Understanding Variegated Plants - by Michael Marcotrigiano (Paperback)

About the Book

You own variegated plants, but do you really understand what controls their appearance? This book is not an encyclopedia of variegated plants but rather is aimed at explaining the many types of variegation seen on leaves and flowers. Written by an avid variegated plant collector and a botanical researcher comes the first comprehensive treatment on the understanding of plant variegation, using over 170 color photos and 20 figures along the way. The book begins with the botany lessons needed to understand the causes of variegation and then moves on to a thorough explanation of what controls each type of variegation. What pigments are involved? What anatomical features are involved? How do we know what controls the variegation in a certain plant? How does the organization of cells influence variegation? Why are some variegation patterns similar within a plant family? Why is variegation in some plants so stable but so fleeting in others? How might this affect how the plant is propagated? This book answers these questions and more.

Book Synopsis

You own variegated plants, but do you really understand what controls their appearance ? This book is not an encyclopedia of variegated plants but rather is aimed at explaining the many types of variegation seen on leaves and flowers. Variegation can have many causes (e.g. genetic patterns, genetic mosaicism, virus, light reflections, etc. Knowing the type of variegation a plant has can determine its propagation method, heath, and overall care. Written by an avid variegated plant collector and a botanical researcher comes the first comprehensive treatment on the understanding of plant variegation, using over 170 color photos and 20 figures along the way. The book begins with the botany lessons needed to answer the important questions and then moves on to a thorough explanation of what controls each type of variegation. What pigments are involved? What anatomical features are involved? How do we know what controls the variegation in a certain plant? How does the organization of cells influence variegation? Why are some variegation patterns similar within a plant family? Why is variegation in some plants so stable but so fleeting in others? How might this affect how the plant is propagated? This book answers these questions and more. Lessons are given that will help you narrow down what controls variegation when you see a variegated plant that is unfamiliar to you.

About the Author

Michael Marcotrigiano received a B.S. in Premedical Biology from St. Francis College in New York City and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Horticulture from the University of Maryland at College Park. He went on to become an assistant professor, associate professor, and a professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and later became a Professor of Biology and the Director of the Botanic Garden at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. He has published his research in many peer-reviewed journals such as Development, Developmental Biology, American Journal of Botany, The Plant Journal, Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture, and The Journal of the American Horticultural Society. His book chapters have been published in Plant Breeding Reviews and Biotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry. In the past, his hobby of breeding show finches achieved international status and he traveled to Japan to meet an award-winning breeder. More recently, he is breeding show quality fancy guppies. He has achieved the rank of Master Breeder in the International Fancy Guppy Association and has won the Grand-Overall-Male title on three occasions. His plant collection continues to grow and shrink depending on what currently excites him, but always contains new variegated plants.