Question

how would you differentiate between a leaf and a leaflet according to the size, colour, shape and chlorophyll... please answer all the aspects..

Answer 1

LEAF:

A leaf is a common organ of any plant.

Leaves differ greatly in appearance and are a good first step in recognizing a plant, though some plants can have a very different looking leaf depending on the conditions in which the plant is grown.

An important part of the identification of a plant through the leaf is the pattern of its veins. There are three major venation patterns. In the pinnate pattern a main vein runs down the middle length of the lamina and smaller veins form on each side.

Leaf shapes you’ll see often in aquatic-plant literature include lanceolate (long and tapered at the end like a lance), ovate (egg shaped), oblong (long oval shape with long sides parallel), elliptic (long oval shape with rounded long sides), cordate (heart shaped), and linear (very long and narrow).

Leaf shapes and margins are often mentioned together in literature, although sometimes only one is mentioned if it’s the distinguishing feature of a plant. Entire margins are smooth, serrate margins have a jagged teeth-like edge, and undulate margins are wavy. Oak trees is a good example of a lobed leaf margin. Feathery leaves are described as pinnate, pinnatifid, or bipinnate.

The four primary pigments that produce color within a leaf are: chlorophyll (green); xanthophylls (yellow); carotenoids (orange); and anthocyanins (reds and purples).

LEAFLETS:

A leaflet refers to a small leaf or a leaf-like part of a compound leaf.

A leaflet is a leaf-like part of a compound leaf. Though it resembles an entire leaf, a leaflet is not borne on a main plant stem or branch, as a leaf is, but rather on a petiole or a branch of the leaf. Compound leaves are common in many plant families and they differ widely in morphology. The two main classes of compound leaf morphology are palmate and pinnate. For example, a hemp plant has palmate compound leaves, whereas some species of Acacia have pinnate leaves.

a bud node at the base of each stem/petiole but no bud node at the base of each leaflet on midribs and the rachis of the compound leaf.

leaflets are arranged on what are actually secondary stems, which grow off a main stem, or rachis.

leaflets radiate out from the center of their attachment to the petiole or leaf stem, which is again attached to the twig.