Passage I

Albino Redwoods

At Henry Cowell State Park in Felton, California, a waxy white bush leans against the majestic trunk of a 500-year-old, 20-story-tall coastal redwood tree. The bush is distinctive, it has an unusual incandescence and only stands about four feet tall. Surprisingly, though, the bush is almost genetically identical to the enormous redwood that dwarfs it. The bush—a rare botanical anomaly一is an albino coastal redwood.

These exceptional shrubs lack the most essential plant characteristic: the ability to produce chlorophyll, which absorbs light most strongly in the blue portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. (3) Without chlorophyll, photosynthesis cannot occur, leaving albino coastal redwoods without a means of producing its own food. Contrastingly, in order to survive, these plants become parasites. Latching onto the roots of nearby redwoods to tap into their nutrients. During periods of drought, albino redwoods often wither and enter a dormant state. Later, during periods of heavy rainfall, they resurrect back to life and latch onto their hosts.

Although these plants may seem like little more than botanical leeches, they are actually a testament from the tree’s remarkable genetics and adaptability. Coastal redwoods have six pairs of chromosomes. This allows them an extraordinary degree of genetic diversity. Every time a new coastal redwood sprouts, an abundance of possible genetic mutations can occur. Most of these mutations benefit the tree, such as making it more resistant to fungi or viruses. But on occasion an albino mutation of the forest can occur, creating this rare phenomenon.

Botanists appraise there are only about sixty albino coastal redwoods in the world. Geneticists are now thinking more or less about the chromosomal makeup of these rare specimens. While scientists are still baffled by what function albino coastal redwoods serve in forests. Conservationists continue to advocate for their preservation. At the very least, albino coastal redwoods are not only a rare phenomenon but also a stunning illumination in the diversity found in the natural world.