The Monstera variegata is an impressive demonstration of nature’s artistic touch with its white and lime-green color variations in the stems and leaves. The combination of dark green, light green and white makes a unique addition to your home-jungle to add new tints and patterns to your interior. But how does this work on a biological level, and can a new leaf's color be predicted based on the plants' looks? Let’s dive into these intriguing facts and teach you something new about your favorite pigmented houseplants!

The Biological Background

As you may now, plants produce their own energy for growth and development by harvesting the energy of the sun using the ‘magic’ of photosynthesis. Although it may seem something from a science fiction-movie, plants can transform light energy into chemical energy in the form of glucose (sugar), which they use for growth and creating new organs. This light energy needs to be absorbed somehow, that is where chlorophyll comes in: it is the pigment responsible for capturing light, absorbing the red and blue wavelengths while reflecting green. This is why most plants have a green color!

The white variegation is actually a part of the plant where chlorophyll (the green pigment) is absent. These are parts of the plant where photosynthesis doesn't occur, making them something of a ‘handicap’ for them, as the white section does not produce any energy and hence has no function (though they certainly add aesthetic appeal!). But then why would a plant make these beautiful leaves if they don’t serve a functional purpose?

The answer lies in genetic mutation. Random mutation in the genetic code of the plant itself cause some cells to produce less chlorophyll or none at all. Mutations in the genetic material of plants (and other organisms) are common and can result in unusual traits, like a third nipple in humans—a harmless, non-functional result of a random genetic variation. This is not the only example, in nature mutations are one of the drivers of evolution, but in our greenhouse it is a source for pretty plants.

In the case of Monstera variegata, these mutations are stable, meaning the white color mutation persists in the plant. New leaves and stems arise from clusters of stem cells at the growing point of the plant. These stem cells have the ability to differentiate into various plant organs. You can think of these cells as an unmolded piece of clay that produces more clay, which can then be shaped into whatever the plant needs. When we say the mutation is stable, it means that this 'clay' consistently contains the mutation, so new leaves and stems will continue to show some degree of the variegation. In this case, the clay is partly white, leading to the production of partly white new leaves. Pretty nifty I would say, but can the variegation be predicted based on this information?

From Stem Cells to Stem to Variegation: Predicting the Potential

Now that we know what the variegation entails, we can move on to use this information for predicting the potential in your Monstera or other variegated species. This can be easily guessed by looking at the stem closest to the growing point. Let’s give you some examples using pictures of the plants we have in our greenhouse!

If the stem near the growing point is predominantly green with no color variation, the chances of it producing a fully green leaf are very high. This is because all the stem cells that produce the new leaf are located in a green section. The only way this growth point can produce a white section, is due to spontaneous mutation during the growth of the leaf, for which the chances are very slim.

On the other side of the spectrum, when the stem is almost fully white or light green, you can expect an almost fully white (or light green) color in the new leaf. The stem cells are probably located in the white part of the stem.

The beautiful marbled leaves on the other hand, arise from a stem that is mixed with green and white. As the stem cells are divided along the different tints in the stem, these differences will also be pronounced in the new leaf.

Leaves that only have a section in white, and are otherwise (almost) completely green, originate from a stem with a clear line of white. This is also true for the half-moon variegations. Stem cells that lie in the white part of the growing point will provide a clear white section.

But Biology is Never that Straightforward!

However complimentary these pictures came out, there is always some variation on the rules when biology is at play! The previous tips will generally provide you with a good guess of what the next leaf might look like, but there are factors that can still influence the final color.

• Reversion: Reversion occurs when a variegated plant loses its ability to produce variegated leaves. This happens when the stem cell region becomes dominated with green cells, therefore the mutation is lost. The chances of a plant fully reversing out of its variegation are small, but become bigger as the plant grows older. This is because the mutation needs to be passed through the growing cells by pure luck, if by any chance the next growth point is fully made up of green cells lacking the mutation, the next leaves will all be green! The only way to go back to a proper variegated plant is to propagate the parts that still present the mutation.
• Growth History: Since the level and type of variegation is often set in the genetic code, you can expect similar patterns on the fresh leaves as the ones you'd find on older leaves. This however can always slightly change due to random positioning of the stem cells, or reversion. 
• Environmental factors: The expression of the mutation can be influenced by environmental factors like light-, nutrient- or water availability. The mechanisms behind this are not fully understood yet. You’d be very unlucky if all of a sudden the variegation was to disappear simply due to this.

Educated Guessing

With the information from this post, you can now make an educated guess about the variegation potential of your Monstera variegata. Have fun learning and experimenting, be free to send us the interesting things you learn when working with your favorite houseplants!

Your Planlovers' biologist - Senne Note