University of New England plant physiologist Dr Nigel Warwick is thrilled that a local wattle is gracing the cover of a new publication from the world’s leading botanic institution – the Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG) in Kew, London.

But it’s not the typical leafy plant shot you might expect. Instead, it’s an artistic cross-section of the woody stem of an Acacia, created using chemical staining and light microscopy.

Nigel has carried out some of the world’s first comprehensive studies of the anatomy and physiology of Acacia water transport pathways at the prestigious institution. His microscope slides now form part of its permanent collection and are available online to scientists the world over.

For the record, the cover of the RBG Science Collections Strategy 2018-2028 (pictured right) shows the inner beauty of Acacia dealbata (silver or blue wattle) – a sample collected not far from the UNE campus, at Black Mountain.

Feature image: 

(L-R) Dr Peter Gasson, Alicia Musson, Dr Nigel Warwick UNE and Chrissie Prychid at the Jodrell Laboratory, RBG Kew. An image scan of a microscope slide of Acacia wood collected from a forest ecosystem on the New England Tablelands can be seen on the computer screen.