Critical Point Drying images
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Mature spruce wood
Critical point dried block of mature spruce wood block, demonstrating transverse, tangential and radial views of tracheids and vessels.
Starch grains in potato tuber
Critical point dried fractured cell from the tuber of potato (Solanum tuberosum), demonstrating thin cell walls starch grains (amyloplasts).
Glandular trichomes on modified leaf surface of butterwort
An insectivorous plant, the butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris) has modified leaves which bear tiny granular trichomes which trap insects. The capitate head of the trichome then secretes protease enzymes to digest the insect parts.
Stomatal pore on xerophyte leaf surface
Critical point dried epidermis of a xerophyte (cactus), demonstrating raised stomatal pores.
Barley leaf
Trichomes and stomatal pores on the epidermal surface of a barley (Hordeum vulgare) leaf. Some very fine wax crystallites are also just visible on the surface of the leaf.
Barley root tip
Critical point dried tip of barley (Hordeum vulgare) root, demonstrating root cap cells (calyptra) and slightly deformed (compressed) root hairs (Pili).
Mature barley root
Critical point dried transverse fracture of a mature barley (Hordeum vulgare) root, demonstrating central stele and surrounding cortical cells. Root hairs (Pili) are also obvious.
Mature barley root - stele
Critical point dried transverse fracture of the stelar region of mature barley (Hordeum vulgare) root, demonstrating protoxylem pole cells, metaxylem vessels and endodermal sheath.
Bamboo stem
Transverse fracture of the stem of young bamboo (Bambusa sp), demonstrating xylem and phloem bundles and heavily thickened (lignified) epidermal and hypodermal cells.
Aphid
Critical point dried aphid on a leaf surface.