The bright and intense blue-green coloration of the fruits of Margaritaria nobilis (Phyllanthaceae) was investigated using polarization-resolved spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Optical measurements of freshly collected fruits revealed a strong circularly polarized reflection of the fruit that originates from a cellulose helicoidal cell wall structure in the pericarp cells. Hyperspectral microscopy was used to capture the iridescent effect at the single-cell level.This work was supported by the Leverhulme Trust (F/09-
741/G) and a BBSRC David Phillips fellowship (BB/K014617/1).
P.V. acknowledges support from the US Air Force Office of Scientific
Research under award number FA9550-10-1-0020. U.S. acknowledges
support from the Adolphe Merkle foundation and the Swiss National
Science Foundation through the National Centre of Competence in
Research Bio-Inspired Materials
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