Image |
Term |
Latin |
Refers principally to |
Description |
| acicular | acicularis | whole leaf | Slender and pointed, needle-like |
| acuminate | acuminatus | leaf tip | Tapering to a long point in a concave manner |
| acute | | leaf tip or base | Pointed, having a short sharp apex angled less than 90° |
| apiculate | apiculatus | leaf tip | Tapering and ending in a short, slender point |
| aristate | aristatus | leaf tip | Ending in a stiff, bristle-like point |
| asymmetrical | | whole leaf | With the blade shape different on each side of the midrib |
| attenuate | attenuatus |
leaf base | Having leaf tissue taper down the petiole to a narrow base and always having some leaf material on each side of the petiole |
| auriculate | auriculatus |
leaf base | Having ear-shaped appendages reaching beyond the attachment to the petiole or stem (in case of a seated leaf) |
| caudate | caudatus | leaf tip | Tailed at the apex |
| cirrus, cirrate | | leaf tip | Having a rachis that extends beyond the leaf blade or leaflets into a long whip-like extension or cirrus (common in climbing palms); antonym: ecirrate |
| cordate, cordiform | cordatus | whole leaf or base | Heart-shaped, with the petiole or stem attached to the notch |
| cuneate | cuneatus | leaf base | Triangular, wedge-shaped, stem attaches to point |
| cuneiform | | whole leaf | Narrowly triangular, widest on the opposite end from the stem, with the corners at that end rounded |
| cuspidate | cuspidatus | leaf tip | With a sharp, elongated, rigid tip; tipped with a cusp |
| deltoid, deltate | deltoideus | whole leaf | Shaped like the Greek letter delta; triangular with stem attached to side |
| digitate | digitatus | whole leaf | A palmately compound leaf with leaflets, similar to palmate[2] |
| ecirrate | | leaf tip | Without a cirrus; antonym: cirrate |
| elliptic | ellipticus | whole leaf | Shaped like an ellipse (widest at mid-blade and with similar convex tapering towards apex and base), with a short or no point |
| emarginate | emarginatus |
leaf tip | Slightly indented at the tip |
| ensiform | ensiformis | whole leaf | Shaped like a sword; long and narrow with a sharp pointed tip |
| falcate | falcatus | whole leaf | Sickle-shaped |
| fenestrate | fenestratus | leaf surface features | Large openings through the leaf; see perforate; sometimes used to describe leaf epidermal windows |
| filiform | filiformis | whole leaf | Thread- or filament-shaped |
| flabellate | flabellatus | whole leaf | Semi-circular or fan-like |
| hastate | hastatus | whole leaf or base | Spear-shaped: pointed, with barbs, shaped like a spear point, with flaring pointed lobes at the base |
| laciniate | lacinatus |
whole leaf | Very deeply lobed with the lobes being very drawn out and often making the leaf look somewhat like a branch or a pitchfork |
| laminar | | 3-D shape | Flat (like most leaves) |
| lanceolate | lanceolatus | whole leaf | Long, wider in the middle, shaped like a lance tip |
| linear | linearis | whole leaf | Long and very narrow like a blade of grass |
| lobed | lobatus | whole leaf | Being divided by clefts; may be pinnately lobed or palmately lobed |
| lorate | loratus | whole leaf | Having the form of a thong or strap |
| lyrate | lyratus | whole leaf | Shaped like a lyre, pinnately lobed leaf with an enlarged terminal lobe and smaller lateral lobes. See also List of lyrate plants. |
| mucronate | mucronatus |
leaf tip | Ending abruptly in a small sharp point as a continuation of the midrib[3] |
| multifid | multi + findere | whole leaf | Cleft into many parts or lobes |
| obcordate | obcordatus | whole leaf | Heart-shaped, stem attaches at the tapering end |
| oblanceolate | oblanceolatus | whole leaf | Much longer than wide and with the widest portion near the tip; reversed lanceolate |
| oblique | | leaf base | Asymmetrical leaf base, with one side lower than the other |
| oblong | oblongus | whole leaf | Having an elongated form with slightly parallel sides; roughly rectangular |
| obovate | obovatus | whole leaf | Teardrop-shaped, stem attaches to the tapering end; reversed ovate |
| obtrullate | | whole leaf | Reversed trullate; the longer sides meet at the base rather than the apex. |
| obtuse | obtusus | leaf tip or base | Blunt, forming an angle > 90° |
| orbicular | orbicularis | whole leaf | Circular |
| ovate | ovatus | whole leaf | Egg-shaped, with a tapering point and the widest portion near the petiole |
| palmate | palmatus | whole leaf | Palm-shaped, i.e. with lobes or leaflets stemming from the leaf base[4] |
| palmately lobed | palmatus | whole leaf | Lobes spread radially from a point[5] |
| palmatifid | palma + findere | whole leaf | Palm-shaped, having lobes with incisions that extend less than halfway toward the petiole |
| palmatipartite | palma + partiri | whole leaf | Having palmate lobes with incisions that extend over halfway toward the petiole |
| palmatisect | palma + secare | whole leaf | Having palmate lobes with incisions that extend almost up, but not quite to the petiole. |
| pandurate | panduratus |
whole leaf | Fiddle-shaped; obovate with a constriction near the middle. |
| pedate | pedatus | whole leaf | Palmate, with cleft lobes[6] |
| peltate | peltatus | stem attachment | A round leaf where the petiole attaches near the center, e.g. a lotus leaf |
| perfoliate | perfoliatus | stem attachment | With the leaf blade surrounding the stem such that the stem appears to pass through the leaf |
| perforate | perforatus | leaf surface features |
Many holes, or perforations, on leaf surface. Compare with fenestrate. |
| pinnately lobed | pinna + lobus | whole leaf | Having lobes pinnately arranged on the central axis |
| pinnatifid | pinna + findere | whole leaf | Having lobes with incisions that extend less than halfway to the midrib |
| pinnatipartite | pinnatus + partiri | whole leaf | Having lobes with incisions that extend more than halfway to the midrib |
| pinnatisect | pinnatus + sectus | whole leaf | Having lobes with incisions that extend almost to, or up to, the midrib |
| plicate | plicatus | 3-D shape | Folded into pleats, usually lengthwise, serving the function of stiffening a large leaf |
| reniform | reniformis | whole leaf | Shaped like a kidney, with an inward curve on one side |
| retuse | | leaf tip | With a shallow notch in a round apex |
| rhomboid, rhombic | rhomboidalis | whole leaf | Diamond-shaped |
| rounded | rotundifolius | leaf tip or base | Circular, no distinct point |
| semiterete | | 3-D shape | Rounded on one side and flat on the other |
| sinuate | sinuatus |
3-D shape | Circularly-lobed leaves |
| sagittate | sagittatus | whole leaf | Arrowhead-shaped with the lower lobes folded, or curled downward |
| spatulate | spathulatus | whole leaf | Spoon-shaped; having a broad flat end which tapers to the base |
| spear-shaped | hastatus |
whole leaf | See hastate. |
| subobtuse | subobtusus | leaf tip or base | Somewhat blunted; neither blunt nor sharp |
| subulate | subulatus | leaf tip | Awl-shaped with a tapering point |
| terete | | 3-D shape | Cylindrical with a circular or distorted circular cross-section and a single surface wrapping around it with no grooves or ridges. Subterete means the leaves are not completely terete, as seen in various lichens and succulents. |
| trullate | | whole leaf | Shaped like a masonry trowel |
| truncate | truncatus | leaf tip or base | With a squared-off end |
| undulate | undulatus | 3-D shape | Wave-like |
| unifoliate | unifoliatus | compound leaves | With a single leaflet; it is distinct from a simple leaf by the presence of two abscission layers and often by petiolules and stipels. |