- What are variegated leaves?
- Why are the leaves of plants variegated?
- Variegated plants: list with examples
- Proper care and propagation of variegated plants
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A white-green leaf pattern on variegated plants is a real eye-catcher. We show what causes variegation and what should be considered when caring for it.
Plants with white-green colored, mottled or marbled leaves have been known for several hundred years and have always been popular with plant collectors. But how does this leaf drawing come about and what distinguishes 'Variegata' plants? With us you can read about the mechanisms behind the variegation of leaves and which species are suitable as houseplants or for the garden.
What are variegated leaves?
Variegated leaves do not have a uniform color but are marked with spots, dashes, or borders of a different color, usually white. A light green, yellow or reddish variegation is also possible. They can occur symmetrically and regularly, that is, on all leaves. Alternatively, they are uneven, as if random, and variegated to varying degrees.
Many cultivars with variegated leaves are listed under the name 'Variegata'. The Latin term means colourfulness or diversity. The word "variegation", on the other hand, comes from French and can be roughly translated as "to bring variety" or "to mix".
Why are the leaves of plants variegated?
There is no general answer as to why leaves appear variegated. This often requires a microscopic or genetic examination. Botanists are familiar with a wide variety of mechanisms by which a leaf can deviate partially or completely in color.
For example, white spots appear when there is air between the top layer of leaves and the underlying layer of cells, which reflects light and makes the leaf appear white. A lack of the green pigment, chlorophyll, can also be the cause. A genetic defect causes the chlorophyll to be formed thoughis, however, bleached by chemical processes. If only a single layer of cells is affected, gray-green spots may appear.
Spontaneous mutations often only affect a few cells in certain areas. However, if the stem cells are from the leaf bud, they pass on their information to all leaf cells as to whether green pigment should be formed or not. This is why variegated plants sometimes have completely white leaves. How strong the leaf color develops depends primarily on the genes, but also to a certain extent on environmental conditions.
Variegated plants: list with examples
Variegated leaves can be found on a wide variety of plants, including tropical houseplants, perennials, shrubs and shrubs, but also vegetable plants. We present some examples of plants with variegated leaves.
List of Variegated Houseplants
- Alocasia (Alocasia zebrina 'Variegata'): Arrowleaf plant with a red patterned petiole and irregular, green-white marked leaves; the variegated houseplant, like other varieties of Alocasia zebrina, grows up to 1.5 m high.
- Dragon Tree (Dracaena): Among the dragon trees there are various variegated varieties, including yellow-edged ones like 'Golden Coast' or those with striking white stripes like 'White Jewel'.
- Meadwort (Tradescantia fluminensis 'Quadricolor'): Spiderwort is a creamy white variegated houseplant with pink stems and a pendulous habit.
- Efeutute (Epipremnum pinnatum 'Happy Leaf' and 'N-Joy'): Efeutute varieties with more or less white content in the smooth, shiny leaves of the creeper.
- Monstera (Monstera deliciosa 'Variegata'): Attractive Monstera, which is a real eye-catcher with large, perforated leaves and striking partial colouring offers the variegated plants.
- Variegated Coriander (Calathea 'White Fusion'): Coriander with white-green variegated leaves and a typically purple underside.
Tip: Variegated plants have the same fertilizer requirements as their green relatives. A primarily organic liquid fertilizer such as our specially tailored Plantura organic indoor and green plant fertilizer can be easily applied with the irrigation water if required. The includedNutrients are quickly flushed to the roots and even help with acute deficiency symptoms.
List of Variegated Garden Plants
- Pineapple Mint (Mentha suaveolens 'Variegata'): Fruity mint species with a growth height of
30 - 60 cm, refreshing pineapple aroma and pretty, white-edged leaves. - Sage (Salvia officinalis 'Tricolor'): Garden sage variety with white variegated leaves and purple shoots, so that the plant is tricolored appears.
- Hostas (Hosta): Among the ornamental foliage perennials there are various varieties with white, yellow or light green variegated leaves such as 'Patriot', 'Gold Standard' or 'El Nino'.
- Vaminated Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum): Among the tomatoes there are now some varieties with variegated foliage, even the calyxes are creamy white pattern; Varieties with variegation are, for example, 'Faelan's First' or 'Painted Lady'.
- Variegated Sedge (Carex): Evergreen grasses with white to yellow striped, dark green leaves; different types and varieties with variegation are available.
- White variegated periwinkle (Vinca minor 'Variegata'): Slightly frost-sensitive groundcover with evergreen, creamy white-edged leaves and blue-violet flowers.
- White Caucasian forget-me-not (Brunnera macrophylla 'Dawson's White'): Light blue flowering forget-me-not up to 40 cm high with large, heart-shaped, variegated leaves.
- White Reed (Arundo donax 'Variegata'): Grass up to 300 cm high with showy white stripes on leaves and stems. In harsh winters, shelter or frost-free overwintering is necessary.
Trees with variegated leaves
- Harlequin Willow (Salix integra 'Hakuro Nishiki'): The Harlequin Willow is an ornamental willow up to 3 m tall and elongated Leaves initially white and pink patterned, later turning green-white.
- Marshmallow (Hibiscus 'Purpureus Variegatus'): Hibiscus variety up to 2 m high and dark red, double flowers; the variegated shrub prefers a warm location.
- Climbing Spindle (Euonymus fortunei 'Variegatus'):Creeping to climbing shrub, up to 30 cm tall, evergreen, grey-green to silver-white marbled; the shoot has a pink edge.
- Variegated Ivy (Hedera helix 'Glacier'): Vigorous, evergreen ivy with heart-shaped, white-edged and silver-grey-green marbled, heart-shaped leaves; yellow-variegated ivy varieties such as 'Gold Child' are also available.
- Silver Ash Maple (Acer negundo 'Variegatum' and 'Flamingo'): Small-crowned maple with irregularly white-marbled green margins Leaves that turn pink when they bud in spring.
- Holly (Ilex aquifolium 'Silver Queen'): Evergreen variegated holly up to 4 m tall with small, grey-green marbled and white-edged foliage without thorns and spherical, orange-red fruits.
- Weigelia (Weigelia florida 'Nana Variegata'): One of the few variegated shrubs with numerous white-pink flowers and very fond of Weigela compact growth up to 2 m.
- White Dogwood (Cornus alba 'Sibirica Variegata'): Dogwood species with grey-green leaves with irregular creamy-white margins, some of which are reddish -pink.
Proper care and propagation of variegated plants
Variegated plants have exactly the same soil and nutrient requirements as their normally colored relatives. In general, a heavily variegated plant with a high proportion of white will not grow as vigorously and be as vital as a purely green or slightly variegated plant. This is because with less chlorophyll, less sugar is also made through photosynthesis. However, if you attach particular importance to variegation, you should keep a few things in mind when caring for and keeping variegated plants:
- Sufficient light, otherwise the new leaves may turn green and the variegation will gradually diminish or disappear.
- No direct sunlight on indoor plants, as white leaf parts are more sensitive and react more quickly with sunburn.
- Propagate vegetatively via cuttings, offshoots or division to obtain genetically identical plants with the same leaf markings.
- Prune back shoots that show no variation and only take cuttings from shoots with the desiredTake Leaf Dye.
- In plants grown from seed, variegation may no longer occur due to reverse mutation or crossbreeding.
The zebra herb (Tradescantia zebrina) also has a striking leaf pattern and is particularly suitable as a hanging houseplant. You can find out what requirements zebra herb has and how best to care for it.