Variegated succulents are those that have striations, dots, spatters, shadings, or other patterns on any region of their body. Most of the time, people misunderstand variegated plants and assume they simply have striped leaves. However, the same structure of their leaves, stems, blossoms, or trunk may have different hues. The term “variegated succulents” refers to plants with two or three colors. Although it is not required to have a distinct line or marking for each color, the colorful patterns are either lighter hues of green or other colors.
Baby succulents or older plants may exhibit variegation, which is more pronounced with time and exposure to sunlight.
What does a succulent’s variegation mean?
Variegation is the development of distinct colored zones on the leaves and stems as a result of some plant cells lacking green chlorophyll. Any plant is typically referred to as variegated if it contains different-colored leaves, stalks, blooms, or trunks within the same structure. It may appear in a variety of patterns, including stripes, dots, blotches, spatters, and shadings.
The Variegated String of Buttons is a good example of a variegated succulent; it has fine shading of different colors within each leaf, which becomes more apparent with age and sun exposure.
What does a plant’s variegation actually mean?
Understanding the many types and reasons of variegation is essential for both caring for variegated specimens and understanding why many of them are so rare and difficult to find. There are many different varieties of variegated indoor plants.
Types of Variegated Indoor Plants
When you think about variegated indoor plants, you probably picture the sporadic patches, streaks, and dots of white that are distinctive to Variegated Monstera. However, there are other varieties of variegation that seem quite dissimilar and have quite different causes.
The most typical type of variegation is chimeral variegation. This type of variegation, which is brought on by a genetic mutation, manifests as two separate chromosomal make-ups in a single plant, one of which can synthesize chlorophyll while the other cannot. A plant that has white or yellow zones mixed in with its solid green shape is the consequence; this type of plant is known as a chimera. One example of this chimera is variegated Monstera deliciosa.
Chimeral variegation can occasionally be dispersed across the plant at random. This is the case, for instance, with Variegated Monstera, where you may see white or yellow spots and splotches all over the leaves, almost like paint splatters, while some leaves emerge fully green or white. As an alternative, chimeral variegation may occasionally be uniform throughout the entire plant and have symmetrical leaf patterns.
The variegated shape may be stable or unstable, depending on the plant and the reason for the variegation, which is an important point to remember. Variegated plants that are unstable may revert to their pure green form. Additionally, variegated plants may be less robust; for instance, Variegated Monstera leaves that emerge completely white cannot photosynthesize, so they usually don’t persist very long.
Because only specific plants with chimeral variegation can be successfully propagated from stem cuttings and no chimera will result, some variegated cultivars or species are difficult to find “True to type plants come from root cuttings, leaf cuttings, or seeds that display the same phenotype—in this case, variegation. This means that there are few and frequently failed possibilities to propagate this particular variety of variegated plant.
Maybe what makes chimera plants so alluring is their transient existence?
Some variegated plants, also known as pigmented or natural variation, are actually naturally patterned patterns rather than mutants. Some of our favorite indoor plants with variegation have this pattern, and fortunately, unlike chimera, this sort of variegation is encoded in the species’ or cultivar’s DNA and handed down from one generation to the next.
a collection of Marantaceae plants with pattern variegation, including Calathea and Ctenanthe
Consider the pigmented variegation on the lanceolate, green leaves of Calathea lancifolia (Rattlesnake Calathea), which has a consistent patterning of purple dots. Similar Pattern-Gene variegation is present in Ctenanthe burle-marxii (Fishbone Prayer Plant) and other Marantaceae family members.
While a species may naturally exhibit some degree of variegation, producers frequently choose for patterning and develop hybrids to emphasize and manipulate this. The outcome is a plant variation known as a cultivar, which was developed through selective breeding and cultivated.
Blister or reflected variegation is a different type of variegation that is frequently observed in our favorite indoor plants. In this kind of plant, the lowest layers of the leaves, which are colored, and the upper, which are not pigmented, generate tiny air spaces. These transparent spaces reflect light as it strikes them, giving the leaves a silvery look.
One such plant that displays this reflected variegation is watermelon peperomia (Peperomia argyreia, below). The plant’s nickname-giving silvery stripes are really strips of reflective air pockets! However, this kind of variegation doesn’t always appear symmetrically; for instance, blister variegation is also responsible for the sporadic spots on the leaves of Scindapsus pictus (also known as Satin Pothos, above).
We think reflecting variegation to be particularly appealing when it appears along the leaf veins. This is frequently observed in aroid plants like Philodendrons, Alocasias, and Anthuriums. For instance, the leaf veins of Philodendron gloriosum, Alocasia frydek, and Anthurium clarinervium all exhibit reflective/blister variegation. Stunning, no?
Some variegated leaves, like the Mosaic virus, are genuinely brought on by viruses. Even while it’s not very frequent, a virus can occasionally develop a favorable variation that can be passed on to others. One plant with variegation that exhibits this viral variegation, though it is not an indoor plant, is a particular variety of Hosta.
In the world of plants, the term “variegation” is used quite loosely. In the end, any plant with multiple hues might be referred to as variegated. The word “variegated” is derived from the latin word variegatus, which “made up of several kinds or colors.
We hope you are now better equipped to understand why plants look the way they do and why some variegated indoor plants are so difficult to find, whether you use the term in its loose interpretation to describe patterned or multicolored leaves or dive into the more technical causes of variegation described above (and it gets wayyyy more technical and scientific if you want to go down that roadwe’re no botanists, just fascinated!).
One more thing to keep in mind as you negotiate the complex world of plant variation. The italicized word variegata, which appears as the second half of a latin plant name, designates a species that is found in the wild with variegation, such as Aloe variegata. However, variegated plants are cultivated far more frequently. This would be stated in single quote marks with the word “Variegata” capitalized.
There are two cultivars of variegated Monstera that we are aware of. One is called “Albo-Variegata,” which occasionally has leaves that are entirely or partially white and has white paint-like splotches on its leaves. The second variety is called “Thai Constellation” (above), and its leaves often have a creamy-yellow variegation with considerably smaller splotches or dots.
What does cactus variegated mean?
Variegation is the term used to describe the distinctive colour of a green cactus’ offspring when they exhibit stripes and areas of yellow or white tissue. Due to the growing popularity of succulents, a lot of new varieties with remarkable color variations are being created. Because random variegation can turn into a brand-new, exceptional variety, seedling growers keep a close watch out for it in their crop. This unique specimen will be vegetatively propagated and sold to collectors all around the world for a premium price, the price varying according to how uncommon that variegated individual is for that species.
Plants can develop variegation in two different ways: genetically and virally. The center of the plant’s top growth point, the apical meristem, where cells are rapidly proliferating, is where a natural genetic mutation takes place. This month, Tom Glavich wrote on the history and unique characteristics of variegated cactus in the Cactus and Succulent Journal. “Every variegated plant has a genetic flaw in the apical meristem that results in layers of chlorophyll-free plant epidermis (either completely or partially). Glavich continues by examining the four tissue layers that make up a cactus plant’s outer skin and how they affect variegation.
Green plants that have been variegated will have stripes, dots, and patches of yellow or white color. The mutation inhibits chlorophyll from being produced in these pale regions, which can affect photosynthesis. In cacti, the mutation may also stop the xanthophyll from being produced, which is essential for heat resistance and results in gold or yellow variegation. The variegation turns white when both xanthophyll and chlorophyll are absent.
All variegates struggle more to survive in the harsh desert climate where our UV exposure is through the roof. White regions of pigmentation can be seen in the ones that really struggle, and plants with mostly white skin may not thrive at all. Growing them in the shade is not a good solution because the issue is one of heat. In the summer, the surrounding temperatures are too hot for them. It is also not a good idea to grow them in excessive shade because low light lengthens the plant and weakens its structure. They will therefore be compelled to enter the air conditioning while the patio’s off-season shade is still too warm for outdoor life, exactly like northern tourists who travel to the desert for the sun.
A nice illustration of this difficulty is the ghost euphorbia. The amount of non-variegated tissue on this plant is insufficient to support much photosynthesis. Due to the absence of energy produced by photosynthetic processes, if you place it in the shade with so few photosynthetic cells, it will progressively starve to death.
There’s a second cause of variegation: a virus. In the past, Japan prohibited importing these striped or mottled cultivars out of fear that a virus that causes variegation may infect their horticultural stock.
Despite this restriction, there is currently little proof that the virus can spread from a variegated cactus to a regular one.
Although they are rare and exquisite specimens, variegated succulents and cacti may require much more maintenance than regular plants. Stable variegates, such as the tenacious Agave angustifolia, are an exception. American agave “The species is more sun-tolerant than Variegata. The blue leaves of the Agave americana edia-picta have a broad white stripe running down the middle of them.
Before making a purchase of a novel or uncommon cultivar at the nursery, consider it carefully. These are serendipitous variegates that could turn out to be unpredictable or they could mysteriously turn back to being all green again. Therefore, despite the fact that they may be the talk of the San Diego succulent scene, they will die after the first day that reaches 110 degrees since they will practically cook inside of themselves.
Why are colored succulents so pricey?
Essentially, variegated plants require more light than completely green plants and often grow much, much slower since they have less surface area to photosynthesise with and make the sugars they need for development and repair. This is the reason they are currently so expensive and in high demand! A plant develops more slowly and takes longer to propagate the stronger the variegation.
When it develops, plants with strong variegation have a major evolutionary disadvantage over fully green plants because they cannot photosynthesise as effectively. Strong variegation is a rare occurrence in nature. The variegated plants you see online fetching exorbitant prices are all cultivated, which means that human beings have developed them using vegetative propagation to preserve the variegated coloring.
Can a regular plant develop variegation?
I definitely collect variegated plants and am infatuated with them. Because of the pearl string’s variety, it is currently my favorite. Given that some kinds, like Variegated Monstera, cost astronomical sums of money, I had a few queries concerning plants with variegation. Here’s where my investigation led me:
A. The green pigment chlorophyll is absent from some plant cells, which causes variation in leaf color. Typically, a cell mutation causes it.
A. Plants can have genetic (inherited) or random variegation (chimeric). If the color change is hereditary, it is stable, which means that it will return to the new plant if you produce a green stem from a plant with colored leaves or plant its seed.
A variety of factors might cause variegated plants to revert or turn green. It could be a response to temperature extremes—hot or cold—or to low light levels. Some claim that since the plant grows stronger when it has more chlorophyll, it might have done so as a means of survival. When this occurs, it is preferable to remove the afflicted leaves because, if you don’t, the plain green foliage, which has more chlorophyll and vigor than the variegated foliage, may really take over the plant.
A. Variegation cannot be artificially created or done at home. To spread the variegated plant love, it is best to borrow a cutting from a friend or give your own away.
How do you identify a variegated plant?
What causes some plants to have variegated leaves intrigues me. The characteristics of cacti and the design of flowers to attract pollinators—are these adaptations for survival?
The green pigment chlorophyll is missing from some plant cells, which is why leaf color can vary. It is typically the product of a cell mutation and is not an adaptation to the environment. It can be inherited (genetic) or happen at random (chimeric). If the color change is hereditary, it is persistent, thus it will return if you propagate a green stem from a plant with colored leaves or plant its seed. This holds true for both green leaves with sporadic coloration (variegation), such as white and yellow, and for leaves that are a single solid hue, like gold or purple.
Variation is typically the result of a random mutation. The color will not return if you divide the plant from a green shoot or from seed. The most typical type of variegation, but one that is frequently challenging to stable. Variegated or colored shoots must be used for propagation. As inferior growers due to a lack of chlorophyll, which plants require to produce the food they need for growth, these forms typically disappear in nature.
A viral infection can also cause variegation, which manifests as discolored veins or leaf regions. Although it is a very uncommon type of variegation, it is stable. This sort of variegation can be seen on the leaves of Lonicera japonica ‘Aureoreticulata,’ which has veins of golden yellow netting.
Pictured: The variegated leaves of lungworts (Pulmonaria), a plant, is what people most often notice about it. It’s called Pulmonaria “Spilled Milk.”