Leaf Identification	Leaf Blade Shapes

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Leaf Groupings	Leaf Arrangement and Venation	Leaf Margins	Summary Practice

Leaf Blade Shape

The first step in identifying a plant is to look at its leaves and determine their shape, and grouping.

Leaf Blade

One way to identify a plant is by the shape of its leaf blade.

The main part of a leaf is the blade.

There are nine major shape categories:

Linear

narrow, with parallel or nearly parallel sides

Examples

Lanceolate
lance shaped, longer than broad and tapering to a point at the tip	Examples

Oblong
much longer than wide, with nearly parallel sides	Examples

Elliptic
shaped like an ellipse, wider at the center and tapering to equal tips	Examples

Ovate
egg-shaped, broader at the base than the tip	Examples

Cordate
heart-shaped, either the leaf shape or base	Examples

Reniform
Kidney-shaped	Examples

Spatulate
In the shape of a spatula or spoon	Examples

Orbicular
Round	Examples

It's time to check what you have learned about leaf blade shapes. (Go to Test Pilot Practice)

Linear
narrow, with parallel or nearly parallel sides	Examples