The common morning glory, Ipomoea purpurea, is a weedy annual vine abundant throughout much of the southeastern United States. Populations are typically polymorphic for flower color. The genetic control of stem color can be partially accounted for through the pleiotropic action of two of the loci involved in determining flower color. The locus P/p codes for pigment hue in both flower and stem, and I/i codes for pigment intensity in the two tissues. Biochemical analysis confirms the identical nature of the anthocyanidins in flowers and stems. Compared with flowers, however, stems contain fewer or less complex glycosides of the anthocyanidins. The expression of flower-color loci at an earlier stage of the plant life cycle adds another dimension to studies concerned with accounting for the maintenance of the flower-color polymorphism in this species.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Schoen et al. (1984) studied this question.