Thursday, July 19, 2012

In praise of photosynthesis.

As I look out, from where I sit, at the verdancy that is Vinoland's grapevines, I can't help but wonder at the small miracle that is photosynthesis.  Sure, I mostly understand the soil chemistry that provides the mineral nutrients that aid in the production of plant materials such as cambium, leaves and fruit.  I get the importance of water - for all living things.  And I can actually feel the energy from the sun - in the form of sensible heat as I raise my face to the sky - so I grasp the role of light energy in the synthesis of raw materials into elaborated compounds.  Still, it never ceases to amaze me that the mass of plant material that I can see out in the vineyard seemingly sprang, almost impossibly, from my pruned and skeletal dormant winter vines.
Perhaps it is the not so lowly plant cell, or an ensemble of cells that form as tissue to perform specific functions, that I should be lauding instead: Cells that provide the intricate, physical structure of the vine and perform complex, chemical transformations within the vine.  For instance, the vascular system of the vine which provides mechanical structure, but whose chief function is to conduct mineral nutrients, water and compounds throughout the entire plant.  Or the tightly packed party-in-a-plant palisade cells whose gathering loci (calling all chloroplasts) are the primary site of photosynthesis.  And let's not forget the spongy mesophyll, the primary leaf tissue.  Well, actually I just like it's name: say it after me, spon-gy mes-o-phyll.
In the late afternoon sun, this Syrah vine is not baring its teeth in a malicious way.  Instead, the leaf blade is showing off its hydathodes - specialised secretory tissues that purge toxins from the vine - and is smiling right along with me, in praise of photosynthesis.
Aren't grapevines great?

10 comments:

Do Bianchi said...

gorgeous photo.

question (I came across this the other day): in English, do we call the pores in the vine its "stomata"?

Thud said...

You need to get out more! you won't have enough time next week to admire the greenery.

Thomas said...

Jeremy,

The pores are not in the vine but in the leaf and stem, and there's no reason that I know of not to call them stomata.

Vinogirl said...

2B: Located in the lower epidermis, they can be referred to as;
singular - stoma/stomate
plural - stomata/stomates

Thud: That's why I'm getting my serious thoughts out of the way now.

Thomas: You could write my blog for me :)

Do Bianchi said...

thanks, VG... I was working on a translation from the Italian and wanted to make sure I got it right! thank you for being AWESOME!

Vinogirl said...

2B: Thank you...awesome is good :)

About Last Weekend said...

We were up your way this weekend - in Sonoma just down the road from Glen Ellen.. Sadly not for wine tasting but for soccer tourney otherwise i would have emailed you to meet up. It was very sad to have to drive past Gloria F without getting one single bubble...

Vinogirl said...

ALW: You always have to stop for bubbles :)

phlegmfatale said...

I'm so glad the plants do the photosynthesis for us so we don't have to. We can just sit back and drink the fruits of their (and yours!) labor. Yummy.

Beautiful photo, btw.

Vinogirl said...

Phlegmmy: Thanks.