Orchid Leaves
Orchid leaves are simple leaves with parallel veins. They are not made up of lobes or leaflets. The leaves may be terete (pencil-like), semi-terete, quarter-terete, strap-leaf or plicate, and are very variable in size. The structure of the leaves corresponds to the specific habitat of the plant. Orchids that grow in sunlight or very dry area, have thick, leathery leaves and the laminas are covered by a waxy cuticle, to reduce water loss. Those grow on shady area have long, thin leaves. Most plants have leaves that are thicker, smooth, and V-shaped in cross-section. These thick and fleshy leaves are called conduplicate. Some orchids have plicate leaves that are thin with many lengthwise pleats. A number of orchids have long, thin, cylindrical leaves (may be grooved) called terete. The leaves of most orchids are perennial, and can last for a few years. Those with plicate leaves shed their leaves annually and develop new leaves together with new pseudobulbs.  Dendrobium leaves Author: BotBln (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0-unported) | ||
|
