Petiole (botany)

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Petiole (botany)

In botany

Botany

Botany, plant science, phytology, or plant biology is a branch of biology and is the Scientific method of plant life and development....
, the petiole is the small stalk attaching the leaf

Leaf

In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant Organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin, to expose the cells containing chloroplast to light over a broad area, and to allow light to penetrate fully into the tissues....
blade to the stem

Plant stem

A stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant. The stem is normally divided into nodes and internodes, the nodes hold buds which grow into one or more leaf, inflorescence , conifer cones or other stems etc....
. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipule

Stipule

In botany, stipule is a term coined by Carolus Linnaeus which refers to outgrowths borne on either side of the base of a leafstalk . A pair of stipules is considered part of the anatomy of the leaf of a typical flowering plant, although in many species the stipules are inconspicuous or entirely absent ....
s. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile

Sessility (botany)

In botany, sessility is a characteristic of plants whose flowers or leaves grow directly from the Plant stem or peduncle ....
, or clasping when they partly surround the stem.

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Encyclopedia

In botany

Botany

Leaf

Plant stem

Stipule

Sessility (botany)

In botany, sessility is a characteristic of plants whose flowers or leaves grow directly from the Plant stem or peduncle ....
, or clasping when they partly surround the stem. Clasping leaves of the Poaceae

Poaceae

Poaceae or Gramineae is a family in the Class Liliopsida of the Magnoliophyta. Plants of this family are usually called grasses; the shrub- or tree-like plants in this family are called bamboo ....
have an extra structure called the ligule

Ligule

A ligule can be observed in the leaf of a Gramineae. It is a thin outgrowth at the junction of leaf and leafstalk.The ligule is found at the inner base of the leaf between where the leaf attaches to the main stem and the stem itself....
. Petiolate leaves are ones where the petiole connects to the leaf before its apex.

Phyllodes are modified petioles. In some plants, the petioles become flattened and widened, and the true leaves may become reduced or vanish altogether. Thus, the phyllode comes to serve the purpose of the leaf. Phyllodes are common in the genus Acacia
Acacia

Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Sweden botanist Carolus Linnaeus in 1773....
, especially the Australian species, at one time put in Acacia subgenus Phyllodineae. Sometimes, especially on younger plants, partially formed phyllodes bearing reduced leaves can be seen.

In Acacia koa, the phyllodes are leathery and thick, allowing the tree to survive stressful environments. The petiole allows partially submerged hydrophytes to have leaves floating at different depths; the petiole being between the node and the stem.

Etymology

Petiole is pronounced "pet-ee-ohl" and comes from Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
petiolus, or peciolus "little foot," "stem", an alternate diminutive

Diminutive

In language structure, a diminutive, or diminutive form, is a formation of a word used to convey a slight degree of the root meaning, smallness of the object or quality named, encapsulation, intimacy, or endearment....
of pes "foot." The regular diminutive pediculus is also used for "foot stalk".