What’s in a buttercup bud?

The images shown are taken from a beautifully colored prepared slide from the archives of the Royal Antwerp Society for Micrography. The slide is already quite old, from 1988. It shows a cross-section of a bud of the buttercup (Ranunculus) In spite of the age of the slide, the colors are still clear and fresh. Coloring has been carried out with the dyes sun-yellow, crocein scarlet and astra blue. The very thin coupe has been embedded in the resin Euperal. The use of yellow and blue colored dyes, resulted in green colored plant tissues, which is quite special.

From outside-in we see the petals, the stamen with pollen grains in the anthers and in the center the ovaries with content, all in green, except the pollen grains which immediately stand out due to their intense red color.

With thanks to Frank Van Kampen, chairman of the Royal Antwerp Society For Micrography. http://www.microscopie.be/