My experience with purple corn plants is the same as Phil's. The
broken cells of a leaf or silks would exude antocyanins (which are
purple) but I also believe that the sap per se would not be purple.
Dave Weber
>My experience with purple corn plants is that after cutting back ear
>shoots, my hands are stained purple, so I imagine that when the cells
>are disrupted, the purple pigments (anthocyanins) exude. I believe
>that the anthocyanins are stored in the vacuoles, so the sap per se
>is not purple. I think you will only get the purple pigment exuding
>when cells are broken. A plant physiologist would be able to tell
>you for sure.
>>--Phil
>> >Forwarding to the maize net, for any ideas to be offered.
> >Ed Coe
> >
> >-------- Original Message --------
> >Subject: Red Corn
> >Date: Thu, 01 Jun 2000 15:48:44 -0400 (EDT)
> >From: Bill <ENGELBWE at BUFFALOSTATE.EDU>
> >To: ED at TEOSINTE.AGRON.MISSOURI.EDU> >
> >Ed,
> > Would you happen to know if the sap of a red maize plant might be
> >reddish in color? I'm working on an article on the Iroquois, and
> >they have a tradition of a magical corn stalk that when cut exudes blood.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Bill Engelbrecht
> >
> >
> >---
>>>---
David Weber, Professor of Genetics
Department of Biological Sciences
Illinois State University
Normal, IL 61790-4120
Phone 309-438-2685, FAX 309-438-3722
Visit my web page: http://www.bio.ilstu.edu/weber
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