How do Different Flowers and Plant Sections Differ in Cell Structure? (BioE80 Spr2015)
May 27, 2015 • 2:06 AM UTC
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nstaffor
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In the springtime, the Huang Engineering Quad is teeming with flowers in full bloom. With the foldoscope, I tried to explore how the petals of different flowers, as well as parts of plants, differ in cell structure. And how would this structure be affected by the desiccation of the flower? I collected samples from two different flowers. For one of them, I also collected parts of the plant’s leaves and a dried out flower. Using the foldoscope, I took pictures of my samples. Sometimes it was hard to see the cells or other microscopic structures when the sample was too thick. I needed to pull the sample apart by using the slide tape provided and adding one side to new slide tape. I also scraped little sections of leaf onto the slide tape instead of using the whole leaf.
Flower A vs. Flower B
Flower A vs. Flower B
Figure 1. Flower A
Figures 2. Flower B.
The cell shapes are very similar – round and uniformly arranged together. However, flower B seems to have more vasculature or at least darker vein-like lines running through the petal. It also has different colored dots.
Different Parts of Plant B
The cell shapes are very similar – round and uniformly arranged together. However, flower B seems to have more vasculature or at least darker vein-like lines running through the petal. It also has different colored dots.
Different Parts of Plant B
Figure 3. Leaf structure (left), Dried out Flower B (right)
With the desiccated flower B, the structures are much more filamented and non-uniform. Additionally, the leaf displays prominent vasculature. However, it is difficult to see the cells in the leaves – possibly because we could not get sections to be as thin as that of the flower petals.
It was really fun seeing these plant structures and comparing different parts and even different plants! I wonder: Is vasculature important for flower petals or are most flowers lacking in such structure? Plant B had both live and dried out flowers – what determines when the flowers dry out, especially if both still had viable leaves?
Contributor: Tina Ju
With the desiccated flower B, the structures are much more filamented and non-uniform. Additionally, the leaf displays prominent vasculature. However, it is difficult to see the cells in the leaves – possibly because we could not get sections to be as thin as that of the flower petals.
It was really fun seeing these plant structures and comparing different parts and even different plants! I wonder: Is vasculature important for flower petals or are most flowers lacking in such structure? Plant B had both live and dried out flowers – what determines when the flowers dry out, especially if both still had viable leaves?
Contributor: Tina Ju
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