Two plants having tubular stems were examined. Water lily belongs to nymphaeaceae, while butterbur belongs to asteraceae. These plants are not relatives; however both have large leaves with lacinia. Furthermore, these plants have tubular long stems. Observations of leaf surface are described. Water lily leaf has an inside layer consisting of a network polygonal structure. The leaf has three layers at the microscopic level including small transparent skin tissue, and a middle layer showing a polygonal green structure where photosynthesis can be performed. The bottom layer shows fine tubular tissues. Stomas are observed on the surface of the leaf, with transparent tissue on the top layer and the stem of the butterbur with honeycomb (polygonal) structures in the leaves and stems. Plants are of interest for technology because their remarkable functional structure may provide clues for applications in materials science. In this study, the fine structures of the two plants were observed to learn their functional structure.
Salix viminalis is a plant widely applied as a source of renewable energy. It is also known as a possible biofilter for extraction of soil and water contaminants. The current study presents preliminary results on heavy metal ion uptake (Cu²⁺, Cr³⁺, Zn²⁺) by living plants of Salix viminalis. In relation, a new concept of further utilization of ion-enriched wood is proposed as raw material for carbon-based catalyst fabrication by heat treatment of metal-impregnated partly dried biomass. Particular attention is paid to the distribution of heavy metal ions along the plant stem, since one intends to exploit natural transport and distribution of metal ions in living plants. The uptake from water solution and subsequent accumulation of ions in plant tissues was investigated regarding the form in which ions were present in water solution. Accumulation rates were higher for ion complexes with EDTA in comparison to aqua complexes.