Dioscorea elephantipes, trunk

Posted by MadScientist (Düsseldorf, Germany) on 10 June 2008 in Plants & Nature and Portfolio.

The Chomsky hierarchy is a hierarchy of formal grammars and a basic tool for every information theorist. L-Systems are grammars somewhere between level three and four of that hierarchy, they were developed by Aristid Lindenmayer. Visualization of the production rules brings out its beauty and describes the Algorithmic Beauty of Plants (a wonderful book that can be downloaded for free here). L-Systems can easily be used for simulating plant growth. Computer-rendered plants often are constructed with this formal language. Perhaps a fern or a fern ally would have been an even better illustration, but also this Dioscorea elephantipes and its rigorous construction rule makes one sense that there is a plan, coded in a formal method and modified by coincidence.

Comments (11)

Evelyne Dubos from Le Mans, France

Extraodinary texture !! Make a nice abstract picture. Bravo.

10 Jun 2008 1:09am

@Evelyne Dubos: Thanks! A weird plant, isn't it? :-)

Japanalia from Yokohama, Japan

Oufff! Very complicated the information! I'm not sure I understood it.......but....the shot is a beautiful abstract! The mono rendering enhances the patterns and texture.

10 Jun 2008 10:16am

@Japanalia: No worries! :-D
Sometimes I have to let on that I'm a computer scientist. Glad you like it! I have some Dioscorea seeds prepared but they didn't germinate yet - this one would be a perfect addition to my collection!

Observing from Chester, United Kingdom

I dont know what I just read, but it sounds very technical. Interesting...!!!!

10 Jun 2008 11:10am

@Observing: I'd recommend downloading that book; even if the formulas don't mean anything to you, you'll like the visualizations. Books like this made me learning all that stuff. :-)

Michael from Wuppertal, Germany

Klasse Struktur! Gefällt mir!

10 Jun 2008 12:11pm

@Michael: Ja, die ist ziemlich cool, dummerweise keimen ihre Samen bei mir nicht! Wäre schon ein Hingucker auf der Fensterbank!

MaryB from Staffordshire, United Kingdom

Fabulous textures and shapes, it makes a great abstract shot.

10 Jun 2008 2:21pm

@MaryB: I'd really love to have such a plant at home :-)

Earnest from Oklahoma, United States

Feeding the mind as well as the eye... by golly, I enjoyed it. (as well as looking back through your other work)

10 Jun 2008 3:50pm

@Earnest: Thank you so much, Earnest! Sometimes I like to run off the track, so I'm very glad that you like my scribblings :-)

akarui from Kagoshima, Japan

Beautiful abstract picture, I like it. May be there is not a real white point in your picture? (look at the histogram). Increasing the white will give more contrast to the photo which looks a little flat actually.

10 Jun 2008 7:40pm

@akarui: Hehe, you got me. Thanks for that comment, I will pay attention to this next time!

Laurent from Lyon, France

even if i don't understand much of your comment on Chomsky, like the other I really like the graphic style of your picture.

11 Jun 2008 12:15am

@Laurent: Thanks, Laurent! Don't worry, sometimes my comments are running riot. ;-)

Twelvebit from Victoria, United States

Looks like a sea of umbrellas to me. Reminds me of a rainy day in London some years back, where everyone crossing the Tower Bridge (if memory serves) had the same kind of black umbrella.

12 Jun 2008 10:00am

@Twelvebit: Now that you mention it... :-)