Succulent Leaf "Windows"
Long ago in biology, I learned about why leaves are green and how plants convert light energy to chemical energy. However, they never taught me about how much photosynthesis actually takes place inside leaves!
I wanted to share some photos I have taken to show off this very fascinating (and often beautiful) trait.
The orientation of cells within leaves is very important for boosting photosynthesis, allowing for light to travel 'deeper' into the plant, increasing the available surface area. This also enables plants to maximize utilization of the entire light spectrum, not just red and blue.
Often times they are tiny looking like tiny dots until light hits at just the right angle (far left side):
Other times, they are more like 'skylights', rather than windows (middle):
Or are these more window-like?
But what about plants with opaque tops like Lithops? Well, they're not really that opaque after all!
Here is a composite image where I have shone a very bright light into the top of the leaves, which lights up the entire plant (fascinating!). I actually used a white light shining into the Lithops for the photo, so it's interesting that the reflected light is yellow.
It's a big challenge to photograph with the 'Lithops technique', but I might try it with my other plants.
If you at least own a plant like one of these, try it with a small flashlight!
Comments (18)
ewwmayo
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Help IDing some flat-leafed and puffy-leafed succulents!
Comments (8)I was thinking the second one might be something of the Pachy- or Grapto- varieties! From the photos I've googled of Pachyphytum glauca, it looks a little different but I'm struggling to describe why - the leaves look a bit more spread out and flat-topped in my plant? Or is that just a symptom of improper care on my part!...See Morebaby succulent dies after parent leaf falls off and is replanted
Comments (6)It does sound like a problem with too much water to me. There is a problem with seedlings called 'damping off.' It's similar to what you are describing and is caused by too much moisture and fungus. Pictures will really help us help you. My growing conditions are much different. I can grow outdoors and approximate the way they grow in nature. You are trying to recreate those conditions indoors. I wonder how big your plantlets are when the leaves fall off. My leaves seem to hang on for a while. This one was quite unusual - the leaf stayed on for nearly a year! In this next tray you can see a few dried leaves, but they are still hanging on, like that one near the quarter. All of these leaves rooted before I planted in these trays, but I have tucked them into the potting mix and let them sprout in the soil with no problems. I've done the same thing in my garden - let them root where they fell. These are a few weeks older. I tried using turface and perlite fines I got from sifting. I won't do that again because it stays wet too long. It looks like sand and I should have known better. LOL A couple of these have fallen off the leaf - like that one just above the quarter. I will leave it in this tray until it gets larger so I don't disrupt or damage the roots. Oh - these are deli meat trays that I punched holes in. The potting mix is not deep, so I water about once a week when it dries out completely. Mine are in the sun after plantlets show up, but I have also put them in the sun once I have roots in the potting mix. I look forward to seeing your leaves!...See MoreA leaf on one of my succulents died and looks like this, why??
Comments (5)In addition to Rina's questions, could you take a closer picture of the leaf? Maybe show us both sides of it, too. It is helpful if you place something, like a coin, in the picture to help us understand the size. Is that 'bubble' cottony? Liquid filled? I swear, it looks like a cocoon to me! LOL...See MoreSucculent root/leaf rot
Comments (6)There are quite a few things that went wrong here! Let me explain: Succulents come from very dry environments in which they get lots of sun, and very little water. This is why they have thicker leaves than other plants: they store water to use during the times that they won't get rain. They are drought-tolerant, because they can survive long periods without water, but die very quickly if they receive too much water too frequently, have poor drainage, or the soil they are planted in does not dry out quickly enough. Your succulent's soil lacks aeration: it looks like basic potting soil, which holds too much water for succulents. This is water-retentive soil. You want a fast-draining soil for succulents. Solution: You can improve your current soil by adding at least 50% perlite or pumice. You can also buy soil made specifically for cacti&succulents, which should have lots of grittiness to it to make it less water-retentive. Avoid anything with peat moss in it, which is a water-retentive ingredient. Your succulent was overpotted. This means that its root ball is very small in comparison to its pot. When you watered your plant, its roots were surrounded with much more water than they could use. Solution: Next time, try to choose a pot that is only 1 inch bigger than your plant's root ball. Your succulent did not receive sufficient light. I can't tell what kind of succulent you had, but a large majority of succulents prefer full sun, as that's what they receive in their native environments. This lack of sun contributed to your soggy soil, as your succulent did not have any assistance from sunlight to help dry it out. Solution: Look up the specific lighting needs of the next succulent you care for, and follow those. Lack of lighting won't kill most plants on its own, but can cause "etiolation" (when a plant grows long, weak stems in an attempt to find light). You watered far too often. A very important thing for beginners to learn is this: do not water "every few days" or "x times per week" etc. Do not water on a schedule! Water when your plant needs it. Solution: Succulents only need to be watered when their soil is completely dry. Get a wooden dowel, and insert it into the soil. If the dowel comes out dry, your succulent needs water! If it comes out damp, with some soil sticking to it, do not water. Finally, your succulent did not have a drainage hole. This is absolutely non-negotiable in keeping succulents. You MUST pick a pot with a drainage hole, or there is nowhere for the excess water to go, and the soil stays soggy. Solution: Choose a pot with a drainage hole. When it's time to water your succulent, water thoroughly, until water drains from the bottom. Let all of the excess water drain out. Your succulent died from root rot caused by all of these factors. Don't be discouraged, though! Keep all of these things in mind. Caring for plants is a simple matter of learning what they need and giving them that to the best of your ability. :)...See More
bikerdoc5968 Z6 SE MI
8 years ago
Obi Ca
8 years agoewwmayo
8 years agoObi - These photos were taken with a 70-200mm F4 with VR and extension tubes (53mm for most).
Howard - The first is H. 'Omori', second H. 'Tenac', and third H. 'Norikom'. I keep wanting to post photos of my others but they are still fairly small. Most seem to be developing leaves with much bigger or clearer windows.
This one reminds me of the colour of jade with very large windows: H. 'Shin Mizumo'
And another one where I've lit the inside of the leaves to show their glow: H. 'Hooh'
bikerdoc5968 Z6 SE MI
8 years agoewwmayo
8 years agoHoward - The two offsets on my other 'Omori' are growing well, I'll have to post a photo as they get even bigger.
For the 'Hooh', it's a composite image where I used a gridded flash from above (to control where the light went). At just the right angle, the leaves will light up to be almost white from inside.
As a comparison, here is what it looks like when I have very little light hitting the top of the leaves (taken last week):
bikerdoc5968 Z6 SE MI
8 years agoKevin, I have Haworthia 'Hooh' but it sure doesn't have beautiful windows like yours... good for you.
What I love about this genus are the windows, the textures and the diversity. Here are some, also from STC, I think demonstrate these qualities.
ewwmayo thanked bikerdoc5968 Z6 SE MI
aztcqn
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoewwmayo
8 years agoHoward - How is your 'Hooh' looking now? Mine was more yellow/orange when I first got it, so I'm not sure if I should try to give it more light or not.
Love all the different Haworthia you've posted! I really need to get myself a maughanii, they are so interesting. Can see your 'The Last Emperor' is growing in some stripes on the windows.
Apparently, hairy leaves (like on your 'Shirayuki-emaki') are there to reduce air movement and decrease transpiration.
Aztcqn - I haven't grown haws in community pots before, only clumps of the same species in the same pot. Don't think there should be any issue? If you are going for the 'ideal' look or colouration, it may be little tricky because some Haworthia need more light than others for that.
Of course, you could just turn it a certain way or put it in a place that has more light on part of the pot and work it that way. Watering needs is fairly uniform, but I still would try to group similar Haworthia in a pot. Combining something like an attenuata/coarctata with a cymbiformis may not be ideal.
Here's another one with interesting windows: Haworthia 'Matrix'
Quite difficult to photograph, but the pattern is prominent in person.
aztcqn
8 years agoewwmayo
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoI already posted a photo of this one, but I photographed it differently this time - lit it from many angles and combined into a single image:
bikerdoc5968 Z6 SE MI
8 years agoewwmayo
8 years ago
bikerdoc5968 Z6 SE MI