What causes the morning glory flower to turn red from blue?

Answer 1

Biological studies of morning glories have shown that the most ancestral type produced a pigment that made it a blue or purple color. Those earliest flowers were pollinated primarily by bees. But in some past period, another strain of red- flowered morning glory evolved under pressure to become more attractive to another pollinator: the hummingbird.

The principal blue/purple pigment is called cyanidin; the red pigment is called pelargonidin. Scientists compared the differences in anthocyanin pathways in the two types of morning glories to determine the subtle alterations in enzymes that created the flower color changes.

BTW One and the same plant of ( colored not white! )Hydrangea turns from red to blue, if you change the pH of soil ( sour>blue, basic>red ).

Answer 2

Different pigements in the plants cells change as the flower become older and the cell oxidize. One molecule I know from called astraxanthin causes the redness you see in leaves changing in the fall, similiar process in the glory's I would think but on small scale.

Answer 3

IF YOU EAT THE SEEDS OF MORNING GLORY IN LARGE AMOUNTS YOU WILL HALLUCINATE!


although i believe you have to boil them in alcohol for some time to extract the bad stuff

Answer 4

...I've never known Morning Glorys to do this... Each blossom only blooms for ONE day- to begin with... -HOW would it have any time to change color???

Answer 5

Farts caused by eating turkey.