<p><strong>For this image, I used the Foldscope to examine the vein network inside a leaf near the leaf edge. My question was: how do the veins connect as they approach the outer border of the leaf? I collected a small leaf sample from small trees near my dorm Naranja at Stanford campus and placed it under the Foldscope so that both the inner tissue and the leaf edge could be seen. The image shows pale vein-like lines branching through the green leaf tissue and forming smaller sections before reaching the margin. This suggests that the leaf’s vascular network spreads out toward the edge, helping the whole leaf receive water and nutrients rather than only the center. I thought the pattern looked similar to an engineered distribution network, where larger paths split into smaller ones to reach more area. An open question I have is whether the vein thickness changes from the center of the leaf to the edge.</strong></p>

Leaf Veins

Kenan Alkanjo

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