Topic: Leaf

Course Title: Anatomy of

Vascular Plants
Course Code: BOT-509
Credit Hours: 3(2-1)
Department of Botany GCWUF
Contents
• Types of leaf
• Origin of leaf
• Venation
• Internal organization of leaf
 • Leaves are green flat structures born on
stem or on its branches

• Leaves are the primary sites of

Leaf photosynthesis and manufacture food for
plants.
 Parts of leaf
There are three parts of a leaf

1. Petiole
• It is the stalk that connects a leaf to the stem • 2. Leaf Base
of the plant • It is the lowermost part of a leaf,
• Functions which is closest to the petiole.
• Providing support to the leaf and keeps it • Functions
erect • Helping in the attachment of the
• Transporting water and nutrients absorbed leaf to the stem
by the roots to the leaves
• Transporting photosynthetic products from
the leaves to the rest of the plant
• 3. Leaf-blade or Lamina
• It is the thin, flat part of the leaf that is typically green in color.
• It is further divided into three parts:
• i) leaf apex – the tip of the leaf blade
• ii) leaf margin – the edge of the leaf
• iii) leaf veins – the small channels or capillaries, which are further
subdivided into venules.
• Functions
• Helping plants to prepare their food using raw materials like water,
carbon dioxide, and minerals through photosynthesis
• Performing evaporation from the aerial parts of a plant by a process
known as transpiration
• Veins and venues help in transporting water and nutrients
throughout the leaf
 Types of Leaf
1. Foliage leaves
The ordinary green leaves which
perform the function of
photosynthesis are called foliage
leaves.

2. Cotyledonary leaves
The leaves found in seeds which
store food are called cotyledonary
leaves
3. Scale leaves
The small, undeveloped and sessile leaves are called scale leaves
4. Bracts
A special leaf in the axil of which flower borne is called bract
5. Bracteoles
The small leaves present on the pedicel of flower are called bracteoles
6. Floral leaves
The specialized leaves which form the part of flower are called floral
leaves. These are sepal, petal, stamens and carpels.
 Types of leaf based on blade
1. Simple leaf
The leaf in which lamina is all in
one piece

2. Compound leaf
The leaf in which lamina is
divided into a number of separate
leaf like parts called leaflets
 Venation

The arrangement of veins

and veinlets in the lamina
of a leaf is called venation.
Types of leaves based on Venation

1. Parallel venation
• The venation in which
many veins of equal size run
parallel to each other from
the base to apex.
• Example: monocots plants
like grasses, onion and
banana.
Types of leaves based on Venation

2. Reticulate venation
• The venation in which smaller
veins arise from the midrib and
form network is called
reticulate venation.
• Example: It is found in dicot
plants like, gram etc.
 Origin of Leaf
• A leaf is initiated by the periclinal division in a small group of cells in the
peripheral zone of an apical meristem
• A lateral prominence is formed on the side of the shoot apex due to
divisions, which result in the initiation of a leaf primordium. This
prominence is called Leaf Buttress
• The leaf grows upward from the buttress.
• The cells of the leaf buttress may be derived from the tunica alone or
from both the tunica and the corpus.
• Depending upon the level a leaf primordium is initiated, the shoot apex may
or may not change in shape and structure during the period between the
initiation of two successive leaf primordia. This period is termed as
Plastochron.
• The changes in the shape and structure of shoot apex during one
plastochron are referred as Plastochronic changes.
 • Three main parts
1. Epidermis
➢A dicot leaf consist of a lower and upper
epidermis
Internal ➢One-celled thick upper and lower epidermal
layers consist of barrel-shaped, compactly
Organization arranged cells.
of Dicot leaf ➢ A thick cuticle is present on the outer walls
of epidermal cells. Comparatively, thick
cuticle is present on the upper epidermis.
➢ Stomatal number is more on lower
epidermis as compared to upper epidermis
or stomata are present only on lower suface
 2. Mesophyll
• The tissue in between the upper and lower epidermis is called
mesophyll. This is divided into two regions
❑Palisade Tissue:
➢ Palisade lies just inner to the upper epidermis. It is composed of
elongated cells arranged in two layers.
➢The palisade parenchyma cells contain more chloroplasts than the
spongy parenchyma cells and thus its function is photosynthesis
❑Spongy Tissue:
➢ Spongy parenchyma region is present just below the palisade and
extends up to the lower epidermis
➢Spongy cells are irregularly shaped and loosely arranged so as to
facilitate the exchange of gases within the air spaces
 3. Vascular Tissue
➢Many large and small vascular bundles are present.
➢Vascular bundles are conjoint, collateral and closed.
➢Each vascular bundle is surrounded by a bundle sheath
➢Bundle sheath is parenchymatous and in case of large bundles it
extends up to the epidermis with the help of thin-walled
parenchymatous cells
➢Vascular bundle consist of xylem laying towards the upper epidermis
and phloem towards the lower epidermis
 • Three main parts
1. Epidermis
➢A monocot leaf consist of a lower and upper epidermis
with stomata present on both epidermis.

Internal 2. Mesophyll
organization ➢Mesophyll is not differentiated into palisade and spongy
parenchyma
of Monocot
leaf 3. Vascular Tissue
➢Vascular bundle consist of xylem laying towards the
upper epidermis and phloem towards the lower
epidermis
➢Each vascular bundle is surrounded by a sheath of
parenchymatous cells called bundle sheath
➢Vascular bundles are conjoint, collateral and closed
 Monocot Leaf Dicot Leaf
➢Also known as iso-bilateral(unifacial) ➢Also known as dorsi-ventral (bifacial)
leaves leaves
➢Venation in monocot leaves is parallel ➢Venation in dicot leaves is reticulate
➢Mesophyll cells are not differentiated ➢Mesophyll cells are differentiated into
into palisade and spongy parenchyma palisade and spongy parenchyma
➢Stomata have dumbbell shaped guard ➢Stomata have kidney shaped guard cells
cells
➢Stomata are equally distributed on ➢Stomatal number is more on lower
upper and lower epidermis epidermis as compared to upper epidermis
➢Motor cells/Bulliform cells are present ➢Motor cells are absent
➢Example: Maize ➢Example: Sunflower
 Sources
• P. J. Rudall. 2006. Anatomy of Flowering Plants: An Introduction to Structure
and Development. 3rd Edition. Cambridge University Press, New York
• https://www.biologydiscussion.com/leaf/monocot-and-dicot-leafs-with-
diagram-plants/34076
• https://www.biologydiscussion.com/difference/difference-between-dicot-
leaves-and-monocot-leaves-plants/70330
• https://www.sciencefacts.net/parts-of-a-leaf.html