Structural colour from helicoidal cell-wall architecture in fruits of <i>Margaritaria nobilis</i>.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 28334698.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1098/rsif.2016.0645 and PMC identifier 5134016.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
The bright and intense blue-green coloration of the fruits of <i>Margaritaria nobilis</i> (Phyllanthaceae) was investigated using polarization-resolved spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Optical measurements of freshly collected fruits revealed a strong circularly polarized reflection of the fruit that originates from a cellulose helicoidal cell wall structure in the pericarp cells. Hyperspectral microscopy was used to capture the iridescent effect at the single-cell level.
Medical subject headings
- Fruit
- Magnoliopsida