Flower Colors and Anthocyanin Pigments in the Cultivars of Leschenaultia biloba, L. formosa and Their Hybrids

Abstract

The relationship between the flower color and anthocyanin composition of petals was investigated in 13 cultivars of Leschenaultia species and interspecific hybrids. Five anthocyanins, including cyanidin 3-glucoside (Cy 3G) and cyanidin 3-(6-malonyl)-glucoside (Cy 3MG), which have never been reported in Leschenaultia, were identified. Major anthocyanins of petals were Leschenaultia Blue Anthocyanin 1 (LBA 1), demalonyl LBA 1 and LBA 2 (Saito et al., 2007) in cultivars with blue and violet-blue flowers, and Cy 3G and Cy 3MG in those with red and red-purple ones. Regarding the flower color from yellow-orange to red-purple, decreases in the hue values (b*/a*) of these flower colors were responsible for decreasing carotenoids and increasing Cy 3MG and Cy 3G.