What Makes a Variegated Leaf?
Ordinarily, leaves are generously endowed with the green pigment chlorophyll. Chlorophyll enables photosynthesis, the process by which plants absorb sunlight and convert the energy to carbohydrates. The leaves of variegated plants are typically caused by a mutation. A portion of the leaves — generally the outer edges — loses the green pigment and the ability to photosynthesize sunlight. Fortunately, the remaining green tissue keeps the plant alive, although the plant is not usually as vigorous as its all-green counterpart. Popular society garlic is an example. Clumps of the all-green species, Tulbaghia violacea, grow 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide, with prolific stalks of starry, lavender flowers rising 3 feet tall. Clumps of the variegated version, Silver Lace (Tulbaghia violacea ‘Silver Lace’), top out at 1 to 1 1/2 feet tall and 2 feet wide. Silver Lace also blooms less profusely, with stalks reaching only 2 feet tall. Yet it’s not less healthy: it simply doesn’t grow as big. In some
