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Glossary of leaf morphology

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In botany, the following terms are used to describe the shape of plant leaves:

File:Cordate leaf.JPG
cordate leaf
  • Acicular: slender and pointed
  • Acuminate: tapering to a long point
  • Alternate (alternifolia): Arranged alternately
  • Bipinnate (bipinnata): Each leaflet also pinnate
  • Cordate (cordata): Heart-shaped, stem attaches to cleft
  • Cuneate: Triangular, stem attaches to point
  • Deltoid: Triangular, stem attaches to side
  • Digitate (digitata): Divided into finger-like lobes
  • Elliptic (elliptica): Oval, with a short point
  • Falcate: sickle-shaped
  • Flabellate: Semi-circular, or fan-like
  • Hastate: shaped like a spear point, with flaring pointed lobes at the base
  • Lance-shaped, lanceolate (lanceolata): Long, wider in the middle
File:Elliptical leaf.JPG
elliptic leaf
  • Linear: Long and very narrow
  • Lobed (lobata): With several points
  • Obcordate: Heart-shaped, stem attaches to tapering point
  • Oblanceolate (oblanceolata): Top wider than bottom
  • Obovate: Teardrop-shaped, stem attaches to tapering point
  • Opposite (oppositifolia): Leaves opposite one another
  • Orbicular: Circular
  • Ovate (ovata): Oval, egg-shaped, with a tapering point
  • Palmate (palmata): Divided into many lobes
  • Peltate (peltata): Rounded, stem underneath
  • Perfoliate (perfoliata): Stem through the leaves
  • Pinnate (pinnata): Two rows of leaflets
    • odd pinnate : pinnate with a terminal leaflet
    • paripinnate, even-pinnate : pinnate lacking a terminal leaflet
  • Pinnatisect (pinnatifida): Cut, but not to the midrib
  • Reniform: Kidney-shaped
  • Rhomboid (rhomboidalis): Diamond-shaped
  • Rosette: Leaves in close rings
  • Round (rotundifolia): Circular
  • Spatulate, spathulate (spathulata): Spoon-shaped
  • Spear-shaped (hastata): Pointed, with barbs
  • Subulate: Awl-shaped
File:Deltoid leaf.JPG
deltoid leaf
  • Sword-shaped (ensiformis): Long, thin, pointed
  • Trifoliate, ternate (trifoliata): Divided into three leaflets
  • Tripinnate (tripinnata): Each leaflet divided into three
  • Unifoliate : with a single leaf
  • Whorled: In circles round the stem

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