GROUP 4

Leaves
CHAPTER 7
Objectives
Identify the external forms and parts of leaves.
Explain the functions of a typical leaf and the
01
specific tissues and cells that contribute to those
functions.

Describe the differences among pinnate, palmate,

and dichotomous venation, and the differences
02 between simple and compound leaves.

Describe the differences among tendrils, spines,

storage leaves, flower-pot leaves, window leaves,
03 reproductive leaves, floral leaves, and different
types of insect-trapping leaves.

Explain why deciduous leaves turn

04 various colors in the fall and how such
leaves are shed.

05 List at least 15 uses of leaves by humans.

Plants had a highly efficient form of
solar panel that captured the sun’s
energy many eons before modern
civilization began to realize that fossil
fuel supplies eventually would be
exhausted. All leaves originate as
primordia in the buds, and most of
them consists of a blade and a petiole
that may have paired stipules at the
base.

These remarkably constructed solar

panels are the plant organs known to
us as LEAVES.
LEAVES
– a flattened structure of a higher plant that
is attached to a stem directly via a stalk
– the main organs for photosynthesis and
transpiration
– all leaves originate as primordia in the
buds
Your paragraph text
– most leaves consists of a leaf blade (the
lamina) and a stalk (the petiole) that may
have paired stipules at the base
– leaves without the presence of petioles
are called sessile
– leaves can be classified into 2:
1. Simple Leaf - single leaf
2. Compound Leaf - divided into
multiple parts
PHOTOSYNTHESIS in
LEAVES
Photosynthesis involves the trapping and ultimate storing of
energy in sugar molecules that are constructed from ordinary
water and from carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere.

TRANSPIRATION in
LEAVES
Transpiration is the process of water movement absorbed by the
roots and transported throughout the plant.
STIPULES
a pair of leaflike, scalelike, or thornlike appendages that
are sometimes present at the base of the petiole
 SINGLE LEAF vs COMPOUND LEAF

SINGLE LEAF COMPOUND LEAF

has single leaf blade its leaf blade is divided in
various ways into leaflets
CLASSIFICATIONS of COMPOUND LEAVES
1. Pinnately Compound Leaves
– have the leaflets in pairs along an extension of the
petiole called a rachis
CLASSIFICATIONS of COMPOUND LEAVES
2. Palmately Compound Leaves
– have all the leaflets attached at the same point at the
end of the petiole
– in some cases, its leaflets may be subdivided into still
smaller leaflets, forming a bipinnately compound leaf
 LEAF ARRANGEMENTS

Alternate Opposite Whorled

Arrangement Arrangement Arrangement
leaves are attached
alternately or in a spiral two leaves may be attached three or more leaves occur
along a stem with one leaf at each node at a node
per node
 VEIN ARRANGEMENTS

Pinnately Veined Leaves Pinnately Veined Leaves

there is one primary vein called several primary veins fan out from
midvein which is included within an the base of the blade
enlarged midrib (secondary veins
branch from the midvein)
 3 REGIONS THAT STAND OUT
WHEN A LEAF IS CUT TRANSVERSELY & EXAMINED

1. Epidermis
a single layer of cells covering the entire surface of the leaf

2. Mesophyll
the internal ground tissue located between the two epidermal cell
layers of the leaf. Ang 2 epidermal cells Kay palicide and
spongy
3. Veins or Vascular Bundles
a collection of tube-like tissues that flow through plants that
transports critical substances to various parts of the plant
STOMATA
tiny pores or openings present
on the epidermis of leaves
stomata are very numerous,
ranging from about 1,000 to
more than 12 million per
square centimeter of surface
an average sunflower leaf has
about 2 million stomata
throughout its lower epidermis
each pore is bordered by a
guard cell
GUARD CELLS
FUNCTIONS:
Regulate gas exchange
between the interior of the
leaf and the atmosphere.
Regulate evaporation of the
water entering the plant at the
roots.
MESOPHYLL
– most photosynthesis takes place in the mesophyll
– has 2 regions:
1. Palisade Mesophyll – the uppermost mesophyll that
consists of compactly stacked, barrel-shaped, or post-shaped
parenchyma cells that are commonly in two rows and contains
more than 80% of the leaf’s chloroplasts
2. Spongy Mesophyll – the lower region that consists loosely
arranged parenchyma cells with abundant air spaces between
them and contains numerous chloroplasts - gas exchange
SHADE LEAVES
leaves that receive less sunlight
they are usually thinner and have fewer
well-defined mesophyll layers and fewer
chloroplasts
they also do not have that much many
hairs
LEAVES of ARID REGIONS
leaves that thrive under limited
availability of water, wide temperature
ranges, and high light intensities
thick, leathery leaves and has fewer
stomata
they may also have succulent
⟡ Succulent – water-retaining leaves or
no leaves at all
LEAVES of AQUATIC AREAS
the submerged leaves of plants that grow
in water
the usually have less xylem than phloem
its mesophyll has large air spaces
TENDRILS
leaves that curled tightly around more
rigid objects.
very sensitive to contact.
SPINES
the leaves of many cacti and other
desert plants are considered as spines

THORNS
spine-like objects arising in the axils of
leaves of woody plants

PRICKLES
outgrowths from the epidermis or cortex
STORAGE LEAVES
leaves modified to store water and/or
nutrients for the plant
an example of these are desert plants that
have succulent leaves
it involves large, thin-walled parenchyma
cells without chloroplasts to the interior of
chlorenchyma tissue just beneath the
epidermis
contains large vacuoles
FLOWER-POT LEAVES
leaves that develop into pouches that
become the home to ant colonies
does not only reproduce itself by
conventional means but also, with the aid
of ants, it also provides its own fertilized
growing medium and flower pots, and
then produces special roots, which grow in
pots
WINDOW LEAVES
has ice cream cone-like shape and are about
3.75 centimeters long
buried in sand and only the dime-sized
wide end of the leave is exposed at the
surface
this exposed end is covered with a
transparent, thick epidermis with few
stomata and a waxy cuticle
a mass of tightly packed, transparent water-
storage cells below the exposed end allow
light to come through the “windows” to
penetrate chloroplasts in the mesophyll
REPRODUCTIVE LEAVES
produces new plants at their tips
FLORAL LEAVES (BRACTS)
specialized leaves found at the bases of
flowers or flower stalks
INSECT-TRAPPING LEAVES
these plants grow mostly in swampy
areas and bogs of tropical and
temperate regions
almost 200 species of flowering plants are
known to have these leaves
they can develop normally without insects
if they are given the nutrients the need
PLANTS THAT REPRESENT THE 4 INSECT-TRAPPING
MECHANISMS
PITCHER PLANTS
Its blades are mostly flattened and function like those of any leaves. Some
have large, cone-shaped or vase-like leaves, and some have umbrella-like
flaps above the open ends. The have nectar-secreting glands around the
rim. The distinctive odor these glands produce attracts insects,
making them fall into the watery fluid at the bottom. If the insects try to
climb out, they find the walls highly polished and slippery. Most insects
never make it up the walls, but even if they do, they still a formidable
barricade of stiff, downward-pointing hairs near the rim. Eventually, the
insects drown and their soft parts are digested by bacteria and enzymes
secreted by the plant’s digestive glands near the bottoms of the leaves.
PITCHER PLANTS
PLANTS THAT REPRESENT THE 4 INSECT-TRAPPING
MECHANISMS
SUNDEWS
These tiny plants called sundews have roundish to oval leaves that are
covered with up to 200 upright, glandular hairs that look like miniature
clubs. There is a clear, glistening drop of sticky fluid containing digestive
enzymes at the tip of each hair. As the droplets sparkle in the sun, they
may attract insects, which find themselves stuck if they alight. The hairs
are exceptionally sensitive to contact, responding to weights of less than
1000th of a milligram, and bend inward, surrounding any trapped insect
within a few minutes. The digestive enzymes break down the soft parts of
the insects, and after digestion has been completed after few days, the
glandular hairs return to their original positions.
SUNDEWS
PLANTS THAT REPRESENT THE 4 INSECT-TRAPPING
MECHANISMS
VENUS’ FLYTRAPS
It has leaves constructed along the lines of an old-fashioned steel trap.
Venus’ Flytrap is found in nature only in wet areas of North and South
Carolina. The two halves of the blade have the appearance of being hinged
along the midrib with stiff, hair-like projections along their margins. There
are three tiny trigger hairs on the inner surface of each half. If two trigger
hairs are touched simultaneously or if any one of them is touched twice
within a few seconds, the blade halves suddenly snap together, trapping
the insect or other small animal. As the insect struggles, the trap closes even
more tightly. Digestive enzymes secreted by the leaf break down the soft
parts of the insect, which are then absorbed. After the digestion has
completed, the trap reopens, ready to repeat the process.
VENUS’ FLYTRAP
PLANTS THAT REPRESENT THE 4 INSECT-TRAPPING
MECHANISMS
BLADDERWORTS
These are found submerged and floating in the shallow water along the margins
of lakes streaks. It has finely dissected leaves with tiny bladders. The stomach-
shaped bladder have a trapdoor over the opening at one end. The trapping of
aquatic insects and other small animals takes place through a complex
mechanism. Four curled but stiff hairs at one end of the trapdoor act as triggers
when an insect touches one of them. The trapdoor springs open and water
rushes into the bladder. The stream of water propels the insect into the trap,
and the trapdoor snaps shut behind it. The action takes place in less than one-
hundreth of a second and makes a distinct popping sound which can be heard
with the aid of a sensitive underwater microphone. The trapped insect eventually
dies and is broken down by bacteria, and the breakdown products are absorbed
by the cells in the walls of the bladder.
BLADDERWORTS
The Autumnal Changes in Leaf Color
The leaves of many oaks and several other plants generally turn some shade of brown or tan
when their cells break down and die. This is due to a reaction between leaf proteins and
tannins stored in the cell vacuoles. The chloroplasts of mature leaves contain several groups
of pigments, such as green chlorophylls and carrotenoids, which include yellow
carotenes and pale yellow xanthophylls. Each of these groups plays a role in
photosynthesis. Usually, considerably more chlorophyll than other pigments is present, and
the intense green color of the chlorophylls masks or hides the presence of the carotenes and
xanthophylls.
The Autumnal Changes in Leaf Color
In the fall, however, the chlorophylls break down, and other colors are revealed. The exact cause
of the breakdown of chlorophyll is not known, but it does not appear to involve a gradual
reduction in day length. Water-soluble anthocyanin and betacyanin pigments may also
accumulate in the vacuoles of the leaf cells in the fall. Anthocyanin, the more common of the two
groups, are red in color if the cell sap is slightly acidic, blue if it is slightly alkaline, and of
intermediate shades if it is neutral. Betacyanins are usually red, and they are, apparently,
restricted to several plant families such as the cacti (Cactaceae), the Goosefoot Family
(Chenopodiaceae), Four-o’clock Family (Nyctaginaceae), and the Portulaca Family (Portulacaceae).
The Autumnal Changes in Leaf Color
Some plants consistently exhibit a single shade of color in their fall leaves, like birch tress.
But, like maples, ash, and sumac, many vary considerably from one locality to another or
even from one leaf to another on the same tree, depending on the combinations of
carotenes, xanthophylls, and other pigments present. In parts of Wisconsin and Minnesota,
one can observe the brilliant reds, oranges, and golds of maples, the deep maroons (and
yellows) of ashes, the bright yellows of aspen, and the seemingly glowing reds of sumacs and
wahoos, all in a single locality. Some fall coloration is found almost anywhere in temperate
zones where deciduous trees and shrubs exist.
ABSCISSION
– the process by which the leaves are shed
– occurs as a result of changes that take place in an abscission zone
near the base of the petiole of each leaf
– sometimes, the abscission zone can be seen externally as a thin
band of slightly different color on the petiole
– plants whose leaves drop seasonally
are said to be deciduous
HUMAN & ECOLOGICAL
RELEVANCE of LEAVES
Humans use shade trees in landscaping for
cooling, as well as for aesthetic effects. The
leaves of shade plants planted next to a
dwelling can make a significant difference in
energy costs to a homeowner. Humans also
use for food the leaves of cabbage, parsley,
lettuce, spinach, and chard, as well as the
petioles of celery and rhubarb. Many spices
and flavorings are derived from leaves, too,
that includes thyme, marjoram, oregano,
tarragon, peppermint, wintergreen, basil,
dill, sage, cilantro, and savory.
HUMAN & ECOLOGICAL
RELEVANCE of LEAVES
Various dyes can be extracted from leaves.
Many cordage fibers for ropes and twines
come from leaves, with various species of
century plants accounting for about 80% of
the world’s production. Bowstring fibers are
obtained from a relative of the common
house plant Sanseviera, and the Manila hemp
fibers are obtained from the leaves of a close
relative of banana. Panama hats are made
from the leaves of the panama hat palm, and
the palms and grasses are used in the tropics
as thatching materials for huts and buildings.
HUMAN & ECOLOGICAL
RELEVANCE of LEAVES
In the high mountains of Chile and Peru, the
leaves of the yareta plant are used for fuel.
Leaves of many plants produce oil, like the
Petitgrain oil, lavender, patchouli,
lemongrass oil, eucalyptus oil, camphor,
cajeput, and pennyroyal. Leaves are also an
important source of drugs used in
medicines, and of narcotics and poisons.
Tobacco is another widely used leaf, with
more than 7440 million kilograms of tobacco
are produced for smoking, chewing, and
used as a snuff around the world.
HUMAN & ECOLOGICAL
RELEVANCE of LEAVES
Several beverages are extracted by brewing
leaves. Numerous teas have been obtained
from a wide variety of plants. Insecticides of
various types are also derived from leaves.
Waxes, likr carnauba and caussu, are
obtained from the leaves of tropical palms.
Leaves are also used extensively for floral
arrangements and bouquets, and their uses
for other aesthetic purposes are legion.
Lastly, leaves may find more extensive use
in the future as a direct source of food.
THANK YOU!
GROUP 4 MEMBERS:
Liquit, Kerstin Helena
Esteva, Necolai Claire
Tejada, Joshane
Capon, Glyza Nicole
Lobitana, Theresa Mae
Cardeno, Trishia