LEAVES

LEAVES
primary organ of photosynthesis in plants
all leaves originate on the shoot's apical mersitem as a bulge of tissue called LEAF
PRIMORDIA
Leaf primordia develop into leaves through cell division, growth and differentiation
EXTERNAL
MORPHOLOGY OF
LEAVES
LEAVES - PARTS
STIPULES - outgrowths, usually paired at the
base of some dicot leaves.
Stipulate
Exstipulate

PETIOLE - stalk of the leaf which is attached to

the stem
Petiolate
Sessile
LEAVES - PARTS
LEAF BASE - part near the petiole
monocots - leaf base is expanded into a structure
called the leaf sheath
dicots - leaf base bears two lateral outgrowths called
stipules

LEAF BLADE/LAMINA - green flattened portion

which performs most of the photosynthesis in the
plant
midrib - rachis; thick vein running through the leaf blade
from its base to the apex
veins - thinner lateral branches of the midrib
veinlets
LEAVES - PHYLLOTAXY
PHYLLOTAXY - leaf arrangement on the stem

ALTERNATE or SPIRAL -single leaf is present at

each node
OPPOSITE - two leaves arise from each node
opposite each other
WHORLED - there are more than two leaves at
each node in a circle or whorl
LEAF TYPES
SIMPLE LEAF - consists of a single blade but not down to the
midrib
COMPOUND LEAF - has a blade divided into a number of
segments called leaflets
Pinnately Compound - midrib bears leaflets arranged in a
linear sequence
Unipinnate
Bipinnate
Tripinnate
Palmately Compound - leaflets are attached to the tip of the
petiole from which they radiate
LEAF VENATION
LEAF VENATION - refers to the arrangement of
veins and veinlets in the leaf
Netted or Reticulated - one or more large veins from
which smaller veins branch out and interconnect,
forming a network pattern
-characteristic of most dicots
Pinnately reticulate
Palmately reticulate
Parallel - veins run parallel to each other
-characteristic of monocots
LEAF MARGIN
LEAF MARGIN - leaves vary as to the type of margin
INTERNAL ANATOMY
OF LEAVES
INTERNAL MORPHOLOGY OF A
DICOT LEAF
1. UPPER EPIDERMIS
single layer of similar cells covering the upper surfaces of the leaf
generally with a waxy cuticle, to prevent excessive loss of water from the leaf surface
no chloroplasts
stomata are usually absent
2. MESOPHYLL
ground tissue lying between the upper and lower epidermises

a. Palisade parenchyma
b. Spongy parenchyma
3. VEINS (vascular bundles)
cylindrical strands of vascular tissues that occur mainly in the mesophyll
are in all directions for distribution of water and food
each consists of xylem and phloem
4. LOWER EPIDERMIS
Has thinner cuticle and stomata are larger in number
STOMATA - control the exchange of gases in the leaf and the loss of water vapour
- surrounded by two guard cells
 Vein

Chlorencyma
Cells
INTERNAL ANATOMY OF A
MONOCOT LEAF
Upper epidermis may have an equal number of stomata
Cuticle may be of the same thickness
Mesophyll is not generally differentiated into palisade and spongy mesophyll
THE STOMATA
Is the structure through which gases enter and
move out of the leaf
90% of water loss in plants occurs through the
stomata

GUARD CELLS regulate the size of the stomata

Turgid stoma opens
Flaccid stoma closes
THE STOMATA
FACTORS:
Response to internal concentration of CO2
High temperatures
Blue light of the visible spectrum
Low humidity
Hormones (e.g. Abscissic acid)
 SPECIALIZED LEAVES

Leaves are the most conspicuous part of a

plant
They may be considerably modified to
perform functions other than
photosynthesis
 Modifications as follows
Reproduction: plantlets or buds may grow along the notches, bases, apices
and tips of blades and petioles
Aeration: enlarged petiole for buoyancy
Support: presence of tendrils, hooks, and supporting leaf bases, as in the
banana plant
Protection: presence of bud scales, motile leaves, spines, stipules, and bracts
Storage: especially in desert plants with
succulent leaves that retain water in their large,
thin walled parenchyma cells
Attraction: petalloid flower bracts or brightly-
variegated leaves of some plants
Absorption: insectivorous leaves; uncutinized
leaves especially in some aquatic plants
 WATER RELATIONS OF THE WHOLE PLANT
Transpiration
- is the loss of water from plants in the form of water vapor
- The presence of the waxy layer in the epidermis of the leaves
helps plants conserve water
- it prevents loss of water from the underlying tissues
 THE INFLUENCE OF HUMIDITY,
TEMPERATURE, AND WIND VELOCITY
ON TRANSPIRATION
The rate of transpiration is influenced by factors such as
humidity, temperature, and wind velocity
Humidity is the actual amount of water in the air; it is a
significant effect on the water potential
Temperature modulates transpiration rate through its effect
on vapor pressure and, consequently, on the vapor pressure
gradient
Wind velocity can also modify the effective length of the
diffusion path for exiting water molecules
 GUTTATION
Guttation
Is the exudation of water in the form of droplets from the leaves
of plants through hydathodes located at the margin of the leave
 PHOTOSYNTHESIS
Photosynthesis
Is the biological process by which green plants convert light
energy into chemical energy to be stored in food molecules
 THE NATURE OF LIGHT AND PIGMENTS
Light is the energy carried by particles called photons that have wavelengths

-The longer the wavelength is, the less energy is stored

-When light strikes an object, it may be absorbed, reflected, or transmitted.
-Reflected light gives an object its color
-This is the reason why we see leaves as green
-Green light rats are not absorbed by the pigments and instead are reflected back to
our eyes
 LIGHT-DEPENDENT REACTIONS
Take place on the surface of the thylakoid membrane of the
chloroplast

Chlorophyll converts sunlight energy into chemical energy (ATP

and NADPH)

This phase cannot take place in the absence of light, unlike the
light-independent reactions
 LIGHT-INDEPENDENT REACTIONS
The products of the light reaction, ATP and NADPH, are necessary
for the light-independent phase to occur

In this stage, ATP and NADPH are stored in a more permanent

form as sugar in a series of chemical reactions involving carbon
fixation