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Leaves are food factories for the tree. Powered by sunlight, the green substance
in leaves called chlorophyll, use carbon dioxide and water to produce life-sustaining
carbohydrates (sugars). The entire process is called photosynthesis.
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A tree's leaves are also responsible for the twin functions of respiration and
transpiration. Both of these processes support evapotranspiration which allows the tree
to move water and nutrients up from the roots.
Through small openings on the leaf, called stomata, a tree can regulate moisture and
gasses. With the exchange of water and the absorption of carbon dioxide during the
process of photosynthesis, the release of life-sustaining oxygen occurs as a by-product.
Epidermis – The leaf's outer layer and protective "skin" surrounding leaf tissues.
Cuticle – A waxy protective coating on the leaf epidermis that prevents water loss on
leaves, green stems, and fruits.
Leaf hairs – Coverings on a leaf's epidermis that may or may not exist with every tree
species.
Palisade layer – A tightly packed layer of long tube-like parenchyma tissues filled with
chloroplasts for photosynthesis.
Vascular bundle – Xylem and phloem tissues, commonly known as leaf veins.
Stomata – Natural openings in leaves and herbaceous stems that allow for gas
exchange (water vapor, carbon dioxide and oxygen).
Guard cells – Specialized kidney-shaped cells that open and close the stomata.
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True leaves are blade-like and have a connection to the twig called a stalk or petiole.
The edges of all leaves are called margins and can be smooth or toothed but can also
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A Tree leaf can be symmetric or asymmetric off the midrib or midvein. A leaf can have a
single midrib or several radiating off the stalk. A leaf will have veins radiating off these
midrib(s).
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