This is one of a series of articles designed to equip any naturalist with words that enhance learning and make field observation easier. Here are the botanical terms for:

Leaf Shapes and Patterns

Alternate: leaves growing separately  and at different heights from each side of the stem

Opposite: leaves growing across from each other on the stem

Petiole: the stem that supports the leaf

Lobe: a rounded protrusion of a leaf

Tooth: a jagged or notched edge or margin of a leaf

Entire: a leaf with no lobes or teeth on the margin

Simple: a single leaf blade emerging from the stem

Compound: a leaf blade divided into multiple “leaflets” with a common leaf stalk

Node: a joint in a stem where leaf emerges

Bud: an undeveloped shoot or flower

Rosette: leaves growing in a cluster from the root crown on the ground

Careful examination of leaf size and structure reveals important clues to the plant’s life cycle, including how long it lives and how it makes food.