Usually a blade-like organ attached to the stem, often by a petiole or sheath, and commonly functioning as a principal organ in photosynthesis and transpiration. Leaves characteristically subtend buds and extend from the stem in various planes. See also leaflet. A leaf axil is the upper angle between a leaf petiole, or sessile leaf base, and the node from which it grows. A leaf scar is formed on a twig following the fall of a leaf, usually revealing the pattern of vascular bundles in the leaf trace.
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