Imaging dataset of field-emission scanning electron microscopy using a NanoSuit for fresh hydrous plants

Although scanning electron microscopy (SEM) can generate images of nanosized objects, it requires a high vacuum, which precludes direct observations of living organisms at high resolution and often produces unwanted structural changes. It has previously been reported that a simple surface modification gives rise to a nanoscale layer, termed the “NanoSuit”, which can keep small animals alive under the high vacuum required for field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) (Takaku et al., 2013; Takaku et al., 2015; Takaku et al., 2017). We have applied this technique to plants and observed healthy petals in a fully hydrated state using SEM (Takehara et al, 2018). The flower petals protected with the NanoSuit appeared intact; however, we still lack a fundamental understanding of the images of other plants observed using FE-SEM. These data files describe a rich set of images acquired using the NanoSuit for various specimens of plant taxonomy.