Staghorn Sumac | Pinnately compound Clonal colony thicket Deer antler branches |
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everal leaf pigments are responsible for selective radiation absorption: chlorophyll, carotene, xanthophyll and anthocyanins. Chlorophyll is the dominant plant pigment that absorbs red and blue light while reflecting green light. Photosynthesis processes the absorbed energy to generate food for plant growth and development. Chlorophyll is continually broken down and being replenished by the plant during photosynthesis. Shorter daylight periods and lower temperatures arrest chlorophyll production, causing its decay thus unmasking less dominant pigments. Seasonal chlorophyll decay occurs at differential rates even within the same organism.
“Autumn wins you best by this its mute appeal to sympathy for its decay.” - Robert Browning
