Green Light Images

The Photomicrography Gallery

Leaf hairs

Galium aparineRubiaceae

The leaf hair shafts appear to have linear striations, but it's possible that this is an artifact from the focus stacking.
Philonotis leaf

Philonotis fontanaBartramiaceae

Cells with a reddish pigmentation can be seen towards the leaf base, especially those that are part of the strong costa.
Philonotis rhizoids

Philonotis fontanaBartramiaceae

The rhizoids have dark pigmentation. Some of the oblique cell walls can be seen in this image.
Bryum leaf

Bryum capillareBryaceae

Displacing the condenser in the compound microscope, causes the light to illuminate the subject from an oblique angle, which reveals more of the three-dimensionality than conventional bright-field microscopy.
Daffodil pollen

Narcissus sp.Daffodil

Pollen grains looking like gems in darkfield microscopy.
Cactus stamens

Cactus flower stamens

The filaments of the stamens can be seen gradually emerging from the perianth segments. The anthers are releasing their pollen.
Glands

MesembryanthemumAizoaceae

Juicy glandular hairs on the underside of the sepals on Livingstone Daisy.
Snowdrop tepal

Snowdrop tepal cells

Close view of the the tepal cells as well as a dusting of pollen.
Fissidens peristome

Fissidens capsule peristome

The capsule mouth illuminated from below using the dark field technique reveals much detail.
Stomata

Tradescantia stomataCommelinaceae

A stunning sight on a common houseplant.
Rhodobryum leaf

Rhodobryum roseum leafBryaceae

Using reflected light on the compound microscope, for subjects normally photographed using transmitted light, reveals surprising surface textural details on a moss leaf.
Moss leaf

Pseudoscleropodium purum: leaf tip

I suspect the colours here result from diffraction of the light by the walls of the elongate cells in the leaf. Dark field illumination was used on a compound microscope for this image stack.
Green alga

Green algaChlorophyceae

A green algal colony attached to a leaf of the moss Orthodontium lineare.
Chloroplasts

Mnium hornum chloroplastsMniaceae

The chloroplasts are very evident in this photomicrograph of cells in a leaf of Mnium hornum. The leaf nerve just enters the frame at bottom-left.
Cell walls

Plagiomnium rostratum: cell wallsMniaceae

Note how different in proportion are the cells at the margin of the leaf compared to those making up the main leaf blade. Also clearly visible is the nature of the marginal teeth: a single cell projects beyond the otherwise smoothly curving leaf edge.
Gametangium

Mnium hornum gametangiumMniaceae

In this squash preparation, a male gametangium can be seen comprising dark-green sausage-shaped antherdia which produce antherozoids (male sperm), and sterile paraphyses (hairs) made up of chains of large, rounded cells.
Myxomycete

Myxomycete sporangiaMyxomycota

These slime mould sporangia were growing in this orientation on the lower surface of a decaying log.
Apothecia

Lichen apotheciaOn Elder

Looking this closely at the lichen, you feel a sense of robustness in the "thick" thallus, and become aware of the young apothecia developing, progressing from wart-like protrusions with a central aperture towards the mature saucer-shaped form.