NEW PLANTS HAVING A WHITE FOLIAGE PHENOTYPE

Described is a method for the generation of a Euphorbia pulcherrima (Poinsettia) plant having a white foliage phenotype, comprising the steps of:- providing a Euphorbia pulcherrima (Poinsettia) plant without a white foliage phenotype comprising in its genome at least one functional allele of a glutathione S-transferase gene EpGST encoding a protein of SEQ ID No 3 or a functional variant of said protein with at least 90% amino acid identity, the EpGST gene comprising, in the region encoding amino acids at positions 40 - 50 of the protein of SEQ ID No 3, a stretch of 12 nucleotides consisting of a threefold CTTC repeat;- subjecting the Euphorbia pulcherrima (Poinsettia) plant of step a. to a mutagenesis treatment to produce a mutant Euphorbia pulcherrima (Poinsettia) plant;- selecting a mutant Euphorbia pulcherrima (Poinsettia) plant of step b., wherein at least one allele of the EpGST gene comprises a CTTC deletion in the stretch of 12 nucleotides consisting of a threefold CTTC repeat as present in the genome of the Euphorbia pulcherrima (Poinsettia) plant of step a.;- optionally repeating steps b. and c. until all alleles of the EpGST gene in the plant genome comprise the said CTTC deletion;- selecting a Euphorbia pulcherrima (Poinsettia) plant with white foliage phenotype being homozygous for the EpGST gene comprising the said CTTC deletion, and- optionally further propagating said Euphorbia pulcherrima (Poinsettia) plant being homozygous for the EpGST gene comprising the said CTTC deletion.Further a plant, plant parts, isolated DNA, a molecular marker, and the use of the DNA to produce a molecular marker are disclosed.