diff --git a/src/traces/sunburst/calc.js b/src/traces/sunburst/calc.js
index 58eab8ffae0..0442d664de0 100644
--- a/src/traces/sunburst/calc.js
+++ b/src/traces/sunburst/calc.js
@@ -258,6 +258,7 @@ exports._runCrossTraceCalc = function(desiredType, gd) {
     }
     var dfltColorCount = 0;
 
+    var rootColor;
     function pickColor(d) {
         var cdi = d.data.data;
         var id = cdi.id;
@@ -277,7 +278,7 @@ exports._runCrossTraceCalc = function(desiredType, gd) {
                 }
             } else {
                 // set root color. no coloring by default.
-                cdi.color = cdi.trace.root.color;
+                cdi.color = rootColor;
             }
         }
     }
@@ -286,6 +287,7 @@ exports._runCrossTraceCalc = function(desiredType, gd) {
         var cd = calcdata[i];
         var cd0 = cd[0];
         if(cd0.trace.type === desiredType && cd0.hierarchy) {
+            rootColor = cd0.trace.root.color;
             cd0.hierarchy.each(pickColor);
         }
     }
diff --git a/test/image/baselines/treemap_root-color.png b/test/image/baselines/treemap_root-color.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..93165246750
Binary files /dev/null and b/test/image/baselines/treemap_root-color.png differ
diff --git a/test/image/compare_pixels_test.js b/test/image/compare_pixels_test.js
index 93ec06d83fc..9ec29d774ae 100644
--- a/test/image/compare_pixels_test.js
+++ b/test/image/compare_pixels_test.js
@@ -102,6 +102,7 @@ if(allMock || argv.filter) {
 
 var FLAKY_LIST = [
     'treemap_coffee',
+    'treemap_sunburst_marker_colors',
     'treemap_textposition',
     'treemap_with-without_values',
     'gl3d_directions-streamtube1',
diff --git a/test/image/mocks/treemap_root-color.json b/test/image/mocks/treemap_root-color.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6c5723f0a37
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/image/mocks/treemap_root-color.json
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+{
+    "data": [
+        {
+            "hovertemplate": "labels=%{label}<br>sales=%{value}<br>parent=%{parent}<br>id=%{id}<extra></extra>",
+            "ids": [
+                "all/North/Tech/A",
+                "all/North/Tech/B",
+                "all/North/Finance/C",
+                "all/North/Finance/D",
+                "all/South/Tech/E",
+                "all/South/Tech/F",
+                "all/South/Finance/G",
+                "all/South/Finance/H",
+                "all/North/Finance",
+                "all/South/Finance",
+                "all/North/Other",
+                "all/South/Other",
+                "all/North/Tech",
+                "all/South/Tech",
+                "all/North",
+                "all/South",
+                "all"
+            ],
+            "labels": [
+                "A",
+                "B",
+                "C",
+                "D",
+                "E",
+                "F",
+                "G",
+                "H",
+                "Finance",
+                "Finance",
+                "Other",
+                "Other",
+                "Tech",
+                "Tech",
+                "North",
+                "South",
+                "all"
+            ],
+            "name": "",
+            "parents": [
+                "all/North/Tech",
+                "all/North/Tech",
+                "all/North/Finance",
+                "all/North/Finance",
+                "all/South/Tech",
+                "all/South/Tech",
+                "all/South/Finance",
+                "all/South/Finance",
+                "all/North",
+                "all/South",
+                "all/North",
+                "all/South",
+                "all/North",
+                "all/South",
+                "all",
+                "all",
+                ""
+            ],
+            "type": "treemap",
+            "branchvalues": "total",
+            "values": [
+                1,
+                3,
+                2,
+                4,
+                2,
+                2,
+                1,
+                4,
+                6,
+                5,
+                1,
+                1,
+                4,
+                4,
+                11,
+                10,
+                21
+            ]
+        }
+    ],
+    "layout": {
+        "width": 320,
+        "height": 200,
+        "margin": {
+            "t": 20,
+            "l": 20,
+            "r": 20,
+            "b": 20
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/test/jasmine/tests/mock_test.js b/test/jasmine/tests/mock_test.js
index e619d5dabe3..8399be37577 100644
--- a/test/jasmine/tests/mock_test.js
+++ b/test/jasmine/tests/mock_test.js
@@ -989,6 +989,7 @@ var list = [
     'treemap_packings',
     'treemap_pad_mirror',
     'treemap_pad_transpose',
+    'treemap_root-color',
     'treemap_sunburst_basic',
     'treemap_sunburst_marker_colors',
     'treemap_textfit',
@@ -2077,6 +2078,7 @@ figs['treemap_packages_colorscale_novalue'] = require('@mocks/treemap_packages_c
 figs['treemap_packings'] = require('@mocks/treemap_packings');
 figs['treemap_pad_mirror'] = require('@mocks/treemap_pad_mirror');
 figs['treemap_pad_transpose'] = require('@mocks/treemap_pad_transpose');
+figs['treemap_root-color'] = require('@mocks/treemap_root-color');
 figs['treemap_sunburst_basic'] = require('@mocks/treemap_sunburst_basic');
 figs['treemap_sunburst_marker_colors'] = require('@mocks/treemap_sunburst_marker_colors');
 figs['treemap_textfit'] = require('@mocks/treemap_textfit');