Writing in Biology - Section 1

The object placed in front of me has threen green leaved connected by one major reddish-purple stem. Throughout each leaf, there are multiple veins running through for possible water transport to keep the leaves alive. Shapes and sizes between the leaves are very similar, but each have their own shape, size, and pattern making them unique. Looking closer at the leaf, there is a yellow color that runs arond the perimeter of the green leaf. The leaf as a whole has some vertical symmetry. Each leaf is joined at the stem at the same point, with the two on the outside being smaller in shape. There are two different shades of green on different sides of the leaf. One has a waxy layered bright green side while the other is a much lighter green in color. The brighter green side also has brown spots and streaks on it. One thing that is very noticeable about these leaves is that they are fragile and ery easy to rip and tear.

This green stem has three leaves, one pointing north and two pointing left and right. It stands up as if it has a head with arms. While one side of it is bright green, the other side is more darkerin shade. There are visible signs of wilting (black/brown areas throughout the leaf) yet it seems to still breath on its own. A tiny coat of white fur/wax surrounds both the leaves and the stem. The stem seems to have been through blunt trauma, as if someoneripped it off rather than cut it. A bit of viscous clear liquid oozes out the bottom of the stem. Is it calling for water? The darker side of the leaf seems to have a stronger odor coming off it than the other side. It reminds me of a jungle. The darker side of the stem also has visible lines where water travels throughout the plant (almost like veins). If you look closely, there are tiny segments outlined by even smaller "veins" throughout the leaf. Although it does not look dangerous to digest, the signs of wilt refrain me from doing so (as well as the teacher's advice). my pen ink seems to stick onto the leaves easily. I could probably write a whole sentence on it without it tearing. Top to bottom it is 7.8 centimeters. Left to right it is 6.6 centimeters. one characterisitic that separates my leaf from someone else's is that it has one hole on the top leaf. The puncture is more like a scratch than a hole, cutting from the top 2/3 of the stem out to te edge of the leaf, but leaves 0.3 centimeters left until the edge of the leaf is reached. The cut is almost connected to another cut, going down towards the stem stopping at "the 1/3 way up the leaf" mark. This cut is more of a lightning bolt shape. I would draw a driagram oft he leaf but that isn't allowed. The stem has a reddish tint to it. The total size of the leaf is small enough to lay flat on my palm and be within the size of my palm. I suppose it somewhat has a serrated edge, but it is not rigid as a knife.

Draft notes:

-leaf, bulbous, decaying, light green, 3 parts, ret tint on middle leaf, wavy, reddish stem, light reflective, earthy smell..distinct smell, yellow veins, scaly yet mostly smooth

This compound leaf has three leaflets that join at a red-tinted stem. Two are faced opposite to one another and the third sits atop on the same plane as the stem which connects them. The leaflets are bulbous and round with asymmetrical, wavy margins and yellow veins that course through them. A closer look reveals the faint scaly imprints that run across the flat and smooth surface of the top of each leaflet. Though the color of this plant is green, there are some signs of decay. This is shown by some small brown spots and squiggles. Arguably, the most notable characteristic of this leaf is the distinct and earthy smell it gives off.

The plant I observed in class had a long stem that was rigid at one end, suggesting it had been harshly plucked instead of cut. It has a dark red tint with a thin brown line on one side. The stem is very red at the point where it splits into three green leaves. As the stem splits, it fades into a light yellow color throughout the vascular system of the leaves. The two leaves on the sides are small, with scalloped edges and dark green coloring. The middle leaf is elongated and is a lighter green color also with scalloped edges, and it leans slightly to the left. The middle leaf also has two brown squiggles from leaf miners that may have resided there. The plant overall is not planar, as the middle leaf protrudes farther forward than the lateral ones. All 3 of the leaves come to a dull point, and they are bumpy due to the veins that run through them. The front side of the plant is slightly darker with a waxy coating, while the backside is a lighter green and is a little rougher in texture. They are also scaley or cracked, similar to the skin on the back of a human hand if one looks closely.

The plant measures 65 mm in height and 62 mm in breadth, and the length of the stem from the blunt end to the splitting point is 23 mm. It also has a strong scent that lingers, although I can't exctly place what it smells like.

The object passed out by Professor Brewer appears to be some sore of plant trimmig.  The trimming contians 3 leaves: one extends straight forward and two protrude from the end of the stem before the central leaf at 90* angles from the central stem.  The is a bilateral apperance to the symmetry.  The central leaf is longer than the other two and appears to be more elongated while the other two are more stocky in appearance.  The trimme stem is reddish and extends about a third to halfway into the leaves as the veins in the leaves.  When in the leaf, this color changes into a light yellow/green.  The veins in the leaves start with one central vein and branch off like the bronchi of the lungs.  The light color of the veins contrast the bright medium to dark shade of the leaf's front and matches the lighter yellow/green of the underside of the leaf. The underside of the leaf is softer with a slight texture while the front side is waxy, most likely the cuticle of the plant. 

The object is a stem ending in three glossy, green leaves featuring some red-brown splotches. The stem is a matte, reddish-brown colour covered in fuzzy, white hairs. The leaves have similar hair extending out from their contours, though individual hairs are thicker, sparser and have a yellow tinge. The leaves are somewhat opaque, their yellow-green vein systems letting through the most light and creating a scale-like pattern on each leaf. Each leaf is shaped like an extended, rounded V, topped with a series of nubs that build symmetrically into a point. From the middle leaf's top to the stem's end the object is 7.7 cm long. Though waxy on top, the leaves are matte underneath, paler in colour, and rougher in texture.

The object is a stem ending with three glossy, green leaves with some red-brown splotches. The stem is a matte, reddish-brown colour covered in fuzzy, white hairs and extends into a vein system present throughout the leaves. The leaves have similar hair extending out from their contours, though individual hairs are thicker, sparser and have a yellow tinge. The leaves are somewhat opaque, the vein systems letting through the most light and creating a kind of scale-like pattern on each leaf. Though glossy on top, the leaves are matte underneath and paler in colour. Each leaf is shaped like an extended, rounded V, topped with a series of cloud-like nubs that finish in a point. The central leaf is symmetrical but the leaves on the sides are not. This leaf arrangement raises the possibility that these leaves make up a compound leaf, and are in fact not leaves but leaflets. The veins are yellow-green in colour. From middle leaf top to stem end the leaf is 7.7 cm long. All of the leaves are dotted with raised, red-brown pustules of various sizes, the smallest at less than 1 mm and the largest at just over 1 mm. These pustules seem to be capable of bursting as the red-brown splotches on the leaves look like liquid that has flowed and then dried up. This liquid seems to have originated from the pustules as the splotches have some kind of dried up, crater-like region where a pustule may have once stood. In addition to the pustules, there are small, flat, black marks on the leaves. The leaves have a fairly strong, distinctive smell. The leaves’ tops have a waxy feel whereas the bottom feels rougher.

Draft Notes on item:
Red, straight stem.
Three leaves branching off of the stem.
All of the leaves protrude at 90 degree angles from each other, forming a cross pattern with the stem as the bottom.
The leaves on the sides  are roughly diamond in shape.
The center leaf has a V shape extending up from the stem, but at the top it is more bumpy and rounded.
Overall the leaves are somewhat vertically symmetrical but are not perfect.
The underside is pale green, while the top side of the leaves is more waxy and dark.
There is bruising or discoloration in the leaves that have turned a dark cherry in color.
The “veins” of the leaf branch off all the way to the outside of the green, extending from a central supportive structure that originates at the end of the red stem.
It has a mild smell of sap. 

The leave structure is fairly spry, it is spring and rebounds from being folded but folds rather easily along the stem lines.

Small hairs on the edge of the stem make a white fuzz.

The object given was a piece of plant matter presumably pried from a branch. It has a small red stem which extends straight from the breaking point. After 2cm it branches out in 3 directions. The stem then loses its color and becomes a brownish central support for a trio of leaves which are in forked out at 90 degree angles from each other. The leaves and the stem form a cross pattern when viewed from the front. The twin side leaves are diamond shaped with rounded points on the sides, while the top leaf is more of a fan shape. It extends from a V shape and then ends with an uneven bumpy-edged pattern. The center leaflet is slightly longer than the others at 3.3 cm, while the smaller side leaflets are 2.2 and 2.3 cm. Each is about the same width ranging from 1.9-2.1 cm. Overall it is very thin, with the stem being roughly a millimeter thick and the leaves around ½ mm. Most likely the three leaves are leaflets, and this stem is one leaf off of a larger plant. 

The red bruising on the leaves has a snakelike pattern that looks as if someone was drawing a body of water on a map. There is a dark area of concentrated discoloration and a trailing serpentine tail that follows it around the veins of the leaf. The bruising is much more visible and dark on the front, waxy dark green side of the leaf and more muted on the pale underside. The bruising does not appear to have affected structural damage, when pulled upon the leaf broke along the veins on the unbruised side, so it is perhaps only damage to the chlorophyll and not the structural cells that hold the leaf together.  It looks as if the damage occurs on the top side and the areas where you can see it are almost like ink staining through cloth on one side and just barely visible on the other. The plant has a distinct smell, though it is not pungent or foul.