Leaf Morphology

Efficiently searching and sampling N-dimensional spaces is a challenge to computer scientists. For quite some time, I've been fascinated with plants because they're faced with similar optimization problems--there are tradeoffs in terms of costs/benefits that determine branching rates, leaf sizes, venation, etc. in their blind or almost blind quests for nutrients and sunlight.

Via kottke, a Wiki page on leaf morphology.



Also via Kottke, a paper investigating why some of nature's creations are rippled and wavy:

Leaves, Flowers and Garbage Bags: Making Waves