Japanese Maples - Changing Colour

[RangerNige]

I have seen your explanation for how normal green leaves get their colour and how they then change to yellow/red.

What chemical does a Japanese maple or Copper Beech produce to get its main red colour and how do they change colour in the autumn?

[alan30]

For green leaves as the chlorophyll breaks down on exposure to light, other leaf pigments become visible, resulting in the colour change of autumn. Dark red "copper" tree varieties such as copper beech have leaves with high levels of anthocyanin at all times.

[andyjevs]

I'm not sure about the chemical bit but autumn colour in deciduous trees such as beech and maples (common maples can be just as nice in autumn) is usually caused by a chain of events such as cold nights and shorter day lengths which help to break down the proteins in the leaves and kill the chlorophyll (green stuff in leaves), leaving a brightly coloured leaf. I think !!!!!!!!