The mysterious world of albino redwood trees

These rare ‘ghosts of the forest’ don’t have chlorophyll, but that doesn’t stop them from improvising!

Catie Leary

The most viable example of this phenomenon is the albino redwood. Due to a genetic mutation, these rare plants are unable to produce chlorophyll, leaving their needles white or pale yellow instead of the typical green.

A lack of chlorophyll production would typically mean an automatic death sentence for the vast majority of plants, but these “everwhites” have a special trick up their sleeve that can ensure their survival: parasitism. Read more.