COLOURED DECORATIVE PLANTS

Plants that don't produce chlorophyll on parts of their leaves are known as forma variegata. They are treated as valuable decorative plants, such as garden perennials or houseplant. Some examples of these plants are from genera Dieffenbachia, Croton, Ficus, Hosta, or Dracaena.Among succulents, there are two well-known varieties of Agave americana. One with yellow edges and green centre, while the other has the opposite leaf coloration.

The classification of content and proportion of chlorophyll, according to Gustafsoon, 1940, is as follows:

1. Albina - no chlorophyll or carotenoids are formed

2. Xantha - carotenoids prevail over chlorophyll or chlorophyll is not even produced

3. Alboviridis - different colour at the base and the tip of the leaf

    a) Alboxantha - base yellow, tip white

    b) Xanthoalba - base white or faintly coloured, tip yellowish

    c) Viridoalbina - base white, tip more or less greenish or yellowish-green

    d) Alboviridis (sensu stricto) - base green and tip white

4. Viridis - uniform yellowish-green or light-green colour occurring already at the seedling stage

5. Tigrina - transverse destruction of pigment. The transverse stripes are usually brown or yellow, narrow and pinched

6. Striata - longitudinal stripes of white or yellow colour

7. Maculata - chlorophyll and/or carotin destruction in the form of dots

Some new tipes are already added to this list (known in Cactaceae family):

1. Aurea - pure yellow plant

2. Rubra - red plant

3. Alba - plant white