Radiometric characterization of common flowers in kerala india

Abstract

A myriad of hues makes flowers one of the most vibrant creations of nature. Floral color is a perception rendered by the interaction of sunlight on the petals, as perceived by the spectral sensitivity of the observer. The trichromatic human visual system is sensitive from 400 to 700 nanometers (blue to red) portion of the electromagnetic spectrum (EMR). While insect pollinators too have a trichromatic visual system, it is shifted towards the lower range of the EMR. Their sensitivity ranges from the UV (300 to 400 nm) to Green (500 to 600 nm). While a majority of Avian species visual sensitivity corresponds with that of humans, Lepidopterans (butterflies) have a tetrachromatic visual system, which is sensitive from the UV to the red region of the EMR. Albeit the sound physical basis of color generation, its perception is determined by the sensitivity of the visual system of the observer. From an organic (evolutionary) point of view, floral colors have a pivotal role in ensuring the success of plant species. The symbiotic association between insect pollinators and the floral color is widely known and forms the foundation of the runaway evolutionary success of (angiosperms) flowering plants on the Earth. Nature abounds with instances of color based evolutionary adaptations. Color is a language of nature. Decoding the information conveyed using color will help us understand ecological interactions. Objective representation of color is the first step towards decoding information painted in color. While there exists a scientific discipline and an international commission as the global authority on light, illumination, color, and color spaces, adoption of color models and metrics are restricted to select domains. newlineAbstract newlineV newlineOne of the objectives of this study was to integrate color science with plant sciences. Field measured hyperspectral floral reflectances from 350 to 700 nanometers were used to separate the UV, blue, green, and red reflectances, respectively, and to objectively represent the floral colors.