Perforate leaf: Difference between revisions
the term is used for two things |
term is used for two different structures |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{merge from|Leaf window}} |
|||
[[File:Monstera deliciosa3.jpg|thumb|right|Fenestration seen in ''[[Monstera deliciosa]]'']] |
[[File:Monstera deliciosa3.jpg|thumb|right|Fenestration seen in ''[[Monstera deliciosa]]'']] |
||
'''Fenestration''' is a term in [[botany]] that refers either to natural holes or to translucent areas in the flowers or leaves of some species of plants.<ref>{{citation |authors=Beentje, H.; Williamson, J. |year=2010 |title=The Kew Plant Glossary: an Illustrated Dictionary of Plant Terms |publisher=Kew Publishing |location=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew }}</ref><ref>{{citation |authors=Hickey, M.; King, C. |year=2001 |title=The Cambridge Illustrated Glossary of Botanical Terms |publisher=Cambridge University Press}}</ref> |
'''Fenestration''' is a term in [[botany]] that refers either to natural holes or to translucent areas in the flowers or leaves of some species of plants.<ref>{{citation |authors=Beentje, H.; Williamson, J. |year=2010 |title=The Kew Plant Glossary: an Illustrated Dictionary of Plant Terms |publisher=Kew Publishing |location=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew }}</ref><ref>{{citation |authors=Hickey, M.; King, C. |year=2001 |title=The Cambridge Illustrated Glossary of Botanical Terms |publisher=Cambridge University Press}}</ref> |
||
Revision as of 15:56, 10 June 2016
 |
Fenestration is a term in botany that refers either to natural holes or to translucent areas in the flowers or leaves of some species of plants.[1][2]
Holes in plant leaves
The size, shape, and quantity of holes in each leaf can vary greatly depending on the species and can even vary greatly within a given species. Fenestration is caused by sections of leaf ceasing cell growth or by dying during an early stage in the development of the leaf. These deformations that are created earliest in the leaf development end up looking more like slashes whereas those that develop later end up looking more like holes. This trait is found in only one species in Aponogetonaceae and a few genera in Araceae.
It is not fully known what evolutionary purpose fenestration serves, but there are several possibilities. Fenestration could serve the purpose of reducing the chances of leaves tearing in high winds or it could help to maximize the amount of rain that's able to reach the plant's roots. It could help to cool the plant by producing turbulence around the leaf. Another possibility is that fenestration is a defense against herbivory. The holes might make the leaf look less enticing to herbivores.[3]
The term is also used to describe plants with holes in their trunks, such as Platypodium elegans which can be mistaken for a strangler fig.[4]
See also
References
- ^ The Kew Plant Glossary: an Illustrated Dictionary of Plant Terms, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Kew Publishing, 2010
{{citation}}: Unknown parameter|authors=ignored (help) - ^ The Cambridge Illustrated Glossary of Botanical Terms, Cambridge University Press, 2001
{{citation}}: Unknown parameter|authors=ignored (help) - ^ Muir, Christopher D. "How Did the Swiss Cheese Plant Get Its Holes?" The American Naturalist 181.2 (2013): 273-81.
- ^ Richard Condit; Rolando Pérez; Nefertaris Daguerre (8 November 2010). Trees of Panama and Costa Rica. Princeton University Press. pp. 232–. ISBN 978-0-691-14710-9. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
Further reading
- Bown, Deni (2000). Aroids: Plants of the Arum Family [ILLUSTRATED]. Timber Press. ISBN 0-88192-485-7