Druta Bhatt

Biology Project
Angiosperm morphology- leaf

CONTENTS

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

DICOT PLANT MONOCOT PLANT CHARACTERISTICS OF LEAF DICOT AND MONOCOT LEAF VENATION PHYLLOTAXY MODIFIED LEAVES SIMPLE AND COMPOUND LEAVES

DICOT PLANT

NAME: CATHARANTHUS ROSEUS LOCATION: AALAP AVENUE, RAJKOT DATE: 11/9/2013

MONOCOT PLANT

NAME: ECLIPTA ALBA LOCATION: RAJKOT NURSERY DATE: 11/9/2013

CHARACTERISTICS OF A LEAF
LEAF IS THE FLATTENED STRUCTURE , TYPICALLY GREEN THAT IS ATTACHED TO A STEM DIRECTLY OR VIA A STALK. SOME OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF LEAF ARE AS FOLLOWS :

(ALL THE CHARACTERISTICS MENTIONED ARE GENERALISED AND NOT ALL LEAVES NECESSARILY HAVE THESE)

LEAF IS AN ORGAN OF VASCULAR PLANT WHICH IS SPECIALIZED FOR PHOTOSYNTHESIS . A STRUCTURALLY COMPLETE LEAF OF AN ANGIOSPERM CONSISTS OF A PETIOLE (STALK), A LAMINA (LEAF BLADE ) AND STIPULES (OUTGROWTHS BORNE ON EITHER SIDES OF A LEAF STALK). LEAVES HAVE ABUNDANT CHLOROPLAST WHICH IS THE SITE PHOTOSYNTHESIS.
THEY ALSO HAVE STOMATA WHICH HELP THEM TO TRANSPIRE AND TO TAKE IN CARBON DIOXIDE AND GIVE OUT OXYGEN DURING THE DAY TIME AND VICE VERSA DURING THE NIGHT TIME.

THE SHAPE AND STRUCTURE OF A LEAF VARY CONSIDERABLY BASED ON THE

CLIMATE CONDITIONS AND AVAILABLE LIGHT AND ALSO ON THE BASIS OF AVAILABLE NUTRIENTS , GRAZING ANIMALS AND ECOLOGICAL COMPETITION FROM OTHER PLANTS .

DICOT AND MONOCOT LEAF

DICOTYLEDONS ARE ANGIOSPERMS WHERE THE SEEDS HAVE TWO COTYLEDONS WHILE MONOCOTYLEDONS ARE PLANTS WHICH HAVE SEEDS WITH ONLY ONE COTYLEDON . THE DICOT AND MONOCOT PLANTS HAVE VARIOUS DIFFERENCES OTHER THAN THE SEEDS BEING DIFFERENT. THE MONOCOT AND DICOT LEAVES ARE ALSO DIFFERENT .

DICOT LEAF :

DICOT LEAVES HAVE NETTED VEINS USUALLY IN MULTIPLE ORDERS. THE MID VEIN (OFTEN THE CENTRAL VEIN) IS LARGER , FROM WHERE THE SMALLER SECONDARY VEINS BRANCH OUT, THE TERTIARY VEINS BRANCH OUT FROM THE SECONDARY VEINS AND SO ON.

VENATION IN DICOT LEAF

THE DICOTS ALSO TEND TO HAVE STOMATA ONLY ON THE LOWER OR ABAXIAL SIDE OF THE LEAF .

MONOCOT LEAF:

MONOCOT LEAVES HAVE VEINS RUNNING PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH OF THE LEAF AND THEY DO NOT BRANCH . THE MID VEIN MAY BE OR MAY NOT BE PRESENT BUT ALL OTHER VEINS ARE OF SINGLE ORDER.

STOMATA CAN BE FOUND ON BOTH THE LEAF SURFACES.

PARTS OF DICOT LEAF

THE DICOT LEAF IS BOUND BY TWO LAYERS - THE UPPER EPIDERMIS AND THE LOWER EPIDERMIS . BOTH THE EPIDERMAL LAYERS ARE LINED BY A LAYER OF CUTICLE. THE CUTICLE IS A WAXY LAYER WHICH PREVENTS THE LEAF FROM DESICCATION. TOWARDS THE UPPER EPIDERMIS THERE IS A LAYER OF ELONGATED CELLS CALLED THE PALISADE LAYER. THE PALISADE LAYER HAS ABUNDANT CHLOROPLASTS DUE TO WHICH IT IS DARK GREEN IN COLOUR AND DUE TO WHICH IT IS HIGHLY PHOTOSYNTHETIC . THE LAYER BELOW THE PALISADE LAYER IS THE SPONGY MESOPHYLL LAYER . THE SPONGY LAYER HAS WIDELY SPREAD CHLOROPLASTS DUE TO WHICH IT APPEARS LIGHTER THAN

THE PALISADE LAYER. THE SPONGY MESOPHYLL LAYER HAS MANY AIR SPACES
IN WHICH THE STOMATA ARE PRESENT.

L.S. OF A DICOT LEAF

VENATION
THE PATTERN IN WHICH VEINS ARE PRESENT ON THE LEAF IS CALLED LEAF VENATION . THERE ARE BASICALLY FOUR TYPES OF LEAF VENATIONS. PINNATELY VEINED PINNATELY VEINED LEAVES HAVE A SINGLE PRIMARY VEIN OR A MIDRIB FROM WHICH SMALLER VEINS BRANCH OFF LIKE A FEATHER . EXAMPLES : LOQUAT AND CAMELLIA .

LOQUAT LEAF

PALMATELY VEINED
A PALMATELY VEINED LEAF HAS SEVERAL MAJOR VEINS THAT ARE RADIATING FROM THE BASE OF THE LEAF . EXAMPLES : RED MAPLE AND PAPAYA .

PAPAYA LEAF

NET VEINED LEAVES ALSO CALLED AS RETICULATE VEINED LEAVES , THESE ARE LEAVES WHICH HAVE BRANCHED VEINS THAT FORM A NETWORK LIKE THAT OF A FISH NET . EXAMPLE: PEA

PARALLEL VENATION PARALLEL VENATION IS VEIN ARRANGEMENT IN A LEAF WITH VEINS PARALLEL FROM THE BASE TO THE TIP OF THE LEAF . EXAMPLE: GRASS

PHYLLOTAXY
PHYLLOTAXY IS THE ARRANGEMENT OF LEAVES ON THE PLANT STEM . ALTERNATE OR SPIRAL IN THIS KIND OF PHYLLOTAXY , A SINGLE LEAF ARISES AT EACH NODE . THE CONSECUTIVE LEAVES ARE PRODUCED IN A SPIRAL MANNER AROUND THE STEM. EXAMPLE: HIBISCUS, POLYALTHIA

WHORLED IF MORE THAN TWO LEAVES OCCUR AT A NODE THEN THE PHYLLOTAXY IS SAID TO BE WHORLED. EXAMPLE: NERIUM

OPPOSITE IN THIS TYPE LEAVES ARE ARRANGED IN PAIRS AT EACH NODE . EXAMPLE: CALOTROPIS IXORA, QUISQAULIS

MODIFIED LEAVES
STORAGE LEAVES LEAVES LIKE THAT IN ONION AND OTHER BULBS ARE FLESHY AND MODIFIED TO STORE FOOD. THE LEAVES MOSTLY STORE STARCH AND SUGAR .

TENDRILS TENDRILS ARE LEAVES MODIFIED FOR SUPPORT AS IN SWEET PEA . THESE TENDRILS MAY GROW UPTO 30M LONG.

SPINES IN CERTAIN PLANTS LEAVES ARE MODIFIED AS SPINES FOR PROTECTION. IN PLANTS LIKE CACTI SPINY LEAVES ALSO REDUCE LOSS OF WATER THROUGH TRANSPIRATION.

BUD SCALES TOUGH , OVERLAPPING WATERPROOF LEAVES THAT PROTECT BUD FROM FROST , DESICCATION AND PATHOGENS .

BRACTS BRACTS ARE FLORAL LEAVES THAT FORM AT THE BASE OF THE FLOWER OR THE PEDICEL. THESE ARE USUALLY SMALL AND SCALE LIKE AND PROTECT THE DEVELOPING FLOWER.

COTYLEDONS THESE ARE EMBRYONIC LEAVES . THESE ARE TWO IN DICOTS AND ONE IN MONOCOTS. SOME HAVE FLESHY COTYLEDONS THAT STORE FOOD FOR GERMINATION WHILE IN OTHERS LIKE WHEAT THE COTYLEDONS ARE THIN AND SIMPLY HELP YOUNG PLANTS DIGEST AND ABSORB FOOD FROM THE ENDOSPERM.

PITCHER IN CERTAIN PLANTS LEAF BLADE , PETIOLE OR BOTH BECOME MODIFIED INTO A PITCHER. IN NEPENTHES , WHOLE LEAF IS MODIFIED INTO A PITCHER , THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE LEAF OF THE LEAF OCCUPYING THE INNER SURFACE OF THE PITCHER . THE APEX OF THE LEAF FORMS THE LID. THE FUNCTION OF THE PITCHER IS TO CAPTURE AND DIGEST INSECTS . SUCH PLANTS ARE CALLED AS INSECTIVOROUS PLANTS.

SIMPLE AND COMPOUND LEAVES

SIMPLE LEAVES ARE THOSE IN WHICH THE LAMINA IS UNDIVIDED AND IS NOT BROKEN INTO LEAFLETS . EXAMPLE: MANGO IN COMPOUND LEAVES THE LAMINA IS DIVIDED INTO A NUMBER OF LEAFLETS . COMPOUND LEAVES ARE OF TWO TYPES SIMPLE PINNATE AND PALMATE COMPOUND LEAVES.

PINNATE: A PINNATE COMPOUND LEAF ONE IN WHICH LEAFLETS ARE BORNE OUT OF A COMMON AXIS , THE RACHIS . THESE LEAFLETS ARE KNOWN AS PINNATES. EXAMPLES : GULMOHAR, NEEM

PALMATE COMPOUND LEAVES: WHEN ALL THE LEAFLETS ARE ATTACHED AT A COMMON POINT AT THE TIP OF THE PETIOLE . EXAMPLE: LEMON , OXALIS