More sharp objects…

This one caught my attention because it wasn’t the leaves or fronds with the sharp, spiny structures, but rather the “petiole” of the leaf. The sharp shadows cast by the teeth made this the choice for posting in B&W.

Not hazarding a second guess on what this plant is, except that it’s in family Arecaceae. Thanks to Dr. D. Nickrent in the Department of Plant Biology for his patience educating me! (Perhaps when I retire I should take Plant Biology 101!) He reports that this is Chamaerops humilis.

Species page at PhytoImages, http://www.phytoimages.siu.edu/cgi-bin/dol/dol_terminal.pl?taxon_name=Chamaerops_humilis&rank=binomial

Taken at the SIUC Plant Biology Greenhouse, http://www.plantbiology.siu.edu/facilities/plant-biology-facilities/greenhouse/index.php

One year ago (“Got mud?”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2012-02-25
Two years ago (“A Brief History of Computing”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2011-02-25

[Ruth Moucharafieh]

Very neat shot, wonderful light and edit and those tiny shadows really add interest.

[Rona]

Love this! I like the way the background subtly echoes the same pattern in the stem.

[Rick Schies]

Wow, they would leave a mark