# Rotala 'butterfly' mutation, very cool



## Coralite (Nov 29, 2008)

A week ago I noticed an unusual pattern in one stem of my bush of Rotala butterfly. I've been growing this rotala for 2 yrs and have never seen it grow a single stem like this. So far I only have one stem, it has'n't yet branched but if the mutation is stable, I'll be sure to spread it around. Is there any information on what causes this kind of bi-colored leaf? Can anyone share insight as to what can cause spontaneous anomalies in plants like this?


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

It looks like you have a mutation in the meristematic tissue at the tip of the stem, possibly in the chloroplast, producing a variegated variety. This kind of mutation is seen in a number of garden plants. It might be worth a fair amount of money. See if you can get a bid from Florida Aquatic Nurseries, Tropica, or Oriental Aquarium. Look up Wikipedia's explanation of varigation:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variegation.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

That's pretty neat!


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## ukamikazu (Jun 4, 2010)

I wish you nothing but success culturing that little beauty. I hope it makes lots and lots of branches for you or handles its first topping well. I would hate for us to lose a mutation like this. 

If it's truly variegated and not just bicolored, then it would appreciate some very strong light which might bring out the variegation more and encourage more growth. If it is actually bicolored, which is still really cool, then just keep doing what you're doing and let us know when you have cuttings available :slywink:.


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## vicky (Feb 18, 2010)

Very nice! Please put me on the list for cuttings, for sure.


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

Some variegation is due to viral infection (nothing harmful to us). I don't think that is the case here since the variegation you now have is photosynthetic (my assumption since the color is green).

Anyway, that is a neat occurrence indeed and I hope it persists for you.


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## Coralite (Nov 29, 2008)

I isolated this stem from the bush today. I traced its growth back to a normally colored branch that was cut a few weeks ago, and the bicolored branch originated from a node with a normally colored branch was also growing from. The mutated stem was cut in two, and both pieces placed in slightly different parts of the aquarium. I really hope to see new branches come off with the bicolored phenomenon.


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## timwag2001 (Apr 15, 2009)

that is so cool. how come things like that dont happen to me??? and why do you end up with all the cools stuff coralite?


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## Coralite (Nov 29, 2008)

timwag2001 said:


> that is so cool. how come things like that dont happen to me??? and why do you end up with all the cools stuff coralite?


This strain probably popped up for me because I use Metal Halide lighting and grow this and other plants at breakneck speed; I've probably produced up to 1000 stems of Rotala 'butterfly' and between the UV produced by the halide and periods of direct sunlight with its own dose of UV, I do have a perfect storm of conditions for making a mutation like this appear. Let's just hope the mutation is stable so we can all enjoy Rotala 'Belarus'.


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## wet (Nov 24, 2008)

I know you already know this, but you grow sweet plants and updates like these are always sweet, Coralite. 

Instead of propagating -- from the number of your other stems looking like excellent specimens of R. sp 'Butterfly', I'm just guessing this is an awesome stem that will not stay stable -- I image those two new plantings as a centerpiece to one of your 'scapes. 

Really attractive and great plant. Rotala 'Belarus,' if it happens, is genius.


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

While there are a million different things that could be happening there and you probably will never know for sure which one it is without genetic testing, it could be due to TGE's. I love the weirdness of how they work so here is the biology lesson of the day! By the way I posted this a while ago in an R. macrandra mutation thread, buuuut...

Transposable Genetic Elements. Essentially Transposable Genetic Elements (TGE) are DNA that codes for a protein whose function is only to cut the TGE genes out of the rest of the plant's genes. The TGE then floats around the nucleus of the host attached to the protein that cut it out of the genes and then the TGE randomly inserts itself into the host's DNA somewhere else. These TGE's don't seem to have a specific function other then cutting themselves out and inserting themselves into new locations. If TGE's insert into the coding region of a gene they usually interrupt that gene's function in some way. TGE's are present in virtually every living thing (even humans!). In plants they were first discovered in corn by Barbara McClintock when the kernal color of corn was observed to randomly change colors from one generation to the next even though the genes that each offspring had for color were known.

So what I believe has happened in R. mac is that the normal butterfly form is the existing form and somewhere along the line a TGE inserted itself randomly into the leaf chlorophyll gene (or pathway) disrupting the normal butterfly. As the plant cells divided and made exact copies of the previous cells (as is normal for growth) the TGE was duplicated in its current position. In this way all new leaves growing from a TGE colored leaf will be strangely colored until the TGE cuts itself out at the apical meristem (terminal bud/growing tip). So when the TGE activates for whatever reason and cuts itself out of the leaf shape gene the gene's function is restored and all subsequent leaves are normal.


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

From the look of the variegated shoot, the ability to produce the red pigment has been lost in the green parts. Probably the chlorophyll is still present in the red parts.


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## wabisabi (Dec 4, 2010)

Wow. That's awesome man. Reminds me of my mother in law's azalea bush. It produces totally pink, totally white, and some flowers are half pink and half white right down the middle of the flower. Good luck propagating this cool mutation.


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## Matt F. (Dec 11, 2010)

We in the San Francisco Bay Area Aquatic Plant Society have named a mutated green version of Rotala Butterfly: "Rotala Caterpillar" LOL

Most of our "red" rotala butterlfy ended up green.

Sorry about the pic quality:


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## Coralite (Nov 29, 2008)

Hey Matt thanks for sharing. Did the green rotala caterpillar start from one shoot? 

My single isolated stem of the Rotala 'belarus' is doing great, huge bicolored leaves and I can't wait to see what color the new branches take. The bicolored leaves look unreal and I can't wait to see this thing grown out as a bush.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Coralite said:


> Hey Matt thanks for sharing. Did the green rotala caterpillar start from one shoot?
> 
> My single isolated stem of the Rotala 'belarus' is doing great, huge bicolored leaves and I can't wait to see what color the new branches take. The bicolored leaves look unreal and I can't wait to see this thing grown out as a bush.


So where did the name R. 'belarus' come from? Did you just assign it that name?


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Because it looks like the Belarus country flag. 

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...-butterfly-mutation-very-cool.html#post583599


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## Coralite (Nov 29, 2008)

Tex Gal said:


> So where did the name R. 'belarus' come from? Did you just assign it that name?


Yep, pretty much just named it after the Belarusian flag.


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## Matt F. (Dec 11, 2010)

Coralite said:


> Hey Matt thanks for sharing. Did the green rotala caterpillar start from one shoot?
> 
> My single isolated stem of the Rotala 'belarus' is doing great, huge bicolored leaves and I can't wait to see what color the new branches take. The bicolored leaves look unreal and I can't wait to see this thing grown out as a bush.


The Caterpillar variety of r. butterfly has wider green leaves and a pink stem. Maybe this is a result of environmental/nutrient differences rather than a genetic variance. New growth came in this way with about 10-20% of the stems remaining the traditional r. butterfly appearance.

iirc, I did not notice any of the bi-color leaves that your stem exhibits. Looks neat...


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## NeonFlux (May 15, 2008)

Pretty sweet mutation, Coralite.


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## Coralite (Nov 29, 2008)

OK so the original stem is doing weird things: Most of the new leaves are not bilaterally colored, but now some of the leaves are mostly pink (not red) with green towards the stem. There are a lot of new shoots coming up from many nodes and I am watching those closely to see what it will do.


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## ukamikazu (Jun 4, 2010)

Pictures? This is terribly exciting, watching a new variety being born. I hope it isn't regressing back to its original expression.


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## bsmith (Dec 13, 2006)

ukamikazu said:


> Pictures? This is terribly exciting, watching a new variety being born. I hope it isn't regressing back to its original expression.


I second the pics.

I have always said this about Rotalas, I hate you but I love you!


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## Coralite (Nov 29, 2008)

Ok I think the mutation has stabilized, no longer bicolored but still pretty cool. Looks like we have a red stem with light green leaves that have a slight pink outer hue but bright pink underside, broader leaves than rotundiflora and thinner than macrandra and slightly crinkled near the crown. Going to try and take pics this afternoon and ship some this weekend. I'm thinking of calling it Rotala "new butterfly"


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## ukamikazu (Jun 4, 2010)

What about _Rotala 'Moth'_ just to be cheeky ?

I'm really happy for you and I hope you get to propagate a lot of it. Maybe Tropica, Florida Aquatic Nurseries or Oriental Aquatics will come to beat down your door with wads of cash for the opportunity to clone it? Well, it's nice to dream about the possibility anyway...


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

different pigmets, and chlorphyil 1,2,3 changes?


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## bsmith (Dec 13, 2006)

Coralite said:


> Ok I think the mutation has stabilized, no longer bicolored but still pretty cool. Looks like we have a red stem with light green leaves that have a slight pink outer hue but bright pink underside, broader leaves than rotundiflora and thinner than macrandra and slightly crinkled near the crown. Going to try and take pics this afternoon and ship some this weekend. I'm thinking of calling it Rotala "new butterfly"


Hey, I PM;d you a couple times but im assuming that like me you have issues with PM's here on this site. You want to wrap this plant swap up?


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## Coralite (Nov 29, 2008)

alright here it is, what do you guys think? You can see the normal Rotala butterfly in the bunch for comparison.


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## Coralite (Nov 29, 2008)

You can see a light variegation happening on the lower leaves, a feature which may become variable over time.


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## ukamikazu (Jun 4, 2010)

I've got one concern. The veins are rather green and show up against the color of the plant very distinctly. You don't think there could be a possibility of chlorosis?


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## Coralite (Nov 29, 2008)

ukamikazu said:


> You don't think there could be a possibility of chlorosis?


No way it's chlorosis, if you saw how much I dose you'd think I was mad. Besides it doesn't explain the early bilateral color, and dramatic change in the appearance of the leaves. New shoots start off very green but the crowns in the picture are about a month old and under very high light near the center surface of the tank.


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## ukamikazu (Jun 4, 2010)

Very good then! Excellent work! I just had to ask.


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

bsmith said:


> Hey, I PM;d you a couple times but im assuming that like me you have issues with PM's here on this site. You want to wrap this plant swap up?


?? What issues?


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## Zezmo (Nov 2, 2005)

My R "butterfly" had a similar mutation last year. Once it stabilized a fellow SFBAAPS'er called it Rotala "Caterpilar" and so we have stuck to calling this morph by that name (r. "madame" was the other suggested name).


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## mrchach (Oct 16, 2010)

You grow some awesome plants


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## greenfinger (Sep 8, 2009)

Apologies for bringing up an old thread Coralite but this mutated Rotala looks a lot like Rotala macranda "Green" to me?!?


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

It looks as though the red part of the variegation has been lost and only the green part remains.


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## THHNguyen (Dec 2, 2006)

I have this exact mutation just pop up but the red has been lost in the new growth. I'll post pictures soon. Hopefully it will stay small and not grow into the normal green form.


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## Coralite (Nov 29, 2008)

greenfinger said:


> this mutated Rotala looks a lot like Rotala macranda "Green" to me?!?


Ypou are absolutely right! I looked at different vars but didnt see any matches until you mentioned Rotala macrandra 'green' and my mutation looks exactly like this shot of it from the PlantFinder


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## aquaphish (Jan 22, 2005)

I was thinking the very same thing about it looking like Rotala sp. "Green" which I have a few stems growing. 

The only difference that I see, which is very slight, is the few serations on the leaf edges. 

Here is a picture of some of my Rotala Macrandra sp. "green" that I cut and sold a few weeks ago.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

That happened to mine as well. I'm not sure it's so odd... Under the right conditions it seems to revert back.


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## wet (Nov 24, 2008)

How does this information here add to identification of Rotala sp. 'Butterfly'? Is it correct to assume it was originally a mutation of R. macrandra 'Green'? Do botanists compare specimens of 'new butterfly' to R.macrandra 'Green'?

Thanks! Great thread.


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## greenfinger (Sep 8, 2009)

Perhaps it is like Rotala mini Type 1 and 2, a mutated work of some botanist who hasn't really cleaned out the unwanted genetics enough. Wasn't "Butterfly" also known as Type 3 at some stage? If someone can flower it to compare with macranda "Green", that would probably help to ID it better?


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## ianmax (Nov 8, 2007)

Hello Coralite, hello friend
i write my experience, excuse me my bad english please.

I grow R. macrandra 'Butterfly and R. macrandra 'Type II' from many time, these species showing mutation often to Rotala macrandra 'Green' form. I seen mutation when species growed in low condition of lights (4000K) and bad fertilization (micro-elements) but i think that two species are R. macrandra 'Green' s mutations too or specie's variability (like L. hippuridoides, L. aromaticoides, etc.)

http://www.rareaquaticplants.com/in...iew=article&id=362:rotala-macrandra-butterfly

http://www.rareaquaticplants.com/in...a&func=view&catid=9&id=15718&Itemid=225#15718

http://www.rareaquaticplants.com/in...a&func=view&catid=6&id=16163&Itemid=225#16167

http://www.rareaquaticplants.com/in...a&func=view&catid=9&id=13932&Itemid=225#13932


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## Coralite (Nov 29, 2008)

Thanks for the info Ian. I do not believe that the environment has as much of a role as we think in the changeover to this greenish color form, I think R. butterfly is an unstable phenotypic expression, with a periodic tendency to revert back to a more natural leaf shape and color.


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

The butterfly plant is a variegated plant, which means that it has a somatic mutation which is probably the mutation that causes cells to produce lots of red pigment. Plants grow from meristematic (growth) regions where all the cell divisions take place. The tip of the shoot is a meristem and so is the tip of the root. It is the shoot tip that we are interested in. In the butterfly, some of the meristematic cells make the large amount of the red pigment. The others make very little. Cells in the meristem divide and many of them get pushed out of the tip region and they specialize to become epidermal, parenchymal, vascular, etc., cells in the newly forming leaves and stem. I believe that the reversion to the green form happens when the red pigment cells fail to persist in the meristem. The green cells may multiply faster and replace all the red pigment cells. It may be by chance that one cell type or the other attains 100% of the meristematic cells. If this is so, the butterfly might revert to all red sometimes as well as to all green. Perhaps the red cells tend to loose out most of the time in the meristem because, having to produce more red pigment, they have less energy to put into multiplying.


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## ianmax (Nov 8, 2007)

thank you for info,
i seen mutation to green form only, never from green to Red (Butterfly) morfology. I think there is a unique way, no return.


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