Facts on peacock plant needed??

I need to know what is the use of the purplish pigment found on the unserside of the leaves. I need sum1 to explain in scientifically n based on the topic adaptations.Thnk U

Facts on peacock plant needed??
I'm not certain what you are asking for, but here's some stuff to get you started.





"Peacock Plant


Calathea makoyana


Maranta family


The peacock plant is well adapted to the low light of the forest floor. Its broad leaves help capture the limited light and the red-purple pigment on the underside of the leaves is a special adaptation which captures the greenish light present at the forest floor. It has striking markings on the upper surface of the leaf. These markings occur naturally; it is not a cultivar. Like the prayer plant (Maranta sp.) the leaves of the peacock plant fold up at night."


-- http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/rforest/index...





Many plants, especially those native to tropical areas, have


natural color patterns that are part of the species’ character. The


patterns are thus heritable from generation to generation—in


common parlance, they “come true from seed.” The patterns


result from the interplay of various pigments: chlorophylls (greens), carotenes and xanthophylls (yellows), and anthocyanins (reds, violets, and blues). White areas on the leaves of these plants are due to a lack of pigmentation. As those cells cannot photosynthesize, they are parasitic on green tissues. The best-known examples of this lovely coloration are the common houseplant called prayer plant or rabbit tracks (Maranta leuconeura) and its cousins in the genus Calathea.


-- http://www.northwesthort.org/GardenNotes...





And finally, Wikipedia.org has a rather large article on Anthocyanin, which will tell you about what it does for the plant. (i.e., adaptations.)


-- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthocyanin
Reply:Peacock Plant - Calathea makoyana (from Maranta family)





The peacock plant is well adapted to the low light of the forest floor. Its broad leaves help capture the limited light and the red-purple pigment on the underside of the leaves is a special adaptation which captures the greenish light present at the forest floor. It has striking markings on the upper surface of the leaf. These markings occur naturally; it is not a cultivar. Like the prayer plant (Maranta sp.) the leaves of the peacock plant fold up at night.





Photo:


http://www.flickr.com/photos/omnia/71394...