National Geographic: Patterns in Nature. Plants

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A favorite of brides, the ethereal calla lily is often called the wedding flower.



Bright petals mark the hibiscus, a flowering plant found in much of the world.



Beads of dew cling to the florets that spiral inside a sunflower head.



A flower's spores are accentuated.



A water lily thrives in the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis.



Sharp spines erupt from the skin of a prickly pear cactus in the Galápagos Islands.



Palm leaves, called fronds, are traditional symbols in many religions.



The seeds of the castor bean plant (Ricinus communis) are the source of castor oil as well as the deadly poison ricin.



The leaves of a giant lobelia plant, photographed on Mount Kilimanjaro's Shira Plateau in Tanzania, spiral around the center.



The hairpin banksia (Banksia spinulosa) is native to eastern Australia.



Veins spider across a castor bean leaf in Hungary.