These luminous photographic prints, taken from the groundbreaking book Microcosms – Sacred Plants of the Americas, reveal the hidden architecture of plants revered by Indigenous cultures across the Americas – from peyote and ayahuasca to cacao and tobacco.

Created by microscopy specialist Jill Pflugheber and historian Steven F. White, these images were captured using confocal microscopy – a laser-based technique that scans living tissue layer by layer to produce sharp, three-dimensional images without artificial colouring. The result is a vivid fusion of science and spirit, where cell walls glow like stained glass and microscopic structures become otherworldly landscapes.