Why does my spider plant turn blue-ish when its thirsty?

October 9, 2022 1:06 PM

I have 2 different species of spider plant - one variegated, one not. When they get really dry, the leaves take on a blue-ish tint, kind of a subtle teal colour. When they're well watered, they turn a bright yellowy-green colour (not immediately, maybe 1/2 a day after a good soak). Why?
posted by nouvelle-personne to Science & Nature (2 answers total)

Best answer: It is probably due to the yellow/green reflecting pigments being withdrawn by the plant as a stress response (and/or their partial degadation from stress, and recolouring with recovery). The blue-reflecting pigments are less likely to be absorbed.

We see this in fall as leaves 'colour', what we're actually seeing is a succession of pigments being taken back into the plant.

I'm not certain, but redder-reflecting pigments may be optimised to make the most use of low angle fall sun with a higher percentage of blue light.
posted by unearthed at 2:00 PM on October 9, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: It's a pretty complicated chemical reaction to water stress that causes leaves to turn duller and bluer. Basically your plant is utilizing a defense mechanism and shutting down paths of photosynthesis to try to retain water.

When I got my very first nursery job my boss instructed me to watch for leaves becoming dull. When you have the eye you can see it before actual wilting and water plants accordingly.
posted by oneirodynia at 2:10 PM on October 10, 2022 [1 favorite]