Palmately Compound Leaf Notes

Palmately compound leaves are a type of compound leaves wherein the leaflets are attached at the tip of the petiole.

Leaves are categorized into two main types based on the division of the lamina:

  • Simple leaves are undivided or the incision does not reach the midrib
  • Compound leaves have their lamina separated into multiple leaflets

Compound leaves are of two types:

Pinnately Compound Leaves - Here, leaflets are present on the rachis (common axis) which represents the midrib. For example, the Neem leaf.

Palmately Compound Leaves - Here, leaflets are attached together at one point, i.e. the petiole tip. For example, Silk Cotton.

Types of Palmately Compound Leaves

On the basis of the number of leaflets present, palmately compound leaves can be classified into the following types:

Unifoliate - a single leaflet attached at the tip of the petiole, such as a lemon.

Bifoliate - a pair of leaflets attached to a petiole, such as Zornia, Bauhinia, and Prinsepia.

Potentilla indica is an example of a plant with three leaflets, also known as Trifoliate.

Quadrifoliate – four leaflets are present, e.g. Marsilia.

Multifoliate - Bombax and Gynandropsis are examples of plants that have five or more leaflets attached to the petiole.

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