In memoriam

 

Frédéric Chopin was born on March 1st, 200 years ago.

Returning from London last week, I picked up "Chopin's Funeral" by Benita Eisler in the British Library bookshop (thanks dear H!). Now listening to Marc-André Hamelin playing the Opus 27 Nocturnes.

Chopin died from TB on 17th October 1849 in Paris. He was 39.

Chirality

Plumeria rubra cv Jean Moragne - Frangipani (Apocynaceae)

Note how the leaves overlap as they spiral anti-clockwise for want of a better term. The buds unsurprisingly also show folding in the same direction. The genus (family?) Apocynaceae interested me in a former life for its indole alkaloid content. One species, the common periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) provided alkaloids for my thesis work. A colleague filled the lab with millions of red spider mites after a hurried harvest of Rhazia stricta at Jodrell Bank. Still fascinating 40 years later!