Albino Cowpea?

[woodeye]

This is a new one on me, I've not had this happen before. This came up in the row of Mississippi Silver Cowpeas I planted 9 days ago. All the rest of them are green, but the green color got lost in transition somehow. Have any of you ever had this happen in your cowpea patch?

[heavyhitterokra]

Wow!

That is a cool-looking pea plant!  Peas, porridge, in a pot, 9 days old.

I wonder if you cross-bred that if you might come up with bi-colored offspring?  Definitely an interesting prospect. 

I also wonder if it might need a little filtered sunlight to keep it from burning up this Summer?  It looks like it could be photosensitive.

[chrysanthemum]

That is a cool-looking plant. How is it holding up?

[woodeye]

I was so hopeful that the little cowpea seedling would take right off, but I noticed today that something has chewed on it. It was probably baby grasshoppers, but I didn't see any in the act of gnawing on it. Hopefully it will get its second wind and try again, it's doubtful I will ever have another one like it come up. I'll keep watch on it of course and if it eventually grows I'll post an update on it...

[macmex]

I don't believe it will survive. I've had albinos show up before and they have always petered out after a few days.

Here's a photo of a Childers Cutshort which showed up in my garden in 2007.


I think it survived about 5 or 6 days. Couldn't produce chlorophyll so it couldn't sustain itself. 

I've also seen albino corn seedlings.

Interesting story: I posted this photo in the old Gardenweb, back in 2007 and a publishing house contacted me, offering me something like $15 to use it in a science text book. Fortunately, I had the original and could oblige them. To this day I almost always keep the original of any photo I process but, alas... no one else has asked for one! 

[woodeye]

Yep, you are correct, macmex . My albino seedling has given up the ghost already. Oh well, at least I got to be enthused about it for a few days. I plan to replant the skips in that particular double row on Monday anyway, so we'll see what comes up next. I didn't get any offers to purchase my picture, but just in case I do the price has plummeted because the seedling has croaked already...$15, $10, $5, $1, Best offer over 10¢...😜

[heavyhitterokra]

When I saw that albino pea plant, I thought of my red-headed son-in-law who can't take direct sunlight, that would be a tough situation for a plant, living in the garden like that with no shade. R.I.P. little pea vine.