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Can a Caryophyllales species produce both betalains and anthocyanins?
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Caryophyllales
Pink carnation flowers (Dianthus caryophyllus).
No, a species within the Caryophyllales order cannot produce both betalains and anthocyanins.
These two types of pigments are mutually exclusive within the order; species that possess betalains never contain anthocyanins, and vice versa. While most flowering plants rely on anthocyanins for colors ranging from red to blue, the presence of betalains is a distinct, parallel evolutionary trait restricted to certain families within the Caryophyllales.1