Among the specific features of plants, the phenomenon of purple pigmentation of tissues in vegetative organs in some species at early stages of development deserves attention. One of such species is the purple dead-nettle Lamium purpureum, a common species of alien plants in the flora of Ukraine. The pigment composition of the tissues in vegetative organs of L. purpureum has not yet been clarified. In this regard, the pigment composition in tissues of various vegetative organs of L. purpureum at early stages of development was first studied using a set of spectral methodological approaches (non-destructive solid-phase spectrophotometry, absorption spectroscopy of extracts, identification of the chelating ability of pigments). The specificity of pigmentation of the lowermost floral leaves, uppermost stem leaves below the verticillaster, and the highest part of the stem under the inflorescence is associated with the localization of flavonoids, anthocyanins, carotenoids, and chlorophylls in different ratios in the surface tissues. The purple color of tissues is due to the accumulation of anthocyanins, which are identified by the characteristic maximum in the reflectance spectra of tissues and the absorption spectra of extracts, colorimetric parameters, and chelating ability. The parameters of the differential reflectance spectra were determined as marker signs of the specific localization of anthocyanins in various plant tissues. The maximum accumulation of anthocyanins was registered in the surface tissues of floral leaves. The contrast in the perceived color was established by calculating the color difference between tissues. The proposed methodological approach can be used for identification of raw materials of the purple dead-nettle when obtaining biologically active preparations and non-destructive diagnostics of the pigment composition of plants.

Keywords: anthocyanins, colorimetry, Lamium purpureum, protective effect, reflectance characteristics

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