Reticulate leaf venation in Pilea peperomioides is a Voronoi diagram

Zheng, CiCi Xingyu, Palit, Shirsa, Venezia, Matthew, Blum, Elijah, Pedmale, Ullas V, Jackson, Dave, Scarpella, Enrico, Prusinkiewicz, Przemyslaw, Navlakha, Saket (May 2026) Reticulate leaf venation in Pilea peperomioides is a Voronoi diagram. Nature Communications, 17 (1). p. 4111. ISSN 2041-1723

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Abstract

Reticulate leaf venation, characterized by the presence of loops, is a distinguishing feature of many flowering plants. However, our understanding of both the geometry and the morphogenesis of reticulate vein patterns is far from complete. We show that in the Chinese money plant (Pilea peperomioides), major veins form an approximate Voronoi diagram surrounding secretory pores known as hydathodes. We also propose a mechanistic model based on polar transport of the plant hormone auxin to produce Voronoi patterns, and we support this model with experimental evidence. In contrast to classical models where veins directly connect auxin sources to sinks, our model generates veins that bisect the space between adjacent auxin sources, collectively forming loops. The paradigm change offered by this model may open the door to study reticulate vein formation in other species.

Item Type: Paper
Subjects: organism description > plant
CSHL Authors:
Communities: CSHL labs > Jackson lab
CSHL labs > Navlakha lab
CSHL labs > Pedmale lab
CSHL Post Doctoral Fellows
School of Biological Sciences > Publications
SWORD Depositor: CSHL Elements
Depositing User: CSHL Elements
Date: 12 May 2026
Date Deposited: 22 May 2026 12:26
Last Modified: 22 May 2026 12:26
PMCID: PMC13168624
Related URLs:
URI: https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/42209

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