MELVILLE. 1976. The Terminology of Leaf Architecture

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The Terminology of Leaf ArchitectureAuthor(s): R. MelvilleSource:

Taxon,

Vol. 25, No. 5/6 (Nov., 1976), pp. 549-561Published by: International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT)Stable URL:

http://www.jstor.org/stable/1220108

Accessed: 05/02/2009 11:17

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TAXON

25(5/6):

549-561.NOVEMBER1976

THE TERMINOLOGYOF LEAFARCHITECTURE

R.Melville*SummaryAcomparativestudyofleafarchitecturehroughouttheAngiospermshas beenmadeand six classesof venationpatternsarerecognised.Thetermsemployedare definedandarrangedinasystematicorderforconvenienceof reference.Somenew termshavebeenintroduced wheregreater precisionwasneeded and for little knownvenationpatterns.IntroductionIn theearlysixties theSystematicsAssociation setupacommitteeforde-scriptive terminology,theobjectivesofwhich weretoconsider themorphologicaltermsin use indescriptive plant taxonomyandto makerecommendationsfortheir standardisation.Astart was made with thesimpleplane shapesofleavesforwhich W. B. Turrillhadalreadydrawnupa scheme.This was modifiedslightlyand submittedtobotanistsinmanycountries forcriticism.Anagreedlistofterms was then drawnupwithillustrations andpublishedinTaxonin

1962.

It had been the intention of thecommitteetopassonto a considerationoftheterminologyof morecomplex shapesandtocharacters of leafmargins,indumentum,glandsand otherfeatures.Unfortunately theywere unable tofindvolunteers able todevotethetimenecessarytosurveythe literature andproducepreliminaryproposalsfor other charactersystems.Theneed to reviewandstandardise botanicalterminologyhassince remained anoutstanding problem.RecentlyL.J.Hickey(I973,1974)has made a valuablecontribution inthisfieldinapaperon thearchitecture ofdicotyledonousleaves.Inthisheconsiderstheshapesof leafbasesandapices,themarginalteeth and theterminologyofthe venationpatternsofleaves. Mouton(I970)coveredmuch thesamefield,givingtermsin Frenchonlyandmingling marginalcharacters withpurelyvenationcharactersinhisterminologyina manner whichisaptto beconfusing.Neithertreatment is exhaustiveasHickeydealsonlywithDicotyledonsandMoutonincompletelywiththe wholeof theAngiosperms.Bothauthorsapproachedthesubjectfromthepointof view ofpalaeobotany,butgoback in thefossil recordonlyto theCretaceous.Both,also,have takenuptheterminologyof vonEttingshausen(1861),anotherpalaeobotanist.VonEttingshausenappearstohaveset out to devise a newseries of termswithoutgivingfullconsideration totermsalreadyinuse.Unfortunatelyhebasedhis termsonGreekrootswhichresultsinanungainlyseries ofpolysyllableswhich do notharmonisewith theLatinterminologyusedintaxonomicdescriptions.Thepurposeofthispaperis toattemptasystematisationof theterminologyofleafarchitecture,introducinga fewadditionalterms,wherenecessary,basedonLatinroots. Themajorityofterms usedinthedescriptionofleaves have beendefined andmanyillustratedbyStearn(1966)and it isnotnecessarytorepeatherethoseappertainingtoleafshapes,margins, apicesand bases orindumentum.With oneexception,attention willberestricted toleafvenationpatterns,afieldwhich hasbeen muchneglectedinthepast.Itisnecessary,however,toconsidertheevolutionofmegaphyllousleaves from thetimeofthefirstinvasionofthelandbyvascularplantsintheSilurian,ifaproperunderstandingoftheleaves:RoyalBotanicGardens,Kew,Surrey,England.

NOVEMBER1976

549

I

2

345678

9'10

1I12

13

Tab.I.I,Arbuscularfastigiateleaf-Stirlingia tenuifolia.2,Simpleflabellate-Cir-caeasteragrestis. 3,Pedati-flabellate-Leucadendronargenteum. 4,Pedati-flabellate-Petal ofPloiariumalternifolium.5-7, Rectipalmateeaves ofAcer:5,A.monspessulanum;6,A.campestre;7,A.palmatum.8,Pedate-Platanus occidentalis.

9-12,

Convergate(Curvipalmate)eavesof Dioscorea:9-Io,D.spicata;ii,D.alata; 12,D.bulbifera.13,Palmati-pinnateThespesiapopulnea.ofmodernAngiospermsistobeattained. The studies on whichtheseproposalsare made haveledme to examinecursorilyallAngiospermfamilies and anumberofgenerainsome detailas well as toscan thefossilrecord,especiallythat of theGlossopteridae,whichplayakeyrole inAngiospermevolution.Considerablesimplificationof ourterminologycan be attainedif wepayattention to thesimplefact thatveinsmaybestraightor curved. Thenit isnecessarytorecognisesixprimarysystemsof venationpatternsof whichpal-mate andpinnateare themost familiar.Tothismust be addedsome consider-ationofevolutionary processesand theontogenyandphysiologyofdevelopmentofleaves,but thelatteraspectswillbe treated in anotherpaper.Primary systemsofvenationpatternsThe nomenclature oftheprimary systemstakesintoaccount theorderinwhichveinsare formedduringleafdevelopmentand to some extentthe manner in whichtheyare formed.Thus,in apinnateleaf the midrib is theonlyprimaryveinandthe lateralpinnatelyarrangedcostae are secondaries. The intercostal areasarenormallydividedupbyaternaryseriesofveins and the areolae so formedmaybe furtherdividedbyaquaternaryseries and furtherbyaquinaryseries.Thesymboliro,

20, 30,40

and50will be used to indicate this order. Inpalmateleaves veins ofeach order areinitiatedsimultaneously,ornearlyso,buttheveinorders follow oneanothersuccessivelyintime.

550

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