The pale albino redwood is one of the most interesting mutations in the albino redwood family due to its light coloration. The Pale Albino not being a true white has completely virescent green or lime-colored foliage. What’s unique about the ‘Pale’ is that photosynthesis is still occurring to some degree within its needles, but at a much-reduced rate than what’s seen in normal green redwoods. This is because the mutation lacks a specific type of chlorophyll which gives them their lime green appearance. Because of this chlorophyll deficiency, pale albino redwoods like their pure white cousins cannot survive without the support of a normal green redwood. Like white albino redwoods, the pale variety can be seen in both aerial and basal forms. At times under the right lighting conditions, pale albino redwoods can appear golden in color.
In this basal pale albino redwood, notice the comparison between the normal green branch to the pale foliage:
If you look closely, you can see last year's needles dying back. This is because the mutation is very sensitive to light and burns easily in the sun.
A closer inspection reveals the lime green appearance within its foliage.
This is a rare example of a pale aerial albino redwood. The entire top appears to have mutated into a lime green color on this young Coast Redwood giving it a golden hue. Originally discovered in 2017, this fall 2019 drone shot shows the beauty of this type of albino redwood mutation. Unlike what's seen in chimeras where there are clear lines of delineation between mutated and normal foliage, this pale albino shows a transitioning color scheme throughout the mid-canopy.
In this view, we can see how unique the foliage stands out in comparison to the normal Coast Redwoods around it. One can imagine as this tree begins to touch the skyline how beautiful it will appear in the years ahead.
Down view from the drone showing the coloration change as this tree moves skyward.