Apple tree (stem cross-section)

Marek Mis · Post by **Marek Mis** » Wed Apr 24, 2013 2:05 pm

Polarized light with retarders
Lumipan - CZJ microscope
10 X Olympus Splan apochromat
2,5 X NFK
Slightly cropped
No microtome, only simple razor and fingers

Chris S. · Post by **Chris S.** » Wed Apr 24, 2013 3:51 pm

Wonderful, Marek!

RogelioMoreno · Post by **RogelioMoreno** » Wed Apr 24, 2013 8:51 pm

Nice!

Rogelio

Marek Mis · Post by **Marek Mis** » Thu Apr 25, 2013 12:14 am

Thank you for the kind comments

Marek

rjlittlefield · Post by **rjlittlefield** » Thu Apr 25, 2013 12:50 am

This is an amazing image! For clarification, is this the stem of the apple fruit, or is it part of a growing shoot of the tree?

--Rik

Marek Mis · Post by **Marek Mis** » Thu Apr 25, 2013 12:53 pm

Thank you all for very kind comments.

Rik,
Answering for your question - this image shows transversal cross-section of appla tree twig growing in my garden. It was fresh and fairly thin twig of "paradise" apple tree growing in my garden. This aple tree has reddish twigs and its cross-section looks interesting in polarized light.

Marek

Planapo · Post by **Planapo** » Thu Apr 25, 2013 1:18 pm

Amazingly colourful!
Reminds me of some of my knitting work.

Just to make sure that I've understood this correctly: This was done just with polarized light without any additional stain or dye applied?

--Betty

Marek Mis · Post by **Marek Mis** » Thu Apr 25, 2013 1:57 pm

Planapo,

Yes, this photograph was taken without any additional staining or dye applied. I never use any chemical staining. I prefer natural, optical staining.
It was fresh slice made with shaving razor. I made a lot of similar cross-sections of various plants and sometimes they looked really very colourful.
I always use combination of polarizer, quarter-wave plate and lambda plate to obtain needed colours. Not every plant looks so pretty but most of them do.

Marek