Wax platelets on leaves of the purple spiderwort create a surprising colour

Plants have a variety of ways to regulate the amount of sunlight they catch. Just like humans, plants sometimes need to find a way to protect themselves from an excess amount of UV light. A common way to do this, is for the leaves to grow a layer of wax crystals. These waxy structures act as a sort of sunscreen for the leaves. They can have any shape, but sometimes appear as the platelets that you see here.
However, for some plants this UV protection isn’t the only function of the wax platelets. When the wax is grown in a dense enough layer, leaves of the purple spiderwort display a bright iridescent golden colour. This golden shine comes from the disordered placement of the wax platelets on the leaves. One single platelet is colourless, but because of the way they are structured they can create a vibrant colour when put together.