What do a potato, an onion and a crocus have in common? They all rely on specialised underground storage organs to help them survive and grow – and hidden inside many of them are fascinating stores of starch.
Mike Asquith will lead this hands-on microscopy session exploring the surprisingly varied world of bulbs, corms and tubers. We’ll look at how plants manufacture and store starch, why these underground structures are so important, and the huge variety of forms they can take.
There will be plenty of different specimens to examine and compare, both with the naked eye and under the microscope, where tiny starch grains reveal shapes, patterns and structures that are normally completely invisible.
Expect lots to look at, plenty to investigate and some surprising discoveries from very familiar plants. Whether you’re interested in microscopy, botany, plant biology or natural history, or simply curious about what’s hiding inside an everyday potato, this is a friendly and practical session suitable for beginners as well as experienced microscopists.
Visitors and beginners are very welcome – come along, have a look and discover an unseen side of the plant world.
Image Credit -Potato starch grains at 200×, dark-field and polarised light. Image: Marek Miś, CC BY 4.0. Cropped.
