I have chosen the color of the purple thornapple as a first example, but
the colors of other plants show so many diverging aspects, all pointing
so clearly to the same conclusion, that it would be well to take a more
extensive view of this interesting subject.
First we must consider the correlation in the colors of flowers and
fruits. If both are colored in the species, whether red or brown or
purple or nearly black, and a variety lacking this hue is known, it will
be lacking in both organs. If the color is pure, the flowers and berries
will become white, but such cases are rare. Ordinarily a yellowish or
greenish tinge underlies the ornamental color, and if this latter
disappears, the yellowish ground will become manifest. So for instance
in the Belladonna, a beautiful perennial herb with great shiny black,
but very poisonous, fruits. Its flowers are brown, but in [146] some
woods a variety with greenish flowers and bright yellow berries occurs,
which is also frequently seen in botanic gardens. The anthocyan dye is
lacking in both organs, and the same is the case with the stems and the
leaves. The lady's laurel or _Daphne Mezereum_ has red corollas, purple
leaves and red fruits; its white flowered variety may be distinguished
by lack of the red hue in the stems and leaves, and by their beautiful
yellow berries.
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