Cyclamen red colors based on a macrocyclic anthocyanin in carnation flowers

The cyclamen red (or pink) colors in carnation flowers-cultivars Red Rox and eight others-are based on the presence of a new macrocyclic anthocyanin, pelargonidin 3,5-di-O-beta-glucoside(6,6'-malyl diester) identified by spectroscopic methods. The instability of the bridging malyl group with sugars in acidic medium readily causes the formation of the opened ring form, 3-O-(6-O-malylglucoside)-5-O-glucoside. The issue of cyclamen colors based in carnations on this original acylated pelargonidin derivative simulating those based on simpler cyanidin glycosides in Rosa cultivars is discussed using CIELAB colorimetric coordinates.