Detail of a Giant Elephant Ear leaf #1

by Margot van den Berg

In the botanical garden in Leiden there is a Giant Elephant Ear (Leucocasia gigantea 'Thailand Giant'). A plant with beautifully large leaves, each emerging from the centre of the plant on its own stalk. The leaves are so large that you could use them as an umbrella or parasol. Impressive.

Whilst I was there, the sun shone through the leaves and, to my surprise, I could see the veins, lateral veins and vascular bundles running through the leaf from underneath the plant. They ensure the supply of water and nutrients to the leaf and transport nutrients to the rest of the plant.

In the photo, you can see the lateral veins, which I saw as dense, dark-green bands. They are so thick that no light passes through them. You can see the veins running through the leaf between the midribs. They are the light-coloured bands visible amongst the green of the leaf’s chlorophyll cells. They run from the midribs to the tips of the leaves. Along the way, they nourish the leaf and carry other substances back to the midribs. A perfectly functioning system that nourishes the leaf. The marks you can see are signs of damage to the leaf. Either because something has landed on it or because someone has pressed against it. As long as the damage isn’t too severe, the leaf continues to do its job. As the sun shone through the leaf, I saw a kind of perfect imperfection. Pure nature.