Question
HI ; I have been growing droseras for a few years now and I am very interested in the way CP's get colored with strong light . I read stuffs about the Anthocyanin that is responsable for the color of most CP's. It seems that the influence of UV and the blue part of the spectrum both induce the production of these pigments. If the light is too strong then the blade of the leaves become red as a sign of stress. So I've decided to replace one of my fluorescent tubes with a black light one in order to increase the amount of UV light (mostly UV-A) and blue light. Thus the total amount of light used to induce the red coloration is a bit decreased and I assume less stress too. I expect to see the tentacles of the news leaves to become red without the red color of the blade due to too high stress.
What do you think of that? and have You heard of such experiments in past? Have you tried that too already?

cordially
Chris. France.

Answer
Hi Chris,

Your question is a fascinating one.  It's a bit out of our expertise since our focus is more on horticulture.  I suspect that the production of anthocyanin is a bit more complicated than just a stress response since plants utilize this pigment in various ways.

I recommend going to the International Carnivorous Plant Society website and submit this question on the ICPS forum.  Their website is http://www.carnivorousplants.org  Several of the members have a more extensive background in botany and biochemistry, and could give you a more educated answer.


Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com