Post by wireman on Feb 22, 2012 22:09:25 GMT
I'm working on a project, mainly just for fun, that may hold some value in unlocking a small mystery of S. purpurea. I'll need help from members to accomplish this, as I can't feasibly do it by myself.
While I was interning at Meadowview I noticed something in the hoods of Sarracenia purpurea that no one has studied before, at least that I know of. Being an artist, I clue in on visuals easily. I noticed that the veins in the hood of S. purpurea followed a pattern, a fractal to be exact. You can probably see this on your own plants. The veins towards the center base of the hood start off as a large hexagon (they first appear to be pentagons, but there is a slight bump at the bottom line that makes them 6 sided). The hexagons work their way towards the edge of the hood, dividing and gradually decreasing in size as they near the edge. This seems to hold true on all purps in VA, and in photos I've seen from other states.
I also come from the camp that ssp. purpurea and ssp. venosa are the same thing, since occasional populations show traits similar to each other. However, after looking at a purp from Wisconsin I noticed something different from the southern purps, the fractals are different. Southern purps have fractals that angle outwards from the base, making a fan shape. Northern purps seem to have fractals that aim inwards, making a more conical shape. Since there are few quantifiable differences between the two subspecies, I'm thinking this may be a key distinguishing factor.
On a similar note, I've noticed something entirely different in S. rosea, or S. purpurea ssp. venosa var. burkei. There are two fractals in the veining pattern is this plant. It has the bolder veins that a normal purp would have, but there is also a thinner set of veins that runs in between the main veins. Hopefully this makes sense.
Now, here's where you guys come in. I posted this on Terraforums and got quite a few photos to use, mainly from Norther states. What I need are photos of the inner surface of location specific purps. You can either have someone hold the lid flat while you snap the photo, or cut the leaf off of the plant, cut it open, and lay it flat on your computer's scanner. The latter method seems to work the best, since it doesn't require a second person. In situ photos will work as well. I'm a sculptor, so I can unfold the leaf in my head, but it takes more work.
Thanks for reading, and let's see those photos.
While I was interning at Meadowview I noticed something in the hoods of Sarracenia purpurea that no one has studied before, at least that I know of. Being an artist, I clue in on visuals easily. I noticed that the veins in the hood of S. purpurea followed a pattern, a fractal to be exact. You can probably see this on your own plants. The veins towards the center base of the hood start off as a large hexagon (they first appear to be pentagons, but there is a slight bump at the bottom line that makes them 6 sided). The hexagons work their way towards the edge of the hood, dividing and gradually decreasing in size as they near the edge. This seems to hold true on all purps in VA, and in photos I've seen from other states.
I also come from the camp that ssp. purpurea and ssp. venosa are the same thing, since occasional populations show traits similar to each other. However, after looking at a purp from Wisconsin I noticed something different from the southern purps, the fractals are different. Southern purps have fractals that angle outwards from the base, making a fan shape. Northern purps seem to have fractals that aim inwards, making a more conical shape. Since there are few quantifiable differences between the two subspecies, I'm thinking this may be a key distinguishing factor.
On a similar note, I've noticed something entirely different in S. rosea, or S. purpurea ssp. venosa var. burkei. There are two fractals in the veining pattern is this plant. It has the bolder veins that a normal purp would have, but there is also a thinner set of veins that runs in between the main veins. Hopefully this makes sense.
Now, here's where you guys come in. I posted this on Terraforums and got quite a few photos to use, mainly from Norther states. What I need are photos of the inner surface of location specific purps. You can either have someone hold the lid flat while you snap the photo, or cut the leaf off of the plant, cut it open, and lay it flat on your computer's scanner. The latter method seems to work the best, since it doesn't require a second person. In situ photos will work as well. I'm a sculptor, so I can unfold the leaf in my head, but it takes more work.
Thanks for reading, and let's see those photos.
