The flower of Hibiscus trionum is both visibly and measurably iridescent

Living organisms can use minute structures to manipulate the reflection of light and display colours based on interference. There has been debate in recent literature over whether the diffractive optical effects produced by epoxy replicas of petals with folded cuticles persist and induce iridescence...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The New phytologist 2015-01, Vol.205 (1), p.97-101
Main Authors: Vignolini, Silvia, Moyroud, Edwige, Hingant, Thomas, Banks, Hannah, Rudall, Paula J., Steiner, Ullrich, Glover, Beverley J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analytical methods
Animal cuticle
Bees
Butterflies & moths
cuticle
Diffraction
diffraction grating
Electron microscopy
epidermis
Epoxy compounds
Flowers
Flowers - physiology
Flowers - radiation effects
Gratings (spectra)
Hibiscus - physiology
Hibiscus - radiation effects
Hibiscus trionum
Iridescence
Light
Light reflection
Lighting
Microscopes
Optical properties
Optical reflection
petal
Petals
Pigments
Plant cuticle
Plants
Pollinators
Rapid reports
Spectrometry
Spectroscopy
Specular reflection
structural colour
Transmission electron microscopy
Trucks
Wave diffraction
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Summary:Living organisms can use minute structures to manipulate the reflection of light and display colours based on interference. There has been debate in recent literature over whether the diffractive optical effects produced by epoxy replicas of petals with folded cuticles persist and induce iridescence in the original flowers when the effects of petal pigment and illumination are taken into account. We explored the optical properties of the petal of Hibiscus trionum by macro-imaging, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and visible and ultraviolet (UV) angle-resolved spectroscopy of the petal. The flower of Hibiscus trionum is visibly iridescent, and the iridescence can be captured photographically. The iridescence derives from a diffraction grating generated by folds of the cuticle. The iridescence of the petal can be quantitatively characterized by spectrometric measurements with several square-millimetres of sample area illuminated. The flower of Hibiscus trionum has the potential to interact with its pollinators (honeybees, other bees, butterflies and flies) through iridescent signals produced by its cuticular diffraction grating.
ISSN:0028-646X
1469-8137
DOI:10.1111/nph.12958