hastate leaf
- noun
- Specialized
:
hoja hastada
- The hastate leaf of this plant resembles a spearhead with pointed lobes.
Examples
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This wildflower’s hastate leaf shape sets it apart from other common varieties.
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The plant is easily identified by its hastate leaf structure.
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Many wetland species display a distinctive hastate leaf form.
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The plant has a distinctive hastate leaf shape.
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Many hastate leaves can be found in wetland areas.
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A hastate leaf typically features wide flaring lobes at its base.
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You can recognize the hastate leaf by its unique spear-like shape.
Synonyms
A leaf shaped like an arrowhead with a pointed tip and two parts that spread at the base
A leaf shaped like an arrowhead with two pointed parts at the base
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is fully compositional: the adjective 'hastate' describes a specific leaf shape (outward‑pointing lobes) and 'leaf' names the plant organ, so the meaning 'a leaf shaped like a spearhead with flaring lobes at the base' follows directly from the constituents. Note that 'hastate' is technical and low‑frequency, so while the phrase is transparent in structure, many B1 learners will simply not know the adjective itself.
Etymology
The noun hastate leaf comes from the old word hastate, meaning 'spear', and describes a leaf that looks like a spearhead: the main tip points forward and two small pointed parts at the base stick out like tiny wings. So the image of a spearhead helps you remember that a hastate leaf means 'a leaf shaped like a spearhead with flaring pointed lobes at the base'.
