Leaf Venation
February 19, 2016
Photographer: Menashe Davidson
Summary Author: Menashe Davidson
The fossil-like leaves shown above were found in my citrus plantation in Tira, Israel, this past summer. These leaves had been cut from citrus twigs while preparing propagation material for top grafting in late spring. Since they were shadowed by a tree canopy and wetted by sprinkler irrigation, the leaf venation structure (without mesophyll) was kept moist and clean. Note that the veins are arranged in a net-like pattern — they're interconnected like the strands of a net. This distinctive reticular pattern is responsible for transporting nutrients through the leaf to the growing citrus fruit. Photo taken on August 13, 2015.
Photo Details: Camera Model: NIKON D7100; Focal Length: 120 mm (35 mm equivalent: 240 mm); Digital Zoom: 1.330x; Aperture: ƒ/18.0; Exposure Time: 0.0050 s (1/200); ISO equiv: 4000.