What is the waxy layer on the surface of leaves called?

What is the waxy layer on the surface of leaves called?

A waxy layer known as the cuticle covers the leaves of all plant species. The cuticle reduces the rate of water loss from the leaf surface. Other leaves may have small hairs (trichomes) on the leaf surface.

What kind of leaves have a waxy cuticle?

Sometimes, however, the cuticle is responsible for a plant’s light-colored foliage. The desert agave, also called the century plant (Agave deserti), which grows in USDA plant hardiness zones 9a through 11a, has light gray or bluish foliage because of its waxy cuticle.

What is the name of the arrangement of leaves on a plant?

The arrangement of leaves on a stem is known as phyllotaxy; leaves can be classified as either alternate, spiral, opposite, or whorled. Plants with alternate and spiral leaf arrangements have only one leaf per node.

What are the green appendages at the base of a leaf?

Leaves also have stipules, small green appendages usually found at the base of the petiole. Most leaves have a midrib, which travels the length of the leaf and branches to each side to produce veins of vascular tissue. The edge of the leaf is called the margin.

Where are the palisade and spongy layers located on a leaf?

Together, the palisade and spongy layers are known as the mesophyll. The bottom of the leaf is protected by the lower epidermis. Within this are the stomata, which are pores allowing for gas exchange that are regulated by the guard cells.

Where are the veins located on a eudicot leaf?

Most leaves have a midrib, which travels the length of the leaf and branches to each side to produce veins of vascular tissue. The edge of the leaf is called the margin. Figure 1 shows the structure of a typical eudicot leaf. Within each leaf, the vascular tissue forms veins. The arrangement of veins in a leaf is called the venation pattern.

How does the epidermis of a leaf function?

The epidermis of the leaf also functions in a more specialized manner by secreting a waxy substance that forms a coating, termed the cuticle, on the surface of the leaf.