LEAVES

LEAVES
• Origin
• Functions
• External Anatomy
• Internal Anatomy
• Specialized Leaves
• Physiology
(Photosynthesis &
Respiration)
STEM APICAL MERISTEM
- Originate on shoot apical
meristem as bumps of tissue
called leaf primordia
The Plant Body: Leaves
• FUNCTIONS OF LEAVES
– for photosynthesis (in
mesophyll)
- for transpiration
- some have specialized
functions
EXTERNAL ANATOMY
• Leaves possess a
blade or lamina, an
edge called the margin
of the leaf, the veins
(vascular bundles), a
petiole (leaf stalk), and
two appendages at the
base of the petiole
called the stipules.
EXTERNAL ANATOMY
Most monocots have a sheathing leaf

Some leaves may have small leaf-like
base
structures at their base called stipules
Leaf types
• Simple leaf = undivided
blade with a single
axillary bud at the base
of its petiole.
• Compound leaf =
blade divided into
leaflets, leaflets lack an
axillary bud but each
compound leaf has a
single bud at the base
of its petiole
a) Pinnately-
compound leaves:
leaflets in pairs and
attached along a
central rachis;
b) Palmately-
compound leaves:
leaflets attached at
the same point at the
end of the petiole;
C. Pinnately and Palmately Trifoliate
D. Twice Pinnately Compound (Bipinnate)

Venation = arrangement of veins in a leaf
1. Netted-/reticulate
venation = one or a few
prominent midveins from
which smaller minor veins
branch into a meshed
network; common to dicots
and some nonflowering
plants.
a) Pinnately- netted
veined leaves = main
vein called midrib with
secondary veins
branching from it (e.g.,
elm).
b) Palmately netted-
veined leaves = veins
radiate out of base of
blade (e.g., maple).
2. Parallel venation =
veins are parallel to one
another; characteristics of
many monocots (e.g.,
grasses, cereal grains)
.
Leaf Arrangement (Phyllotaxy)
Three different leaf

arrangements:
1) Alternate (one leaf
per node),
2) Opposite (two leaves
per node)
3) Whorled (three or
more leaves per
node).
LEAF – Internal Anatomy
LEAF – Internal Anatomy
• Epidermis- single layer of cells on the upper & lower
surfaces of the leaf.
Types:
1) ordinary epidermal cells – protect inner tissues &
usually covered by a cuticle (waxy or fatty layer) to
reduce water loss.
2) guard cells – w/ an opening called stoma enclosed
by each pair (gas exchange)
3) Bulliform cells or motor cells– in monocots such as
grasses, corn
Transverse section of
grass leaf (Poa praetense).
During drought, many

grass leaves close as the
two sides of the blade fold
up toward each other.
Once adequate water is
available, the leaves open
again. When folded, the
leaves are less exposed to
sunlight, so they are
heated less. This
movement is due to water
being absorbed or lost by
very large epidermal cells,
called bulliform cells /
motor cells (arrow).
• Stomata can open
and close in
response to
environmental and
hormonal clues.
• They may occur on

both leaf surfaces, but
they are usually more
numerous on the
lower surface.
READING ASSIGNMENT:
 What are the factors that affect the

opening & closing of stomata.
 What are the factors that affect the
rate of transpiration in leaves?
 What is guttation?
• Mesophyll
- ("middle leaf") is the ground tissue of the leaf.
It contains many intercellular air spaces for the diffusion
of gasses as well as chloroplasts for photosynthesis.
In dicots it usually consists of two distinct layers:
1) Palisade Mesophyll - compact, columnar fashion
2) Spongy mesophyll – loosely-packed cells
1) Palisade mesophyll – contains chlorenchyma cells
(parenchyma cells containing chloroplasts)
- where most of the photosynthetic activity takes
place
- have many more chloroplasts than the spongy layer.
2) Spongy mesophyll -
• The spongy appearance is particularly evident in
floating aquatic leaves.
• Cells have fewer chloroplasts than the palisade layer
and photosynthetic activity is lower than in the
palisade layer.
• Vascular bundles
• The veins of leaves
are extensions of the
stem vascular
bundles.
• Vascular bundles
a) xylem- towards the
upper (adaxial) surface
which conducts water &
minerals upward into the
mesophyll
b) phloem- usually towards
lower (abaxial) surface
which conducts foods
downward into the
petiole.
SUMMARY
• Leaves provide a flat surface for maximum
absorption of sunlight.
• Chloroplasts are concentrated on upper
surface to receive maximum exposure to
sunlight.
• Stomata regulate the entry of CO2 into the leaf.
Air spaces (intercellular spaces) inside the leaf
permit rapid diffusion
of this gas.
• Water is pulled into the leaf from the roots by
transpiration, the evaporative loss of water
from leaf surfaces.
• Xylem architecture ensures that water and
minerals are in close proximity to every cell in
the leaf.
• Phloem architecture ensures that the products
of photosynthesis are efficiently exported to the
rest of the plant.
Environmental Effects on Leaf Structure
The internal anatomy of
leaves is dependent upon
the particular habitat in
which they grow Leaf shapes and arrangements
• Xerophytes - adapted to have environmental significance
very dry habitats. Usually
have a thick epidermis
and sunken stomata (eg.
Cacti)
• Hydrophytes - adapted to
moist habitats, often
floating or submerged.
Stomata mainly on upper
surface, mesophyll
predominantly
parenchyma.
• Mesophytes - adapted to
moderate habitats. Typical
dicot leaf structure.
Deciduous Leaves & Leaf
Abscission
- leaves that fall off at
certain seasons of the year
-e.g. maple,sycamore,
other temperate deciduous
trees
Leaf Abscission
Leaf abscission- occurs in response to
environmental changes which trigger
hormone production that initiate series of
chemical processes.
Abscission zones – the area

where the leaves separate from
the plant (near the node where
the petiole attaches to the stem)
Specialized or Modified Leaves
Tendrils
Tendrils - blade of leaves or leaflets are reduced in

size, allows plant to cling to other objects (e.g.,
sweet pea and garden peas).
Needles and Spines
Needles - thin leaves having very little
surface area for photosynthesis; have
thick cuticle that prevent water loss
during dry winter season (eg. Pine tree)
Spines - sharp leaves for

protection against grazing
animals (eg. Cacti)
Storage leaves- succulent leaves retain
water in large vacuoles
eg. Aloe vera
Bracts – for attraction to insects for pollination
Bracts: petal-like leaves of bougainvillea & poinsettia

Doña Aurora
Reproductive leaves – for asexual reproduction
(e.g., Kalanchöe plantlets arise on margins of leaves.
Insect-trapping leaves - leaves for capturing insects
For example: pitcher plants, sundews, venus flytraps, and
bladderworts. All these plants live under nutrient-poor conditions and
digest insect bodies to obtain nitrogen and other essential nutrients.
ASSIGN: Research on the type of specialized leaf for each
of the following? (Note: answers may be other types, not
included in discussion)
a) Indian rubber tree; b) Pineapple; c) “Pakpak Lawin”

LEAVES

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LEAVES

Most monocots have a sheathing leaf

D. Twice Pinnately Compound (Bipinnate)

Leaf Arrangement (Phyllotaxy)

Three different leaf

During drought, many

• They may occur on

 What are the factors that affect the

Abscission zones – the area

Tendrils - blade of leaves or leaflets are reduced in

Spines - sharp leaves for

Bracts: petal-like leaves of bougainvillea & poinsettia

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