The Skeleton Flower - Diphylleia grayi
On the cold, wet mountainsides of
Asia and the Appalachians, a unique plant grows tucked away in shady grottoes
on the forest floor. Its singular
defining feature, however, can only be seen in Spring, when clusters of
bone-white petals unfurl, revealing small, pert flowers wreathed in the few
rays of dappled sunlight that manage to pierce the canopy above. But unlike most flowers, the color of the
petals isn’t caused by a pigment, but instead is the result of a unique
interplay of light and intercellular structure.
The cells that comprise the petals are widely spaced, with several
vacuous lacunae in-between. These empty
spaces are filled with air, and when sunlight is refracted between this air and
the cytoplasm of the cells, it imbues the petals with a white hue. However, when it rains, the petals absorb
water, which fill the lacunae; now when sunlight is refracted, it’s between two
liquids, that of the absorbed rainwater and the cytoplasm, both of which have
similar refractive indices. This means
that when light hits the petals, instead of being reflected back, it can pass
straight through the liquid-liquid medium unhindered, causing the flowers to
become transparent.
Citations
Yong, J., Chen, F. Yang, Q., Du, G., Shan, C., Bian, H.,
Farooq, U., & Hou, X. (2015).
Bioinspired transparent underwater
superoleophobic and anti-oil surfaces. Royal Society of Chemistry 3: 9379-9384.
Original picture retrieved from: http://www.lostateminor.com/2014/11/18/flower-turns-amazingly-transparent-touched-raindrops/
No comments:
Post a Comment