One of the most representative parts of the upper plants is that they have leaves. The functions of the leaves are varied and very important for the plant: without them, the upper plants as we know them would not exist. Thus, not all current plants have leaves, because there are without, as is the case of mosses and other similar plants that do not have leaves as such.
If you want to learn more about parts of a sheet and its functions To learn about the great importance of these, it continues to read in this article of Ecology Verde in which you will find the names of the parts of the sheet and their functions, as well as the functions of the leaves with respect to the set of the plant and the different types of leaves that exist.
The parts of the sheet and the functions of each
In the leaf structure Several parts are distinguished. These are the main parts of the sheet and its functions:
Limbo
The limbo, also called leafIt is what is often vulgarly called as a sheet, although the word really all other parts as well. It refers to the part (usually flat and wide) of the sheet that is responsible for collecting sunlight, hence its form usually offers a surface as much as possible. It has two faces, the do and the lower face or face. The first tends to be smoother and brighter, while in the second we find more clearly the ribs or leaf nerveswhich can cross it giving rise to different forms or patterns and circulates through them The sap.
In addition, if we ask ourselves what is the outer part of the sheet we can be referring, or on the outer margin of the limbo, which can have very diverse forms, or to the apexwhich is the extreme farther from the birth of it. According to the shape of the leaves we can recognize the different species of plants and trees easily. Here you can learn about how to identify trees from the leaves.
Petiole
The petiole is what unites the leaf limbo with the stem of the plant. It is a thin and intense green structure, whose function is to supply sap to the leaf and back from this, in addition to giving limbo a firm support against the elements.
Sheath
In the petiole base The pod is located, which is the point where it widens to join and accommodate in The stem. Therefore, it is the point where the sheet begins to grow from the plant stem.
Stipule
Finally we have the stipules, which grow to both sides from the petiole or the base of the leaf. Not all plants have stipules and these can have very diverse forms. Its function is always to protect young stems and leaves, which is why some fall when the mature leaf.
In the cover image of this article and in this below you can see a scheme of the leaf parts and their functions You can see it more easily.
Leave functions
When we talk about Functions of a sheetto all the main and most important of them comes to mind, photosynthesis, but it is true that there is more:
- Carry out Photosynthesis. Thanks to chloroplasts, which give their color to the plant for Chlorophyll They contain, the plant is able to form sugars from the energy received from sunlight and CO2 that the plant absorbs. To learn more about these issues, we recommend you read these other posts about the difference between photosynthesis and breathing of plants and why plants are green. The function of photosynthesis is vital not only for the plant, but for the conformation of life on our planet. During the evolution of plants, photosynthesis was what allowed the atmosphere of the Earth to be enriched in oxygen, that the ozone layer would be created and that earthly life was possible. Thus, the plant can be nourished thanks to this process in which the plant uses the solar energy captured by the leaves to transform the gross sap that reaches these in the elaborate or enriched sap, which is loaded with nutrients and is distributed to the parts of the plant that need it.
- Another function of the leaves is the Breathing function. The plant absorbs the co2carbon dioxide, present in the atmosphere, exploding in return oxygen. This breathing is produced by leaf stomata.
- Finally, the leaves also meet the perspiration function. The stomata, in addition to breathing, can be opened to release water and evaporate, thus eliminating the excess of this and allowing the thermal and water regulation of the plant. In addition, there are theories that argue that this evaporation helps create negative pressure in the plant ducts, which allows the circulation of gross sap from the roots, thus facilitating that even large trees can drive it to its high branches without energy expenditure.
Knowing all this, now you may also be interested in learning about the parts of a plant and its functions and also about the parts of a tree and its functions, because in addition to the leaves, there are many more the parts that make up these vegetables.
Types of leaves
There is great diversity in the forms and characteristics that the leaves adopt. In fact, although most limbos are flattened and wide or elongated, they don’t always have that shape. Conifers, for example, are characterized by their spuamiform leaves, that is, in the form of a needle. Thus, we can classify the leaves According to different criteria:
- According to whether they are simple or compound leaves: When a limbo is born from each petiole, the leaf is simple. On the contrary, if several limbos are born from a single petiole, it is a compound sheet. These can be binaded, ternadas, quinades or digit, depending on the number of leaflets, or pinnadas, if the folioli come out all of a single axis.
- According to the arrangement of the nerves or The nerves of the leaves: These can be parallelinervias, penninervias, palminervias, dichotomics or uninervias.
- According to the Limbo of the leaves: These can be sagitated, oval, orbicular, spatulated, acicular, squamous, battleships, rhomboid, lanceolate, linear, caught, palmated or arriñonadas.
- There are many other classifications, as according to the shape of the edge of the limbo, according to the petiole or according to the arrangement of the leaves in the stem, among others. Discover all these forms of classification of the leaves with this other ecology guide over the types of leaves.
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