Each of us noticed that the leaves on the plantsarranged in a certain way. Biologists call this phenomenon phyllotaxis. From our article you will learn what a whorled leaf location is and in what plants in nature it is found.
Types of phyllotaxis
Only one leaves from the apple and dog rosesheet. The rest relative to each other are arranged in a spiral. This type of phyllotaxis is found in plants of the family of Umbrella, Cereal, Berezo and Boukotsvetny. It is called the next or spiral.
In the opposite case of phyllotaxis, there are two sheets in a node, which are located opposite each other. Examples of such plants are sage, mint, motherwort, rosemary, basil, lemon balm.
Turbid leaf location: examples of plants and features
But plants with whorled phyllotaxis are not commonly found in nature. In such species, several leaves develop at once on one node.
Ringed leaf arrangement (also calledwhorl) is considered to be the most beneficial for effective absorption of sunlight. In this case, the leaves hardly shade each other. Moreover, their total area is much larger than that of the plant itself. As examples of plants with a ringed leaf arrangement, representatives of the families Melantium, Kutrovye, and also the genus Vodokrasovye can be cited.
Tiered categories
The leaves, located on different parts of the shoot, morphologically and functionally differ from each other. According to the characteristics, they can be combined into three groups:
- Grassroots perform the function of protection and supply of nutrients. Develop at the bottom of the sheet. At first they are white, but over time the shade changes to brown or black.
- Median - photosynthesizing green leaves with large plates. Develop in the middle part of the shoot.
- Horse - leaves located in the field of inflorescences. They are underdeveloped, weakly dissected. Their green color is not for photosynthesis, but to attract insects.
Мутовчатое листорасположение дает возможность Each plate to maximize the use of light. If the leaves grow in a horizontal or vertical plane on the petioles of unequal height, a so-called mosaic is formed. It can be observed in plants with different phyllotaxis, including whorled.
What plants have a whorl?
Several sheets in one node often develop inconiferous plants. This juniper, spruce, pine, cypress. Their leaves are needle-shaped and are called needles. This structure prevents excessive loss of moisture in the cold season. But for the implementation of photosynthesis needles need to be placed "bundles".
Turbid leaf layout is characteristic ofmany ornamental plants. It can be found in lilies and oleander. Their leaves have a rich green color and a waxy coating that makes these plants more visually attractive.
Examples of species with whorlled leaf positionserves and horsetail. It belongs to the group of higher spore plants. Moreover, the function of photosynthesis is performed only by a summer shoot, in the sockets of which thin wedge-shaped leaves develop.
Elodea - typical example of aquatic plant with whorledphyllotaxis. Each leaf of the shoot develops three sheets with a rounded oblong plate. They are transparent, bright green color, located on long shoots. Such a structure makes elodieu a real decoration of aquariums and ponds.
So ringed or whorled leaf location,examples of which we considered in the article are characterized by the presence of several plates in one node. In this case, they do not obscure each other, contributing to the efficient flow of the photosynthesis process.
