Leaf | Definition, Parts, & Function - Encyclopedia Britannica

Leaf modifications

Whole leaves or parts of leaves are often modified for special functions, such as for climbing and substrate attachment, storage, protection against predation or climatic conditions, or trapping and digesting insect prey. In temperate trees leaves are simply protective bud scales; in the spring when shoot growth is resumed, they often exhibit a complete growth series from bud scales to fully developed leaves.

Spines are also modified leaves. In cacti, spines are wholly transformed leaves that protect the plant from herbivores, radiate heat from the stem during the day, and collect and drip condensed water vapour during the cooler night. In the many species of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae), the stipules are modified into paired stipular spines and the blade develops fully. In ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens), the blade falls off and the petiole remains as a spine.

Many desert plants, such as Lithops and aloe, develop succulent leaves for water storage. The most common form of storage leaves are the succulent leaf bases of underground bulbs (e.g., tulip and Crocus) that serve as either water- or food-storage organs or both. Many nonparasitic plants that grow on the surfaces of other plants (epiphytes), such as some of the bromeliads, absorb water through specialized hairs on the surfaces of their leaves. In the water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), swollen petioles keep the plant afloat.

Explore Britannica Premium!

The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.

SUBSCRIBE

Leaves or leaf parts may be modified to provide support. Tendrils and hooks are the most common of these modifications. In the flame lily (Gloriosa superba), the leaf tip of the blade elongates into a tendril and twines around other plants for support. In the garden pea (Pisum sativum), the terminal leaflet of the compound leaf develops as a tendril. In nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) and Clematis, the petioles coil around other plants for support. In catbrier (Smilax), the stipules function as tendrils. Many monocotyledons have sheathing leaf bases that are concentrically arranged and form a pseudotrunk, as in banana (Musa). In many epiphytic bromeliads, the pseudotrunk also functions as a water reservoir.

Carnivorous plants use their highly modified leaves to attract and trap insects. Glands in the leaves secrete enzymes that digest the captured insects, and the leaves then absorb the nitrogenous compounds (amino acids) and other products of digestion. Plants that use insects as a nitrogen source tend to grow in nitrogen-deficient soils.