axil
9.9
The upper angle where a leaf or branch joins a stem
- noun
- /ˈæksɪl/
- Specialized
:
axila
- Adults emerge in spring and feed on newly formed leaf tissue of Lythrum salicaria. Spring oviposition lasts approximately two months; batches of two to ten eggs are laid daily on the plant stem or in leaf axils.
- leaf axil
Examples
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At the same time, remove any shoots that form in the leaf axils of the two or three pairs of leaves below the flower bud.
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During the summer, yellowish flowers form in the axils of its dull-brown scale leaves.
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The male cones are spherical and form in the axils of the leaves of the preceding year.
Surface Forms
Etymology
Axil comes from the Latin axilla, which means 'armpit'. So an axil is like the small 'armpit' where a leaf or branch meets the stem, and that is why buds and flowers often grow there.
