Hello, I just found this forum and I think I'm really going to like it here. I recently started a number of citrus from seed and one my seedlings has red leaves. Now I didn't label my pots very well (I should have learned from this same mistake many times over but I do it anyway now and then). I was wondering if blood oranges ever show red tinted young growth, or even mature leaves (I don't know these may turn green as they mature like so many of the Rosaceae) . The two possibilities are blood orange or meyer lemon seed. The funky thing is that I thought only the meyers were unlabeled, but I may have stuck a blood orange seed in one and forgotten about it. Anyway I appreciate any feedback.

-Ben

Lemons usually have a red tinged new growth as well as most citrons. Oranges never have red growth.

much appreciated, none of my other lemon seedlings have shown this so it struck me as odd.

Lemon leaves have a reddish coloration only when they are very young. As the leaf ages the leaves turn green. - Millet (*1,398*-)

Millet is correct. Moreover, the purplish colorations on the leaves and flowers of lemons are more pronounced if you have cooler nights, like those in California. But as the minimum night time temperature goes above 50 deg F, the degree of purplish colorations diminish, and during the warm summer nights when we go over 65 deg F minimum temp, and we have growth flush, there is not much purplish coloration even on the flowers.

You can observe these also in some avocado leaves. The cooler nights during growth flush causes the anthocyanins in the leaves to show those purplish colors. But they disappear and turn normal color as the leaf ages.

Most likely a "myer lemon" variant seedling. I also have a few, which are more Citron like, including one with a reddish new flush. It shouldn't be too hard to ID it as either orange or myer.

A few photos of citrus with red flushes.

Variegated Lisbon lemon.



Faustrime.





Variegated Buddhas hand.

Thanks for sharing those pics Laaz- I too have at various times noted reddish new growth of several citrus varieties. Cool temps and early spring growth seem to be associated with it-I have always wondered if a lack of phosphorus in the new growth due to cool roots had anything at all to do with it-maybe this is because of something I read years ago-but suspect it was something I heard in a class.I don't remember all of the nutrition lectures in my Citrus Culture class- sorry Dr.Coultas

I am more inclined to believe that the coloration is due to Juvenile anthocyanins and not due to deficiencies. I had no time to explain this but you can search for Juvenile Anthocyanin especially in new growth. The reddish hue disappears as the new leaves mature. Anthocyanin is also affected by temperature.

New growth on lemon leaves are reddish year around, spring, summer and fall. - Millet (1,395-)

I think that we are possibly addressing different topics-yet possibly related-a)we can note citrus that usually has green new growth that on occassion (often in the spring) has reddish-purple new growth
b)Purple-red growth that lingers instead of disappearing with foliage development on varieties that you normally do not see red growth
c) varieties of citrus that we can expect red-purple new growth at any month
d) some growers using certain media under certain conditions have red-purple new growth that is not seen by other growers who are raising the same varieties in the ground under very different enviromental conditions.

Several factors are involved- natural Juvenile anthocyanins, differences in plant growth due to temperature and nutrient availablity, variations in species of Citrus and even cultivar variance.

All the citrus I posted above have red flushes anytime they flush, not just in the spring.

My Meyers lemon and Bearss lemon both have red flushes this spring, as they have had each spring, but none of my other citrus have ever shown any red flush, spring or not.

I have never seen reddish coloration on any of the sweet orange varieties, nor kumquats, etc. Only on lemon, and the various lemon hybrids. - (Millet (1,391-)