This Flower changes color when Radiation levels are dangerous

Originally posted by jtma508
How log does the color change take? My guess is that by the time you see pink you've been seriously irradiated.

Apparently the sensitivity is high enough... tha tthis might not necessarily be the case. It reacts on 'anything over ambient levels'. For instance, if a nuke goes off you'll probably not need these plants around to know its time to clear out. But in the case where you live downwind from some nuke plants these could give plenty fair warning. And of course planting in places that are known hotspots would function as an endemic living gauge. I'm guessing you could also use live plants in testing new water sources for contamination, in a post-apocalyptic world.

And no, the flowers in my yard never turned pink last year despite the doom and gloom speak about Japan destroying the world with its Godzilla disaster. I knew Godzilla wasn't real, I have every film!

Originally posted by Biliverdin
It is an exceptionally interesting plant. Seemingly it is useful to have around the home too...

As a houseplant, T. pallida has been judged exceptionally effective at improving indoor air quality by filtering out volatile organic compounds, a class of common pollutants and respiratory irritants, via a process known as phytoremediation.[4]

The specimen they have pictured for that species has pink hairs so it wouldn't do much good for nukes... but odds are the others mostly have the same air cleaning properties.

You can probably safely eat that one too tho.

These plants are full of mucilage which should make for a good thickening agent to make Cajun Gumbo Stew when Okra is out of season.

Mucilage has its own unique gastro-protective medicinal properties as well:
en.wikipedia.org...

Originally posted by IgnoranceIsntBlisss

Originally posted by Biliverdin
It is an exceptionally interesting plant. Seemingly it is useful to have around the home too...

As a houseplant, T. pallida has been judged exceptionally effective at improving indoor air quality by filtering out volatile organic compounds, a class of common pollutants and respiratory irritants, via a process known as phytoremediation.[4]

The specimen they have pictured for that species has pink hairs so it wouldn't do much good for nukes... but odds are the others mostly have the same air cleaning properties.

You can probably safely eat that one too tho.

These plants are full of mucilage which should make for a good thickening agent to make Cajun Gumbo Stew when Okra is out of season.

Mucilage has its own unique gastro-protective medicinal properties as well:
en.wikipedia.org...

Hmmm...I am not sure whether I would be keen on eating something that was filtering out toxins...where do the toxins go, or where are they stored in the plant? I remember an article I read a few years ago about certain mushrooms that they found could filter out barium, but the barium remained in the mushroom, thus making them unsafe to eat. Root vegetables, carrots especially, are similarly prone. As are peppers...

Originally posted by Skewed
How do you mass produce a plant?
Is Monsanto going to take this challenge head on?

Normally this grows as a weed which I suspect most people out there hate. I've had a row of it in my cactus garden for over a year where the point there is to not need to water that area.I just put a new patch in under one of my Biodiesel Plants where Phyllaris Grass never took off last year. I cut the heads off several dried out flowers to grind out some seeds. I'm betting that the bits of flower heads I stuck under the dirt will manage to root also.

With actual encouragement and frolicking mass production could be easily achieved. When you dig up a cluster there is generally a few plants that you can divide. Give each one of those nourishment and they will multiply in the dirt, while also setting seeds. The leafy stalks can also be made into rooted cuttings. And then there's plant growth regulator hormones, mycorrizal fungi booster supplimentation, worms, diverse soil and fertilizer types coupled with ideal conditions and rain water stored in cisterns if you really want to go all out.

Some of the specimens wild in my yard grow in hard dirt track areas normally walked where nothing else grows too well or too long.

reply to post by IgnoranceIsntBlisss

Originally posted by IgnoranceIsntBlisss

Originally posted by Biliverdin
It is an exceptionally interesting plant. Seemingly it is useful to have around the home too...

As a houseplant, T. pallida has been judged exceptionally effective at improving indoor air quality by filtering out volatile organic compounds, a class of common pollutants and respiratory irritants, via a process known as phytoremediation.[4]

The specimen they have pictured for that species has pink hairs so it wouldn't do much good for nukes... but odds are the others mostly have the same air cleaning properties.

You can probably safely eat that one too tho.

These plants are full of mucilage which should make for a good thickening agent to make Cajun Gumbo Stew when Okra is out of season.

Mucilage has its own unique gastro-protective medicinal properties as well:
en.wikipedia.org...

And this from the same Wiki article.

The mucilage of two kinds of insectivorous plants, sundew (Drosera) and butterwort (Pinguicula), is used for the traditional production of a yoghurt-like Swedish dairy product called filmjölk.

Not only do you have interesting fly eating plants in the kitchen you get to make yogurt from their mucilage.
I guess there must be a good way to seperate the bits of undigested fly first.

Brilliant thread! Good one OP. I liiiike these plants.

you really have to love the way things in nature can survive after we mess it up.

S&F op

Looked up the article from 1964 in picture format and retyped it word for word so I could add some of the information here. I would add the whole article but I don't want to get in trouble so I will add bits and pieces:

Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Boulder, Colo., Aug 24, 1964


The plant was shown by the atomic energy Commission at the week-long 15th annual meeting of the American Institute of Biological Sciences at the University of Colorado. Dr. L.W. Mericle, a botanist at Michigan State University, explained that the plant-known as a spiderwart-exhibits reddish spots when subjected to radiation. He said the accuracy of the plant’s measurements could be compared favorably with those of a Geiger counter.

The number of red spots on the purple flower is directly related to the intensity of the radiation. The spots are so tiny, however, that they can be seen only with the aid of a microscope.

“Statistically, we can prove now that this plant will distinguish very low radiation levels,” Mericle said. The plant, he said, can distinguish between radiation levels of .25 and .1 milli-roentgens. Normally, only a Geiger counter could measure such a level. The lethal dose of radiation for a human being is between 450 and 600 roentgens. A milli-roentgen is one one-thousandth of a roentgen. Spiderwarts are hardy plants, Mericle said, and can survive in most areas. In order to measure radiation levels accurately with the flowers, it would be necessary to have between five and 10 pots of plants, each bearing five or 10 clusters per plant.

www.wikipedia.com is usually my first choice for plant identification or info:en.wikipedia.org...

Originally posted by muzzleflash
Think of the irony.

If we could look into the distant Earth future, or at advanced alien civilizations, we might actually mistake them for being primitive.

They could be using plants as sensor devices...

This all goes to remind me of biological computing really. If we were extremely advanced technologically, we could design the genetic blue prints for a plant with uses like this and then farm them as needed. We could design them for any purpose you could imagine, the sky is the limit.

Just imagine all of the feats we could accomplish with advanced knowledge of genetics and organic chemistry.

edit on 29-3-2012 by muzzleflash because: (no reason given)

Uh. Ok Monsanto Jr.

That's amazing... nature is outstanding. It's a radiation radar, a food, and if you ever find yourself in an underground bunker, a source of oxygen... and they're beautiful. I wanna plant a garden of em.

reply to post by IgnoranceIsntBlisss


Wow great to know, do they grow in a zone 5-6????

Pretty too.

Purple is my favorite color but pink is my second favorite.

one of the longest bloomers in the garden - carrying flowers from early June right through until fall if treated properly. Source: www.gardening-tips-perennials.com...

reply to post by Gridrebel


So there's 2 ways to do it then. Here's the names of the methods:

Since the middle of the 20th century, ionizing radiations from radioactive isotopes including 137Cs have been investigated to determine their genotoxic impact on living organisms. The present study was designed to compare the effectiveness of three plant bioassays to assess DNA damage induced by low doses of 137Cs: Vicia-micronucleus test (Vicia-MCN), Tradescantia-micronucleus test (Trad-MCN) and Tradescantia-stamen-hair mutation test (Trad-SH) were used. Vicia faba (broad bean) and Tradescantia clone 4430 (spiderwort) were exposed to 137Cs according to different scenarios: external and internal (contamination) irradiations. Experiments were conducted with various levels of radioactivity in solution or in soil, using solid or liquid 137Cs sources. The three bioassays showed different sensitivities to the treatments. Trad-MCN appeared to be the most sensitive test (significative response from 1.5 kBq/200 ml after 30 h of contamination). Moreover, at comparable doses, internal irradiations led to larger effects for the three bioassays. These bioassays are effective tests for assessing the genotoxic effects of radioactive 137Cs pollution.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...

This source claims the petal test is for chemical detection, although yours already proves otherwise:

The Stamen-hair-mutation test (Trad-SHM) has been formalized as a means to detect gene mutation due to radiation and the Micronucleus test (Trad-MCN) has been established to detect DNA damage due to chemical pollutants.
www.sierrapotomac.org...

Effectively either test can be used in testing genotoxcity:

In genetics, genotoxicity describes a deleterious action on a cell's genetic material affecting its integrity. This includes both certain chemical compounds and certain types of radiation. Genotoxic substances are all those with affinity to interact with DNA - which is not proof of their dangerousness to humans, but does render them potentially mutagenic or cancerogenic.
en.wikipedia.org...

Although it seems that perhaps not all Tradescantia's are built the same:

3.2 Species and clones of the genus Tradescantia used in genotoxicity bioassays
Most of the studies using Tradescantia plants, and particularly those developed in Europe,
have been conducted using clone 4430, which is a diploid hybrid between T. hirsutiflora
Bush (2461C), with a blue flower, and T. subacaulis Bush (2441), with a pink flower (Isidori et
al., 2003; Klumpp et al., 2006; Ma et al., 1996). This clone, which was developed by Sparrow
et al. in 1960, is very versatile and has, since then, been widely cultivated indoors, although
it requires special conditions for it to grow and flower. On the other hand, it presents great
sensitivity to the action of chemical and physical mutagens in the environment. Because it is
sterile, it has the advantage that its genetic uniformity is maintained. It can be used both for
the micronucleus test (Trad-MCN) and for the stamen hair mutation test (Trad-SHM).
The Tradescantia species most frequently used for carrying out Trad-MCN is T. pallida (Rose)
Hunt. cv. purpurea Boom (Figure 1). This is a small-sized herbaceous plant (reaching a
maximum height of 25 cm) with spear-shaped succulent leaves that is native to North
America and Central America (Mexico and Honduras) (Lorenzi & Souza, 2008). The
epidermis of the leaves presents large quantities of anthocyanin, which gives them a purple
color, particularly in very bright light (Joly, 1998). Two large canoe-shaped bracts protect the
inflorescence, which presents pink flowers.

Although this species has sexual reproduction, its genetic uniformity can be ensured by
means of vegetative propagation from a single stalk. It has shown sensitivity to the action of
environmental mutagens resembling that of 4430 and #03 (Andrade Jr et al., 2008; Batalha et
al., 1999; Guimarães et al., 2000; Meireles et al., 2009; Suyama et al., 2002). This species has
been greatly used in studies conducted in South America because of the great adaptability of
these plants to the climatic conditions of South American countries, unlike clone 4430, which
is difficult to cultivate under these conditions. In addition, using plants that develop under
natural conditions reduces the costs of the study and minimizes any problems of pest
attacks, given that these plants are already biologically adapted to the environment
(Rodrigues et al., 1997).
cdn.intechopen.com... df

I have the little gem of a plant in several of my flower beds. It is amazingly easy to grow and to propagate as well which I found out by accident while transplanting. It seems I didnt get all of the root when I dug up and moved it the first time so I was blessed with two plants. After I noticed that a new plant was coming up I moved it to a better location.. and low and behold I missed some more of the root and now had three. The following spring I dug up the original plant and quartered the entire thing and made a bunch of them. They grow up to 2 feet tall and are quite pretty. If anyone is interested in a root cutting I will be more than happy to mail you a few. Just send me a message

This source claims only "T. nonukes" does it:

To those in Japan, and others, we urge that it is important to obtain genuine Tradescantia nonukes and not some common garden variety that does not have genetically dipolar coloration. The KU-9 clone is a perennial that can overwinter from Texas and Florida into Southern Canada, going back to its roots while dormant and re-emerging again in the Spring after last frost. In a greenhouse it can bloom all year. Every temperate climate permaculturist should have a supply.
www.energybulletin.net...

Further searching for this socalled "nunkes" makes it appear they've fabricated this name. I suspect it's the Japanese name for Clone #4430 as this describes the same thing:

Tradescantia nonukes has two genes for color in the cells of the stamen hairs and petals. The dominant gene codes cells to display blue. The recessive gene codes cells to display pink. Spiderwort produces its flowers daily, so a change from blue to pink, or blue with purple splotches, would instantly signal the presence of an environmental mutagen. Well, “instantly” may be a stretch. Since mutagens can reach the sites of cell division by air, water and soil mineral uptake, the display may lag the exposure by some days. ... The clones are highly sensitive, and moreover, they are not measuring ionizing radiation by static charge in dry air the way a Geiger tube does, using a mathematical model to extrapolate biological dose from studies of mice and dogs to humans. The plants are measuring biological uptake in the first instance and therefore monitoring all possible exposure pathways.

But of course they've not introduced a "KU-9 clone" title.

Highly sensitive mutational responses of the stamen-hair system of some Tradescantia clones
heterozygous for flower color (blue/pink, the blue being dominant) to low-level radiation and
chemical mutagens, as demonstrated in the last decade, seem to endorse this system to be the
most promising biological tester for detecting the genetic effects of mutagens at low levels. Two
triploid (thus sterile) clones, KU 7 and KU 9, have been established as those suitable for in situ
monitoring of environmental mutagens. In situ monitoring with such Tradescantia clones was
first tried in 1974 around a nuclear power plant in Japan, then has been repeated until 1979
around more nuclear plants. About 260,000 to 1,570,000 stamen hairs were observed per year per
nuclear plant (about 12-million hairs in total), and the data of pink mutation frequency were
analyzed statistically. Significantly increased mutation frequencies were observed and were
correlated to the operation periods of the nuclear facilities and to predominant wind direction,
but not to other environmental factors. Considering physical monitoring data of radiation dose
in the air, internal exposure due to incorporation and concentration of man-made radioactive
nuclides seemed to be of a greater importance in increasing mutation incidence.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...

Maybe the KU-x is Japan's name for clones in this class while over in the EU it's called #4430.

The verdict would be that non pink+blue hybrids probably can't do a stamen hair test. Although the more sensitive Micronucleus Test can even be done on the pink flowered Tradescantia pallida, although this requires knowhow and microscope work.

But at least with that you get this:

The micronucleus test on tetrads of Tradescantia (Trad-MCN) is currently the most widely
used bioassay on plants for detecting genotoxins in the environment. According to a recent
paper, approximately 160 chemicals have so far been tested and 100 articles on complex
environmental mixtures have been published (Misík et al., 2011).
cdn.intechopen.com... df

So it looks like the Tradescantia reflexa plants I have in my yard can be used for MCN:

In the 1980s, attempts were made to use Tradescantia reflexa (12), but as these plants are up to 2 m high, their cultivation is not economical. Recently, several Brazilian groups started to use Tradescantia pallida for environmental monitoring (13–15).
mutage.oxfordjournals.org...

reply to post by Gridrebel


So great find with that article!

That method predates the others that only turn up in the literature now, describing a 3rd method no longer mentioned.

Where did you find that?! And what is the name of the paper, and does it mention any species by name?

Originally posted by trollz
Very awesome. These should be mass-produced and planted in every area with some risk of radiation. Nature really does take care of itself.

yeah around the Outskirts of Nuclear Test Sites in the USA, Russia & China ,, Reactor Disaster!! Sites
like Chernobyl & FukuShima and Especially Around Homes Near Nuclear Power Plants ...

Ohh Nature

Ok, so now it turns out that the pink test isn't universal to only the pink+blue hybrids:

Somatic aberration induction in Tradescantia occidentalis by neutrons, x- and gamma-radiations. II. Biological results, r.b.e. and o.e.r.

Biological results, including statistical features, are described for the irradiation of Tradescantia occidentalis with 250 kVp X-rays, cobalt-60 gamma-radiation and monoenergetic neutrons with energies between 0-08 and 15 MeV. The effect studied was that of the induction of pink sectors in the otherwise blue staminal hairs of the flowers at low doses of radiation. Statistical aspects of the results suggest that a fraction of the asynchronous cell population in the hairs is very sensitive to neutron radiation, but not necessarily to lower LET radiations. All the results were fitted by a least-squares method by polynomials of different degrees. Best fits to X- and gamma-ray data were provided by second-degree polynomials, and to the neutron data by either second- or third-degree polynomials. Limiting r.b.e. and o.e.r. values at low doses are derived. Some computed microdosimetric parameters are presented in comparison with the r.b.e. values. It is concluded that the effect studied is complex and may not provide a critical test of bio-physical theories of radiation effects.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...

IN REVIEW:

There are 3 types of Transcantia tests found so far:
*Tradescantia-micronucleus test (Trad-MCN)
*Tradescantia-Stamen-Hair mutation test (Trad-SH)
*Tradescantia-Red-Spot test (Trad-RS)
*Also turned up was a similar bioassay test has been done using Vicia Faba roots (Fava beans).

NOT SO EASY:
*It appears that unless you have a blue+pink stamen hair hybrid with a recessive pink gene, preferably cultivars proven by labs to be endowed with high sensitivity, that all of these tests will require the use of microscopes or possibly other instrumentation / techniques to see the color mutations (unless extreme contamination perhaps).

OTHER:
*These plants are also an effective bioassay of other soil / water / air chemical genotoxic / carcinogenic sources.
*They clean the air of toxins.
*They are very edible, but there might be a concern with stored toxins depending on the situation.
*They are extremely hardly.
*They have many medicinal uses. See here:
s6.zetaboards.com...

reply to post by IgnoranceIsntBlisss


Is that plant indigenous to Japan? Where are it's natural boundaries? Just curious ...

Originally posted by muzzleflash
Think of the irony ... Just imagine all of the feats we could accomplish with advanced knowledge of genetics and organic chemistry.

edit on 29-3-2012 by muzzleflash because: (no reason given)

Yes. Just think . GMO Foods

Originally posted by IgnoranceIsntBlisss
reply to post by Flavian

 

Yes. "Geiger Counter Plant" is a proper name for it.

It turns out that its also edible:

The stems, leaves and flowers of spiderworts are edible. The herbage may be eaten raw or added to stews. The flowers (which may be either pink, blue or rose-purple) make an attractive edible garnish for salads.
www.gpnc.org...

Bonus

Since it's safe to eat, the roots hold enough water that one might be able to survive water starved situations as well.

oh no.... WAIT, if some of them will be pink already to begin with, then what will happen when they are spread all over the place? lots of false readings if i may?