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Article: Leaves
- Article from:
- Plant Sciences
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Leaves
Leaves are often the most conspicuous part of any plant. Leaves vary tremendously in shape and in size: from the tiny leaves (less than 1 millimeter across) of the floating aquatic plant duckweed to the giant leaves (more than 10 meters in length) of the raffia palm. Nevertheless, all leaves share certain features of construction and development and carry out the same basic function: photosynthesis.
Leaf Types
Leaves are designed to optimize the capture of light for photosynthesis. In dicots, leaves typically have a broad, flattened blade attached to a stalk or
petiole
. The flat shape of the blade facilitates the penetration of light
into the photosynthetic tissues within, ...