Differential growth and shape formation in plant organs

Significance Plant leaves and flower petals in nature exhibit a wide variety of complex 3D shapes. Formation of these shapes has largely been studied from genetic and biomolecular viewpoints, overlooking contributions from biophysical factors such as mechanical stress and deformation. By means of computational simulations and quantitative analyses of the growth strains in live plant organs, we develop fundamental mechanistic insights into how nature invokes mechanics in the evolution of four commonly found shapes in plant organs by differential growth. We also demonstrate how these common shapes can be synthetically reproduced in hydrogel using this mechanistic understanding. Our study provides a broad scientific framework for rationalizing plant organ morphogenesis, but also provides pathways for generating bioinspired 3D architectures in soft materials.