Microscopy Image Gallery
Exploration of the Month
August 1998
the leaves
The leaf is an important part of any plant, especially the sunflower. Leaves absorb the sunlight and use air and water from the earth to make food. This food provides nourishment to the plant. The large, broad leaves are situated along the stem. What do you expect these leaves to feel like? Well, they are very abrasive, feeling almost like sandpaper. This roughness is created by small fibers which grow from the leaf. Do you see these tiny projections in the pictures below?
The series of pictures taken with the scanning electron microscope display the system by which the sunflower's leaves distribute water. With each increase in magnification, more features can be seen. To the left is a specimen magnified forty times; you can see how the veins of the leaf branch out from one another. The center picture, magnified 150 times, illustrates the change in depth between the leaf's flat surface and the vein. The final picture, magnified 1000 times, shows with great detail the composition of the vein itself. The white box in the lower, right hand corner gives a reference for length in micrometers.
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Last Updated: 8/03/98
