gardeners call it reversion, which explains nothing.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 06/08/2014 08:17, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Roger Tonkin wrote:

Neighbour has this copper coloured shrub, about 1 meter high.
It is an evergreen (or should that be evercopper!) but just a
few shoots have a mixture of copper and some green leaves. He
is no real gardener, these were planted for him, but wonders
why - so do I.

Pictures are at:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1043284...40020407/Bush?
authkey=Gv1sRgCObny-Ds4vaecA

Pictures 1 & 2 show the green area. There are both green and
copper on the same branch. The green leaves seem to have
started yellowing a bit (Pic 1).

Picture 3 shows a bi-coloured leaf

Picture 4 shows the whole bush

It is possible that real experts know, but this is just one of the
many ways where plant genetics and development are very different
from animal, and poorly understood. Plant cells have a 'cellular
memory' (a.k.a. are differentiated), but many or most are also
totipotent (i.e. can develop into any other type of cell). That
also applies to many colour variations, growth habit (e.g. bush
ivy) and other properties. Also, their meristems (growing cells
at the tip) are usually free of viruses even in virus-ridden plants,
and sometimes de-differentiate (including changing colour and
growth habit).

I.e. plants do that sort of thing, and nobody seems to know why.
Gardeners call it reversion, which explains nothing.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Meristems are composed of 3 layers. These can be genetically distinct,
in which case the plant is a mericlinal chimaera. Many variegated
cultivars are mericlinal chimaeras. Sometimes one layer of the meristem
invades and takes over another, leading to reversion of the cultivar.

But in the case of Physocarpus opulifolius 'Diabolo' reversion there is
the alternative explanation of a mutation knocking out the anthocynanin
synthesis pathway.

--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

In article ,
Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote:

Meristems are composed of 3 layers. These can be genetically distinct,
in which case the plant is a mericlinal chimaera. Many variegated
cultivars are mericlinal chimaeras. Sometimes one layer of the meristem
invades and takes over another, leading to reversion of the cultivar.

Thanks. That's one piece of the jigsaw, which either I didn't
know or had forgotten!

But in the case of Physocarpus opulifolius 'Diabolo' reversion there is
the alternative explanation of a mutation knocking out the anthocynanin
synthesis pathway.

Which wouldn't explain how it can revert, unless you then bring
back the previous explanation.

Quite a lot of plants produce multiple types of shoots, which
implies that there is a normal mechanism that does this sort of
thing. Their properties are usually preserved through cuttings,
but not always. If that uses the above mechanism, it indicates
that many plants are normally mericlinal chimaeras! If not, there
is some other mechanism as well.

The truth is rarely pure and never simple ....


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.