Albino redwood tree – a mysterious inhabitant of Californian forests (6 photos)

Albinism is rare in humans and animals, but is not something surprising for our world. It is even rarer to see it in plants, where it manifests itself as a complete lack of chlorophyll.





Since this green pigment is vital for survival, albino plants usually die as seedlings.



Albino redwood tree in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, Northern California

There is an exception, however. Researchers have spotted several albino redwood trees in California that have managed to survive to adulthood by grafting onto a parent redwood tree and using its nutrients.





Another specimen in the same park

Albino redwoods do not grow into majestic giants. They remain as shrubby vegetation at the base of the parent tree. The roots of the albino redwood intertwine with the roots of the healthy plant, allowing them to receive nutrition through the connections between the roots. At certain times of the year, the white needles of the red-listed albino trees are clearly visible.



While the albino plant acts like a parasite, since it depends on the recipient for everything, the relationship is not entirely parasitic.

New research has shown that albino redwoods also help healthy redwoods survive by filtering toxins from the soil. Albinos have defective stomata—microscopic holes on the surface of their leaves and stems—that cause them to lose more water through transpiration, forcing them to compensate by absorbing more water through their roots. As a result, they accumulate more metals than normal trees.



A tree in the Santa Cruz Mountains

A study led by Zane Moore of the University of California, Davis, found high levels of toxic heavy metals, including nickel, copper, and cadmium. The levels of these heavy metals in albino redwoods were at least twice as high as in healthy redwoods.

They essentially poison themselves. They are like a liver or kidney that filters out toxins.



An example of an Albino Redwood tree at the Montgomery Redwood State Preserve

Albino redwood trees were first discovered in 1866, when one was found near San Rafael and taken to the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, where researchers were unable to figure out why its waxy leaves were white. It was later determined that plants growing from healthy redwood trees are white due to a genetic mutation that leaves them lacking chlorophyll, the pigment that gives plants their green color.

There are thought to be about 400 albino redwoods growing wild in California. Their locations are kept secret to prevent people from searching for them or collecting souvenirs that could harm the plant.