Components of flower pigments in the petals of different color Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.cultivars

Flower color is one of the most important ornamental characters.The study on flower pigments is significant in exploring the mechanism of flower coloration and molecular breeding of new cultivars.In this paper,the flower color of 17 chrysanthemum cultivars were measured and the specific color reactions and(UV-visible) spectra of flower pigments were performed. The results indicated that flower pigments of chrysanthemum (yellow,white,red,purple and orange) consist of flavonoids and carotenoids. The pigments of yellow flower consist of flavones and carotenoids;there is only flavones in white color flower;the red and purple flowers contain anthocyanins and other flavonoids;the orange is formed by carotenoids,anthocyanins and other flavonoids.This paper provides a reference for the identification of molecular structure of flower pigments and the breeding of flower color of chrysanthemum.