Why does one Crown of Thorns plant show different flower colors in my Shopify photos?
A customer recently asked this thoughtful question, and I’m glad she did because other collectors may be wondering the same thing. The photos show how beautifully the same variety can change over time—almost like the plant has a seasonal wardrobe! Light, temperature, season, and growing conditions can all influence its color.
A customer recently asked this thoughtful question, and I’m glad she did because other collectors may be wondering the same thing. The photos show how beautifully the same variety can change over time—almost like the plant has a seasonal wardrobe! Light, temperature, season, and growing conditions can all influence its color.
Here’s the simple science behind those beautiful color changes:
Yes, the same Crown of Thorns variety can display different flower colors. Bright light and cooler weather often deepen its color, while filtered light and warmer conditions may create softer shades.
🌿 How Light and Temperature Change Crown of Thorns Flower Color
If you notice different colors in the photos, you’re seeing one of the most interesting things about Crown of Thorns: the same variety can respond to light, warmth, and the changing seasons with a beautiful range of shades. It’s simply the plant adapting in its own colorful way!
1. Those “petals” are actually bracts
The colorful parts around the tiny flowers are modified leaves called bracts. Because they behave more like leaves than delicate petals, they naturally respond to their growing conditions—and that is part of what makes each display so special.
- Bracts contain green chlorophyll and colorful pigments called anthocyanins, which create red, pink, and purple tones.
- They can stay on the plant for months, so they have plenty of time to react to changing light, temperature, and seasons.
2. More light can mean stronger color
Anthocyanins help protect the plant from strong light—basically, they are the plant’s built-in sunscreen.
- Bright light: The plant often makes more protective pigment, so the bracts may glow in deeper red, brighter pink, or more intense orange.
- Filtered or lower light: The plant may make less colorful pigment and more chlorophyll to gather the light it needs. This can create lovely softer shades of pink, cream, yellow, or green. Think of it as the plant wisely adjusting its wardrobe to its surroundings.
3. Temperature also changes the show
Cool and hot weather affect how quickly the plant makes and breaks down its pigments.
- Cool, bright weather: Sugars can build up in the bracts, helping produce stronger color. The pigments also break down more slowly, so winter shades may look especially rich and dramatic.
- Hot weather: Pigments may break down faster, and quick new growth can appear lighter or more delicate in color. Same lovely plant, just wearing its summer wardrobe.
📌 Will My Crown of Thorns Arrive in the Same Color as the Photos?
Here is the most important thing to remember when choosing your plant:
🌱 Crown of Thorns: Nature’s Living Mood Ring
When you welcome a Crown of Thorns into your collection, you are bringing home a living plant with colors that can naturally change over time. I include photos of its different color stages so you can enjoy seeing the beautiful range the same variety may display through different seasons and growing conditions.
- Why the color changes: The colorful bracts respond naturally to light and temperature. Cool, bright conditions often bring out deeper reds, pinks, and oranges, while warmth or filtered light may create softer creams, yellows, greens, or pale pinks.
- What this means for your order: The photos may show the same variety in several lovely color stages. Your plant may arrive in any of those shades, depending on the weather, season, and greenhouse light when it is carefully packed. Every shade is natural, and watching those colors develop is one of the joys of collecting Crown of Thorns.