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LBYPLNT (General Botany Laboratory)

ACTIVITY 11: THE LEAF

I. Introduction

The leaf is the other plant organ that, along with stems, constitutes the shoot of the
plant body. Its principal function is to act as the main site of photosynthesis in a
plant.

The sizes and shapes of leaves are not completely arbitrary. In many cases, the
shape and size give the plant a selective advantage and may be interpreted as an
adaptation to specific habitats or environmental conditions. There is a great
diversity in leaf size, shape, growth form, color and texture. The leaves of flowering
plants show a wide range in characteristics of leaf morphology and this will be the
emphasis of this exercise.

II. Objectives

At the end of this exercise, the student will be able to:

1. Differentiate the leaves based on their morpho-anatomy

2. Relate leaf structures with functions

III. Methods

SECTION A. EXTERNAL MORPHOLOGY OF LEAVES

The leaf consists of a flattened laminar portion called the blade and a stalk called
the petiole which attaches the blade to the stem. If the blade is attached directly
to the stem, the leaf is described as sessile.
Leaves arise from an apical or lateral bud that is often protected by bud scales.
Stipules are small leaf-like structures which develop in pairs on each side of the
leaf during the growing season. In some plants, stipules are absent, while in
others, they encircle the twig.
In monocots, the blades are usually narrow whose base is a sheath that wholly or
partly encloses the stem. Between the blade and the sheath, some monocot plants
have appendages such as auricles and ligules. There is usually a persistent
meristem at the base of the leaf that allows it to grow indefinitely.
The shape or outline of leaves can be described in various ways. The most

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common shapes are linear (thin), lanceolate (like a spear), ovate (oval) and
cordate (heart-shaped).
The blade or lamina is lined with the veins; the middle portion of the blade usually
has a prominent central vein or midrib while smaller veins radiate from this. The
veins are arranged differently in monocots and dicots. Dicots display netted
venation while monocots usually have parallel venation.
The edge of the blade is called margin. Margins may be toothed, lobed or entire.
The leaf tip is called apex while the part near the petiole is called the leaf base.
There are various types of margins, leaf apices and leaf bases.
There are two types of leaves: simple and compound. A simple leaf has a single
blade or lamina and may have any of the above characteristics. They may be
deeply lobed. A compound leaf is composed of two or more separate leaflets.
There are two basic kinds of compound leaves: pinnately compound and
palmately compound. In a pinnately compound leaf, the leaflets occur in a linear
sequence lined up along both sides of a central axis, called the rachis. A
compound leaf that is palmate is one in which three, five, seven or more leaflets
are all attached at one point near the tip of the petiole and they radiate out from
this tip.
How do you tell if a leaf is compound? Look at the base of the leaf or petiole
where it is attached to the stem. If there is a bud in the angle formed by the petiole
and stem, like an axillary bud, then the entire structure supported by the petiole is
a leaf, regardless of the number of leaflets present. All the leaflets of a compound
leaf occur in the same plane. Also, some very large pinnately compound leaves
sometimes resemble an entire branch. The branch will have a terminal bud, but a
compound leaf won't have a terminal branch.
Leaves are attached to the stem in different ways. Leaf arrangement is referred to
as phyllotaxy. In the alternate or spiral arrangement, one leaf occurs at each
node. A variation of alternate is distichous in which the leaves occur only on two
rows. The opposite arrangement is with two leaves at a node facing each other.
A variation of opposite is decussate in which two opposite leaves are perpendicular
to the two opposite leaves below or above them. The whorled arrangement has
three or more leaves at one node.

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 Fill up the table below:

Leaf Diversity

Specimen Type Phyllotaxy Margin Apex Base Venation

(simple, (alternate, (parallel,
compound) opposite, netted-
whorled) palmate,
netted-
pinnate)
gumamela
santan
sunflower
guava
lettuce
sayote/ squash
malunggay
kangkong
narra
mango
Snake plant
Pothos

SECTION B. INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF THE LEAF

The outermost layer of cells is called the epidermis. These epidermal cells secrete
a waxy substance which forms a covering over the outer dermal cells rendering
these cells impermeable to water. The waxy covering is called cuticle. There is an
upper epidermis and a lower epidermis in a leaf with dorsiventral orientation.
The openings in the epidermis are called stomates which are formed between
specialized epidermal cells called guard cells. In many plants, trichomes (hairs)
are found on the undersurface of the leaves and herbaceous stems. These help
reduce evaporation of water from plants or protect young shoots from herbivores.
The mesophyll tissue, with the exception of the vascular bundles, comprises all

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of the cells between the upper and lower epidermis and is usually divided into two
parts. The cells toward the upper epidermis, which are elongated, make up the
palisade layer. The zone below the palisade layer, composed of irregularly
shaped cells is called the spongy layer. Inter-cellular air spaces are found
between mesophyll cells. In some monocots, there is no distinct palisade and
spongy layers because the leaves are isobilateral. Thus all the parenchyma cells
with chloroplast between the upper and lower epidermis comprise the mesophyll
layer.
The vascular bundles function both as supporting and conducting tissue. They are
composed of two fundamental tissues: xylem and phloem. These conducting
tissues are surrounded by vascular bundle sheath cells and are collectively
called veins.

Label the following leaf parts in a monocot leaf:

Upper epidermis Vascular bundle Bundle sheath
Mesophyll layer Xylem Bulliform cells
Lower epidermis Phloem Stomates
Cuticle Bundle cap

Zea mays

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Label the following parts in a dicot leaf:
Upper epidermis Vascular bundle Stomates
Palisade mesophyll layer Xylem
Spongy mesophyll layer Phloem
Lower epidermis Collenchyma tissue
Cuticle

Ixora

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Differentiate the morphological and internal features of a monocot leaf (Zea
mays) and dicot leaf (Ixora).

Compare the monocot leaf with the dicot leaf:

Basis of Comparison Monocot DIcot

External Features
Blade
Venation
Petiole
Internal features
Isobilateral /dorsiventral
Mesophyll
Vascular bundles
Bulliform cells
Stomates

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SECTION C. THE LEAF EPIDERMIS

Observe how to make epidermal peels in this link: bit.ly/reidstomata1

Label the parts of the stomates below:

Stomatal pore Subsidiary cells
Guard cells Other epidermal cells

Krista Vander Leest

Tradescantia leaf epidermis with stomates

SECTION D. MODIFIED LEAVES

Just like in roots and stems, some leaves are modified structures. These
differences in shape, structure and function are usually adaptations to the plants'
habitats.

Indicate the modification and specialized function of each modified stem.

Specimen Modification Function

Onion /garlic
poinsettia
rose
Pitcher plant
Kalanchoe
cactus
Bean seed

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 Hydrilla
Ficus /balete

Questions:

1. Why are the blades of most leaves flat?

2. What is the counterpart of the petiole of the dicot leaf in monocots?

3. What advantage(s) would compound leaves have over simple leaves?

4. How does the petiole aid in the photosynthetic function of the leaves?

5. Which leaf shape predominates in rainy regions? Why?

6. Which leaf shape predominates in dry regions? Why?

7. Name five plants whose leaves have economic importance. Indicate what it is
used for.

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Submission Note:
1. Save the document in x.pdf format with the file name:
Section_Group#_ Activity# (ex. N03_Group5_Activity11)

2. Upload the file to the corresponding module under the submission page in
the CANVAS.

Table of Contributions: Indicate the work contribution of the group members below.
Member with no participation will be graded zero (0).

Name Contribution Remarks

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

COPYRIGHT OF THIS MATERIAL (except video links and photos) BELONGS TO:
Biology Department
De La Salle University

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