infocus #67 September 2022 Leafy Landscapes Under the Microscope

One simple technique that can be used to obtain a leaf peel involves applying quick-drying, clear nail varnish to a small area of leaf epidermis and, when dry, removing the peel with ordinary Sellotape. Both peel and transparent tape is then transferred to a microscope slide and labelled before observation.

DOI: 10.22443/rms.inf.1.237

In the March edition of infocus magazine my article “Microscopy in the Third Age”, included passing reference to this method for examining leaf surface features under the microscope, and here I want to go further by illustrating some more of the results obtained with a variety of leaves and lighting techniques.

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