American Scientist

Just like a snowflake, the closer you look at a leaf, the more there is to notice. Here is a guide to common leaf features and how to spot them.

Shape
The first thing to identify about a leaf is its overall shape. Here are some of the most common.

Margin
The edge of a leaf is called the margin. A leaf's margin can be smooth or wavy of have jagged "teeth."

Vein Patterns
Veins inside a plant carry water to and from its leaves in a similar way to how blood vessels carry blood around your body. Plants' veins also provide the structure and support that give leaves their shape. The arrangement of veins inside a leaf is called venation.

Arrangement
In some plants and trees, leaves are formed from an arrangement of smaller leaves called leaflets.

From Britannica’s Encyclopedia Infographica: 1,000s of Facts and Figures about Earth, Space, Animals, the Body, Technology, and More Revealed in Pictures. Infographics by Valentina D’Efilippo, written by Andrew Pettie and Conrad Quilty-Harper, published by Britannica Books, copyright 2023.