f11b7f42d1181cb2582c2850981fe562
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/publicdomain/ |
Rating | 2.5 |
Vetted | Trusted |
Description | Under a moderate magnification of 225x, this 2006 scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicted details of the morphologic surface characteristics of a "dandelion clock", from a Common Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale plant. The "clock" is the filamentous "puffball" of seeds arranged so as to be easily dispersed by the wind, or the breath of a curious child. In this field of view the remnants of a seed attachment is visible as a small nub protruding from a small papule. It is from these nub-like points that the "parachute"-equipped seeds detach, and are blown away, sometime over a distance of miles. Note that this is the second in a series of PHIL images, 8791-8796, in which the magnification is increased, thereby, providing greater and greater morphologic detail of the point of the developing seed attachment. |
Original URL | http://phil.cdc.gov/PHIL_Images/8792/8792_lores.jpg |
photographer | Janice Carr |
provider | Public Health Image Library |