My Entry for the 7 DAYS STEEMIT MACRO-PHOTOGRAPHY CHALLENGE by @flamingirl

in #macrophoto-challenge6 years ago (edited)

The first photo will be my entry for @flamingirl's macrophotography challenge.

This is the inflorescence of Southern sandbur (Cenchrus echinatus), a common weed that is widespread here in the Philippines. The series of photos were taken from the parts of the "burr" of the plant.

2018-05-17 04.30.30 2.jpg
Tip of the burr

I always wondered what this plant would look like when zoomed in because when I Googled for images, I couldn't find microscopic images of the burr. There are images from other burr-bearing plants, but they're different in appearance.

IMG_20180521_133209.jpg
Base of the burr, with the spikes

This is the most interesting of all parts of the burr because of the spikes. The spikes have tiny "spikelets" that are pointed in the opposite direction. This acts like a harpoon that clings to the fabric or animal fur. This mechanism helps in spreading the burr of the weed to different places, dispersing the seed to different areas. One of the reasons why the plant is widespread in different parts of the world.

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Tip of the burr with hairs

The whole part of the inflorescence is hairy. The hairs also helped in clinging to clothes and fur of animals. I was really fascinated by this plant because we would play with it when I was in elementary. We would throw the burr to our unsuspecting classmates. The spikes and hairs are particularly itchy.

2018-05-17 04.30.29 1.jpg
Stalk of the inflorescence containing smaller hairs compared to the tip

The spikes and hairs of this plant are hardy and irritating discourages the animals from eating the burr. This gives the seed a greater chance of germinating because it has no natural predator.

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Details of the burr

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More hairs

I don't know if these photos would qualify, but I'm just curious.

Additional Information


For the sake of those who are wondering what the plant looks like, here's the photo of the plant taken from the area near our house:

2018-05-17 04.45.04 1.jpg
Southern sandbur or Cenchrus echinatus is an annual weed that is widespread here in the Philippines. Locally, it's called cauit-cauitan.

IMG_20180603_174514.jpg
Inflorescence of Southern sandbur

Trivia: Cenchrus is came from the Greek word cenchros which means millet and echinatus is a Greek word means armed with spines. Combined, Cenchrus echinatus means millet armed with spines, which accurately characterizes the plant.

Taxonomic Classification:

References:
[1] https://www.cabi.org/isc/mobile/datasheet/14501
[2] shellkey.org/what-is-a-sandspursandbur-anyway/
[3] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenchrus_echinatus

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macro photos are amazing because the fine fur looks very clear @ybanezkim26.
hopefully in good health for your health

Thank you, @fajri26! I'm in good health, except for a cough and cold, maybe because of the weather. Overall, I'm fine.

Good example of depth of field

Hahaha! Nice one sad sa iring2x! Cutie kaayo!

Hahahahhahahahhahah

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