Re: [Aroid-l] Chirality

From: fschwab at nrao.edu on 2011.10.26 at 04:39:47(22235) What do you find? Does the chirality differ between Northern and Southern Hemisphere? Tomorrow I'll forward a reference dealing with pole beans. :-) - Fred Schwab +More > Dear Ted, > > Thank you for this interesting observation. It's tempting to guess > that it's just chance as what evolutionary advantage could right- or > left-handedness be to a Crypt? Given that size, color etc. are the > same, the spathe would not be held further above the water to offer > visual or olfactory signals any more effectively by twisting one way > or the other. But then who knows what happens at full moon! > > Let's have more of these intriguing observations! > > Deni Bown (still in Nigeria where no Crypts grow but from henceforth > will be more observant with all & any aroid inflroescences) > > On 24 October 2011 18:46, Theodore Held wrote: >> Dear List, >> >> Attached here (with luck) is a picture I made of a pair of blooms from >> a Cryptocoryne griffithi (identity confirmed by Peter Boyce at the >> recent IAS show). What’s interesting to me is that the outer spathe >> tip (called the flag for Crypts) of the plants twists to the left for >> one and to the right for the other. These plants are vegetative kin. >> >> I have also seen the pairing of left-handed and right-handed >> inflorescences on Cryptocoryne pontederifolia. >> >> Has anyone ever noticed mirror-image flower forms like this with any >> other aroids? In chemistry differences involving only mirror images >> are referred to as chiral isomers and originate with subtle >> molecular-level geometry. In normal life this is called “handedness. ” >> In a plant bloom, the differences may display as macroscopic >> phenomena, but likely originate with early development, also perhaps >> on a molecular level. >> >> Please enlighten me if anyone knows about this oddity. >> >> Ted Held. >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Aroid-L mailing list >> Aroid-L@www.gizmoworks.com >> http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l >> >> > > > > -- > DENI BOWN > Consultant > Flora & Medicinal Plants > International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) > Oyo Road > PMB 5320 > Ibadan > Nigeria > > D.Bown@cgiar.org > > Work: +234 2 7517472 ext 2520 > Mobile (Nigeria) +234 806 0486022 > Mobile (UK) +44 787 0345924 > _______________________________________________ > Aroid-L mailing list > Aroid-L@www.gizmoworks.com > http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l > _______________________________________________ Aroid-L mailing list Aroid-L@www.gizmoworks.com http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l

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