what elements are leaves made of

• Apex - leaf tip.
• Margin - leaf edge boundary area. Margins can be smooth, jagged (toothed), lobed, or parted.
• Veins - vascular tissue bundles that support the leaf and transport nutrients.
• Midrib - central main vein arising from secondary veins.
• Base - area of the leaf that connects the blade to the petiole.

Full Answer

What are the four types of leaves?

l inear. Elliptic leaves: remembering to a ellipse. 2 or 3 times longer than wide. Lanceolate leaves: spear-shaped. Gradually extending at the base and lessening to the apex. Acicular leaves: needle-shaped. Several times longer than wide; ending sharply at the apex. Ovate leaves: egg-shaped.

What are some facts about leaves?

Things to notice:

• Are most of the leaves on a tree the same color, or do you see more than one color of leaves on the same tree?
• Do you see more trees that stay green and don’t lose their leaves during the fall or trees that do lose their leaves?
• How does the grass look in the places you walked? ...
• Do you notice any flowers blooming?

More items...

What do leaves mostly do?

What Do Leaves Do?

• Objective. This experiment teaches kids the different functions of a leaf.
• Materials and Equipment / Ingredients
• Introduction. Leaves provide food and air to help a plant stay healthy and grow. ...
• Experimental (Research) Procedure. Get a healthy green potted plant with large leaves. ...
• Bibliography. ...

What does a leaf symbolize?

What is the Spiritual Meaning of a Leaf?

1. Nature (General Symbolism of Leaf)
2. Growth and Rebirth (Growing of Leaves)
3. Fertility (Abundance of Leaves)
4. Energy (Green Leaves)
5. Danger (Dreaming of Someone Sneaking from Dense Leaves)
6. Everything Comes to an End (Dying Leaves)

What are the structures of the leaf?

Leaf morphology. Typically, a leaf consists of a broad expanded blade (the lamina ), attached to the plant stem by a stalklike petiole. In angiosperms leaves commonly have a pair of structures known as stipules, which are located on each side of the leaf base and may resemble scales, spines, glands, or leaflike structures.

What is a leaf?

See Article History. Leaf, in botany, any usually flattened green outgrowth from the stem of a vascular plant. As the primary sites of photosynthesis, leaves manufacture food for plants, which in turn ultimately nourish and sustain all land animals. Botanically, leaves are an integral part of the stem system.

How long do leaves last in a tree?

Leaves are essentially short-lived structures. Even when they persist for two or three years, as in coniferous and broad-leaved evergreens, they make little contribution to the plant after the first year. The fall of leaves, whether in the first autumn in most deciduous trees or after several years in evergreens, results from the formation of a weak zone, the abscission layer, at the base of the petiole. Abscission layers may also form when leaves are seriously damaged by insects, disease, or drought. As a result, a zone of cells across the petiole becomes softened until the leaf falls. A healing layer then forms on the stem and closes the wound, leaving the leaf scar, a prominent feature in many winter twigs and an aid in identification.

What is a leaf called when it is inserted directly on the petiole?

When only a single blade is inserted directly on the petiole, the leaf is called simple.

Why do leaves fall off trees?

The fall of leaves, whether in the first autumn in most deciduous trees or after several years in evergreens, results from the formation of a weak zone, the abscission layer, at the base of the petiole. Abscission layers may also form when leaves are seriously damaged by insects, disease, or drought.

What are the margins of simple leaves?

The margins of simple leaves may be entire and smooth or they may be lobed in various ways. The coarse teeth of dentate margins project at right angles, while those of serrate margins point toward the leaf apex. Crenulate margins have rounded teeth or scalloped margins.

What is the function of a leaf?

The main function of a leaf is to produce food for the plant by photosynthesis. Chlorophyll, the substance that gives plants their characteristic green colour, absorbs light energy. The internal structure of the leaf is protected by the leaf epidermis, which is continuous with the stem epidermis. The central leaf, or mesophyll, consists ...

What are the parts of a leaf?

Leaves can have different shapes and sizes. The basic components of leaves in flowering plants (angiosperms) include the blade, the petiole, and the stipules.

What is the tissue that makes up the leaves of a plant?

Vascular Tissue. Leaf veins are composed of vascular tissue. Vascular tissue consists of tube-shaped structures called xylem and phloem that provide pathways for water and nutrients to flow throughout the leaves and plant.

How do leaves help sustain life?

our editorial process. Regina Bailey. Updated November 04, 2019. Plant leaves help to sustain life on earth as they generate food for both plant and animal life. The leaf is the site of photosynthesis in plants. Photosynthesis is the process of absorbing energy from sunlight and using it to produce food in the form of sugars.

What is the vascular tissue bundle that supports the leaf and transports nutrients?

Veins - vascular tissue bundles that support the leaf and transport nutrients.

What is the outer layer of a plant called?

The outer leaf layer is known as the epidermis. The epidermis secretes a waxy coating called the cuticle that helps the plant retain water. The epidermis in plant leaves also contains special cells called guard cells that regulate gas exchange between the plant and the environment. Guard cells control the size of pores called stomata (singular ...

What are the main features used in plant identification?

Leaf shape, margin, and venation (vein formation) are the main features used in plant identification.

What are the leaves of a flowering plant?

Basic Leaf Anatomy of Flowering Plants. Evelyn Bailey. Leaves can be found in a variety of shapes and sizes. Most leaves are broad, flat and typically green in color. Some plants, such as conifers, have leaves that are shaped like needles or scales. Leaf shape is adapted to best suit the plant's habitat and maximize photosynthesis.

What is a leaf made of?

A leaf made up of two or more leaflets, e.g., pea, and several other members of Leguminosae. The compound leaves may be of several types.

What is a leaf?

Definition of a Leaf: The leaf is a flattened, lateral outgrowth of the stem in the branch, developing from a node and having a bud in its axil. It is normally green in colour and manu­factures food for the whole plant. The leaves take up water and carbon dioxide and convert them into carbohydrates in the presence of sunlight and chlorophyll. ...

What is the vein on a leaf?

A strong vein, known as the midrib, runs centrally through the leaf- blade from its base to the apex; this produces thinner lateral veins which in their turn give rise to still thinner veins or veinlets. The lamina is the most important part of the leaf since this is the seat of food manufacture for the whole plant.

How many leaflets are in a compound palmate leaf?

Compound palmate leaf with four leaflets arising at a common point, e.g., Marsilea (a pteridophyte).

What is a leaf with prolongation or mid-rib forming a tendril?

Leaf with prolong­ation or mid-rib forming a tendril, e.g., Gloriosa.

What is the name of the leaf with basal lobes so united as to appear as if stem ran?

A leaf with basal lobes so united as to appear as if stem ran through it, e.g., Aloe perfoliata.

Where are stipules found in a plant?

The stipules may be of several types. They are as follows: Normally two stipules are developed at the base of a leaf petiole; they may be foliaceous, e.g., in Lathyrus- , free lateral, e.g., in China rose; adnate, e.g., in rose; interpetiolar, e.g., in Ixora, Spergula- spiny, e.g., in Acacia, Euphorbia splendens ; tendrillar, e.g., in Smilax.

What are the parts of a leaf?

A structurally complete leaf of an angiosperm consists of a petiole (leaf stalk), a lamina (leaf blade), stipules (small structures located to either side of the base of the petiole) and a sheath. Not every species produces leaves with all of these structural components. The proximal stalk or petiole is called a stipe in ferns. The lamina is the expanded, flat component of the leaf which contains the chloroplasts. The sheath is a structure, typically at the base that fully or partially clasps the stem above the node, where the latter is attached. Leaf sheathes typically occur in grasses and Apiaceae (umbellifers). Between the sheath and the lamina, there may be a pseudopetiole, a petiole like structure. Pseudopetioles occur in some monocotyledons including bananas, palms and bamboos. Stipules may be conspicuous (e.g. beans and roses ), soon falling or otherwise not obvious as in Moraceae or absent altogether as in the Magnoliaceae. A petiole may be absent (apetiolate), or the blade may not be laminar (flattened). The tremendous variety shown in leaf structure (anatomy) from species to species is presented in detail below under morphology. The petiole mechanically links the leaf to the plant and provides the route for transfer of water and sugars to and from the leaf. The lamina is typically the location of the majority of photosynthesis. The upper ( adaxial) angle between a leaf and a stem is known as the axil of the leaf. It is often the location of a bud. Structures located there are called "axillary".

What are the leaves of a plant called?

A leaf (plural leaves) is the principal lateral appendage of the vascular plant stem, usually borne above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. The leaves, stem, flower and fruit together form the shoot system. Leaves are collectively referred to as foliage, as in "autumn foliage". In most leaves, the primary photosynthetic tissue, the palisade mesophyll, is located on the upper side of the blade or lamina of the leaf but in some species, including the mature foliage of Eucalyptus, palisade mesophyll is present on both sides and the leaves are said to be isobilateral. Most leaves are flattened and have distinct upper ( adaxial) and lower ( abaxial) surfaces that differ in color, hairiness, the number of stomata (pores that intake and output gases), the amount and structure of epicuticular wax and other features. Leaves are mostly green in color due to the presence of a compound called chlorophyll that is essential for photosynthesis as it absorbs light energy from the sun. A leaf with lighter-colored or white patches or edges is called a variegated leaf .

What is the interior of the leaf called?

Most of the interior of the leaf between the upper and lower layers of epidermis is a parenchyma (ground tissue) or chlorenchyma tissue called the mesophyll (Greek for "middle leaf"). This assimilation tissue is the primary location of photosynthesis in the plant. The products of photosynthesis are called "assimilates".

How do hydrostatic leaves work?

Many leaves rely on hydrostatic support arranged around a skeleton of vascular tissue for their strength , which depends on maintaining leaf water status. Both the mechanics and architecture of the leaf reflect the need for transportation and support. Read and Stokes (2006) consider two basic models, the "hydrostatic" and "I-beam leaf" form (see Fig 1). Hydrostatic leaves such as in Prostanthera lasianthos are large and thin, and may involve the need for multiple leaves rather single large leaves because of the amount of veins needed to support the periphery of large leaves. But large leaf size favors efficiency in photosynthesis and water conservation, involving further trade offs. On the other hand, I-beam leaves such as Banksia marginata involve specialized structures to stiffen them. These I-beams are formed from bundle sheath extensions of sclerenchyma meeting stiffened sub-epidermal layers. This shifts the balance from reliance on hydrostatic pressure to structural support, an obvious advantage where water is relatively scarce. Long narrow leaves bend more easily than ovate leaf blades of the same area. Monocots typically have such linear leaves that maximize surface area while minimising self-shading. In these a high proportion of longitudinal main veins provide additional support.

What are the organs of vascular plants?

Leaves are the most important organs of most vascular plants. Green plants are autotrophic, meaning that they do not obtain food from other living things but instead create their own food by photosynthesis. They capture the energy in sunlight and use it to make simple sugars, such as glucose and sucrose, from carbon dioxide and water. The sugars are then stored as starch, further processed by chemical synthesis into more complex organic molecules such as proteins or cellulose, the basic structural material in plant cell walls, or metabolized by cellular respiration to provide chemical energy to run cellular processes. The leaves draw water from the ground in the transpiration stream through a vascular conducting system known as xylem and obtain carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by diffusion through openings called stomata in the outer covering layer of the leaf ( epidermis ), while leaves are orientated to maximize their exposure to sunlight. Once sugar has been synthesized, it needs to be transported to areas of active growth such as the plant shoots and roots. Vascular plants transport sucrose in a special tissue called the phloem. The phloem and xylem are parallel to each other, but the transport of materials is usually in opposite directions. Within the leaf these vascular systems branch (ramify) to form veins which supply as much of the leaf as possible, ensuring that cells carrying out photosynthesis are close to the transportation system.

Where are veins located in a leaf?

The veins are the vascular tissue of the leaf and are located in the spongy layer of the mesophyll. The pattern of the veins is called venation. In angiosperms the venation is typically parallel in monocotyledons and forms an interconnecting network in broad-leaved plants. They were once thought to be typical examples of pattern formation through ramification, but they may instead exemplify a pattern formed in a stress tensor field.

What is the outer layer of a leaf?

The epidermis is the outer layer of cells covering the leaf. It is covered with a waxy cuticle which is impermeable to liquid water and water vapor and forms the boundary separating the plant's inner cells from the external world. The cuticle is in some cases thinner on the lower epidermis than on the upper epidermis , and is generally thicker on leaves from dry climates as compared with those from wet climates. The epidermis serves several functions: protection against water loss by way of transpiration, regulation of gas exchange and secretion of metabolic compounds. Most leaves show dorsoventral anatomy: The upper (adaxial) and lower (abaxial) surfaces have somewhat different construction and may serve different functions.

What is the carbon dioxide that plants use to build new leaves?

They absorb carbon dioxide from the air. This carbon makes up most of the building materials that plants use to build new leaves, stems, and roots. The oxygen used to build glucose molecules is also from carbon dioxide.

What is the chemical compound that gives plants their green color?

show/hide words to know. Carbon dioxide: a chemical compound (a gas) that has two oxygen atoms and one carbon atom (CO2); carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas... more (link is external) Chlorophyll: the pigment that gives plants their green color and allows them to absorb sunlight... more (link is external)

What is the part of a cell that converts light energy into energy that plants can use?

Chloroplast: a part of a cell found in plants that converts light energy into energy plants can use (sugar). Other living organisms such as algae also have cells that contain chloroplasts.

How do plants get energy?

Plants need a lot of energy to take care of their cells and to build new ones so they can grow. Plants get their energy from the sun.

Why do plants have green cells?

Circled inside the plant cell is one of hundreds of chloroplasts that live within the cell. Plant cells look green due to molecules in the chloroplasts that reflect green light. There are many, many chloroplasts in every green plant cell. Most of the rest of the cell usually looks clear.

What are the holes in a plant leaf that absorb carbon dioxide?

The Carbon Story. Plants absorb carbon dioxide through small openings called stomata that are on the surface of the leaf. If we zoom in on a plant leaf, so close that we can see the cells, we'll find tiny openings called stomata. Stomata are holes made from spaces between special cells.

Which element makes up about 21% of the air?

Oxygen : an element that makes up about 21% of air and that many organisms need to live. Photosynthesis: a set of chain reactions that convert light energy into chemical energy. Photosynthesis also produces energy-rich carbohydrates like starch.

What are the elements that make up a plant cell?

Soil contains many of the elements needed for a plant cell's structure. As with all living organisms, chemical elements make up the different compounds and organelles found inside plant cells. Plants absorb the elements that make up their cellular structure from air, water and the minerals that they take up with their roots.

How many elements are in a plant cell?

Not surprisingly, the elements that you find most often in a plant cell tend to match the elements that you find in a bag of fertilizer. Nine non-mineral and 13 mineral elements make up a plant cell. Advertisement.

What is the role of potassium in plants?

Plants absorb more potassium, nitrogen and calcium from the soil than any other element. Potassium plays several important roles inside each plant cell, including incorporating itself into cellular proteins. Potassium forms part of the sodium-potassium pump, a mechanism embedded into the plant's cellular membrane, as well as the membranes enclosing individual organelles inside the cell. The membranes use energy to actively transport potassium to one side of the membrane. When concentrations build up on one side, the potassium flows to the other side of the membrane, carrying with it other molecules that the cell or organelle needs.

What is the most important element in all organic life?

Carbon. Carbon forms the most essential element found in all organic life, including plant cells. Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air, using energy from the sun to combine the carbon dioxide with water to form sugar and oxygen.

What is the ability of plants to take carbon from the air and incorporate it into their biomass?

The ability of plants to take carbon from the air and incorporate it into their biomass leads to their designation as carbon sinks: organisms that remove potentially harmful carbon dioxide and turn it into beneficial organic matter. All parts of plant cells include carbon. Advertisement.

What is the nitrogen in a plant cell?

Nitrogen forms an essential component of all plant cells, forming proteins, enzymes and chlorophyll and helping with the synthesis and transfer of energy. All plant cells contain a nucleus that holds the plant's genetic material. The DNA found there consists of a number of elements, including nitrogen. DNA stores the plant's genetic code and passes ...

What is the cell wall of a plant cell?

Calcium. All plant cells contain a rigid cell wall, which gives the cell its boxy shape; multiple plant cells in turn give plants their rigid structure, control the passage of water and compounds in and out of the cell, regulate growth and protect the cell from disease.

What are the parts of soil that make up the organic matter?

Particles that used to be part of a living organism make up the organic matter component of soil. This includes decayed plants, animals, and animal waste – known as detritus.

What Is Dirt Made Of Chemically?

The mineral particles and organic matter in soil contain varying amounts of chemical elements (think back to the periodic table). The abundance of various elements varies at different locations in the earth’s crust. Not every location on earth will have the same chemical make up. Both organic matter and mineral formation are heterogeneous and highly variable.

What Is Dirt Made Of?

The rocks/mineral grains in soil have a variety of different chemical elements in their make-up, including Oxygen, Silicon, Aluminum, Iron, Calcium, and Sodium. The living (or formerly living) portions of dirt are carbon-based.

What are the minerals in soil?

Mineral Particles In Soil. Particles that used to be a part of a rock are known as the mineral component of dirt . Minerals make up the majority of soil content. Surface rocks are the “parent material” of soil. Rock weathers down in time with exposure to sun, water, wind, ice, plants, and even other living creatures.

How to find out what dirt is made of?

Generalizations aside, the way to find out what your dirt is made of is to take a test sample and have a laboratory do a soil analysis. Many state extension offices offer soil testing, as do both university laboratories and commercial laboratories.

What are the living things in dirt?

The soil is home to microbes, bugs, worms, fungi, and various other little critters. Each brings it’s own benefits to the soil to create a healthy, sustainable soil eco-system.

Overview

General characteristics

Morphology

Anatomy

Leaf development

Ecology

Evolutionary adaptation

Terminology