Chart illustrating leaf morphology terms
Oddly pinnate, pinnatifid leaves (
Apium graveolens, celery )
In botany , leaf shape is a description of the form of the part of a plant known as the leaf. It is characterised with the following terms (with botanical Latin in italics in brackets) to describe the shape of leaves :
Acicular (acicularis ): Slender and pointed, needle-like
Acuminate (acuminata ): Tapering to a long point
Acute : Pointed, having a short sharp apex angled less than 90°
Aristate (aristata ): Ending in a stiff, bristle-like point
Asymmetrical : With the blade shape different on each side of the midrib
Basal : Arising from the root crown , bulb, rhizome or corm , etc., as opposed to cauline
Bipinnate (bipinnata ): Each leaflet also pinnate
Caudate : Tailed at the apex
Cauline : Borne on the stem, as opposed to basal
Compound : Not simple; the leaf is broken up into separate leaflets, and the leaf blade is not continuous
Cordate (cordata ): Heart-shaped, with the petiole or stem attached to the cleft
Cuneate (cuneata ): Triangular, stem attaches to point
Deltoid (deltoidea ) or deltate : Triangular, stem attaches to side
Digitate (digitata ): Divided into finger-like lobes
Elliptic (elliptica ): Oval, with a short or no point
Entire : Having a smooth margin without notches or indentations
Falcate (falcata ): Sickle -shaped
Fenestrate (fenestrata ): "Windowed" with holes (e.g. Monstera deliciosa or Aponogeton fenestralis ), or window-like patches of translucent tissue. (cf. Perforate )
Filiform (filiformis ): Thread- or filament-shaped
Flabellate (flabellata ): Semi-circular, or fan-like
Hastate (hastata ), spear-shaped: Pointed, with barbs, shaped like a spear point, with flaring pointed lobes at the base
Laciniate : Very deeply lobed, the lobes being very drawn out, often making the leaf look somewhat like a branch or a pitchfork
Laminar : Flat (like most leaves)
Lance-shaped, lanceolate (lanceolata ): Long, wider in the middle
Linear (linearis ): Long and very narrow
Lobed (lobata ): With several points
Mucronate : Ending abruptly in a sharp point[ 1]
Obcordate (obcordata ): Heart-shaped, stem attaches to tapering point
Oblanceolate (oblanceolata ): Top wider than bottom
Oblong (oblongus ): Having an elongated form with slightly parallel sides
Obovate (obovata ): Teardrop-shaped, stem attaches to tapering point
Obtuse (obtusus ): Blunt, forming an angle > 90°
Orbicular (orbicularis ): Circular
Ovate (ovata ): Oval, egg-shaped, with a tapering point
Palmate (palmata ): Consisting of leaflets[ 2] or lobes[ 3] radiating from the base of the leaf.
Pandurate : fiddle-shaped
Pedate (pedata ): Palmate, with cleft lobes[ 4]
Pedatifid (pedatifida ): Nearly pedately divided, but not as deeply[ 5]
Peltate (peltata ): Shield-shaped with stem attached underneath (cf. pelta )
Perfoliate (perfoliata ): Stem through the leaves
Perforate (perforata ): marked with patches of translucent tissue, as in Crassula perforata and Hypericum perforatum , or perforated with holes (cf. "Fenestrate ")
Pinnate (pinnata ): Two rows of leaflets
Odd-pinnate , imparipinnate : Pinnate with a terminal leaflet
Paripinnate , even-pinnate: Pinnate lacking a terminal leaflet
Pinnatifid and pinnatipartite: Leaves with pinnate lobes that are not discrete, remaining sufficiently connected to each other that they are not separate leaflets.
Bipinnate , twice-pinnate: The leaflets are themselves pinnately-compound
Tripinnate , thrice-pinnate: The leaflets are themselves bipinnate
Tetrapinnate : The leaflets are themselves tripinnate.
Pinnatisect (pinnatifida ): Cut, but not to the midrib (it would be pinnate then)
Serenoa seedlings have pleated elliptic leaves, but mature plants have pleated palmate leaves.
Plicate (plicatus , plicata ): folded into pleats , usually lengthwise, serving the function of stiffening a large leaf.
Pungent (spinose ): Having hard, sharp points.
Reniform (reniformis ): Kidney-shaped
Retuse : With a shallow notch in a broad apex
Rhomboid (rhomboidalis ): Diamond-shaped
Round (rotundifolia ): Circular
Sagittate (sagittata ): Arrowhead -shaped
Simple : Leaf blade in one continuous section, not divided into leaflets (not compound)
Spear-shaped: see Hastate .
Spatulate , spathulate (spathulata ): Spoon-shaped
Subulate (subulata ): Awl -shaped with a tapering point
Subobtuse (subobtusa ): Somewhat blunted, neither blunt nor sharp
Sword -shaped (ensiformis ): Long, thin, pointed
Terete : Circular in cross-section; more or less cylindrical without grooves or ridges.
Semiterete: Rounded on one side, but flat on the other.
Trifoliate (trifoliata ), trifoliolate (trifoliolata ), or ternate (ternata ): Divided into three leaflets
Tripinnate (tripinnata ): Pinnately compound in which each leaflet is itself bipinnate
Truncate (truncata ): With a squared-off end
Undulate (undulatus ): Wave-like
Unifoliate (unifoliata ): With a single leaf
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
^ Mucronate , Answers.com, from Roget's Thesaurus.
^ "Cumulative Glossary for Vascular Plants" . Flora of New South Wales .
^ "palmate (adj. palmately)" . GardenWeb Glossary of Botanical Terms .
^ "Pedate leaf" . Retrieved February 24, 2014 .
^ "Pedatifid" . Retrieved February 24, 2014 .