  Plants are protected from the elements by a complex hierarchical epicuticular
wax layer which has inspired the creation of super-hydrophobic and
self-cleaning surfaces. Although many studies have been conducted on different
plant wax systems to determine the mechanisms of water repulsion hardly any
have studied the recovery of the epicuticular wax layer. In the current study
the wetting properties and crystallographic nature of the wax surface of
Brassica oleracea var. Italica (broccoli) has been studied, as well as the
time-dependent recovery of the surface after mechanical damage. It was found
that the surface of the broccoli leaves is not only super-repulsive and
self-cleaning in regards to water but also in regards to glycerol and formamide
both of which have considerably lower surface tension values. Furthermore, it
was shown that the surface properties do indeed recover after damage and that
this recovery is multi-steped and strongly dependent on the recovery of the
roughness of the surface
