Observations of Plants with Tubular Stems with Possible Biomimetic Implications

Two plants having tubular stems were examined. Water lily belongs to nymphaeaceae, while butterbur belongs to asteraceae. These plants are not relatives; however both have large leaves with lacinia. Furthermore, these plants have tubular long stems. Observations of leaf surface are described. Water lily leaf has an inside layer consisting of a network polygonal structure. The leaf has three layers at the microscopic level including small transparent skin tissue, and a middle layer showing a polygonal green structure where photosynthesis can be performed. The bottom layer shows fine tubular tissues. Stomas are observed on the surface of the leaf, with transparent tissue on the top layer and the stem of the butterbur with honeycomb (polygonal) structures in the leaves and stems. Plants are of interest for technology because their remarkable functional structure may provide clues for applications in materials science. In this study, the fine structures of the two plants were observed to learn their functional structure