Dead plant, how long, can you tell?

[sloth]

I guess the question is green or brown? To elaborate, does anyone know how to tell how many years a plant has been dead? Now let me add the conditions, the plant was in complete darkness at a temperature that ranges from 58*F to 90*F.No wind, no sun, no water, no cold winter, no ventalation, maybe some humidity.

Would the plant still turn brown or would some of the green still remain on the vegatation? Say after 3 years, 5 years or even 10.

[hashemyemen]

Well, About the color, I think there will be no green color especially in the meristematic regions of the plant body. Since you said No sun, then it means no light will penetrate the parts of the plant body, hence, the plastids which are responsible for photosynthesis will not work efficiently as the need ligh and heat which is provided by the sun, those plastids are responsible for synthesis of the green color in plants, and if they don't work as it is needed, there will no green color. So, the plant will turn brown, indeed.
The reall reason, is that the Chlorophyll biosynthesis will be discorded, hence, no green pigment will be formed.


I think you are talking about desert plants where they don't need water or cool weather and survives for long duration.

[sloth]

But what about the green pigment that was there before the plant died? In that controlled environment,wouldn't it just go dormant with no outside influence to change the appearance? I thought it would just be very dry.

[JackBean]

If the plant grew in dark, it would be etiolated and contained only minimal amount of chlorophyll. It would be only lightly green, but more white or yeallowish. The brown color comes from dead cell, no matter in what enviroment they are.

[sloth]

Is there a general rule as to how long it takes before it turns brown or does it vary with diferent kinds of plants?

[sloth]

Also I meant for the scenario to be that the plants grew under normal conditions and perhaps were moved to the dark, static environment for a period of years. Would the green remain in the vegatation and just become very dry? Why would it change in the constant environment stated?

[hashemyemen]

Is there a general rule as to how long it takes before it turns brown or does it vary with diferent kinds of plants?

As JackBean said that the " brown color comes from dead cell ", so, it is base on the size of that particular plant:-

- The larger the plant body, the greater the cells number, hence, much more duration the plant need to change its color completely due to the death of that huge number of cells.

- The smaller the plant body, the lesser the cells number, hence, the plant will consume a very short duration to change its color due to the death of that huge number of cells also.

You cannot say that all the cells will die at the same time.

[JackBean]

the plant definitely won't grow for years in dark