[caption id=”attachment_548” align=”alignleft” width=”225”
caption=”Albino Redwood foliage”][
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Oh sweet void. I spent some of my traveling time a few months ago
hunting the elusive albino redwood trees in northern California. Those
trees have a genetic mutation which prevents them from producing
chlorophyll, and so they survive by parasitism, attaching themselves to
the root system of a nearby tree to leech nutrients. Those trees are
absolutely breathtaking.
So this morning I go to water the sprouts for my garden, and I find that
one of my Bok Choi sprouts lacks any chlorophyll! Eeks! So cute! So
rare! Genetic mutations! So! Cute!
I haven’t done any genetic testing yet, so this could be simply an
extreme case of chlorosis instead of an actual mutation. Plants like
this don’t normally live very long, but I’m going to try to keep this
little guy alive and happy as long as possible to figure out what’s
going on here.[
]
Other questions which have been raised include:
1) Why am I attracted to genetic mutations?
2) Would the most ethical action be a mercy killing?
3) What is the nutritional value of a plant with severe chlorosis? Is
it like eating pickles?
4) How do I make more of these? Is it possible to clone things at home yet?
5) What are the odds of this condition occuring?
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