Parts of the leaf
One of the most obvious features of plants are their leaves. Leaves are particularly useful for identification because they are usually readily available, unlike flowers and fruit which are seasonal. When you identify trees in Washington Park for the next part of this course, you will be using leaf characteristics extensively.
We will start with the parts of the leaf then focus on characteristics of the leaf such as shape, margin, leaf type and the arrangement of leaves on the stem.
At this point I would like to acknowledge and thank one of our students, Marina Smelik, who donated her time and talents as a botanical illustrator to provide the illustrations you see here and elsewhere on this web site.
Primary vein: is the main vein starting at the base of the
leaf. It is noticeably wide than the other veins.
Secondary veins: veins usually branching off the primary vein, are noticeably
narrower than the primary vein.