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Glite Dictionary
perfoliate leaf

perfoliate leaf

9.9
A leaf whose base completely wraps around the stem so the stem appears to pass through it
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : hoja perfoliada
  • The stem of the plant passes through the center of each perfoliate leaf.

Examples

  • Some species of honeysuckle are known for their distinctive perfoliate leaves.

  • The botanist pointed out a rare perfoliate leaf structure on the wildflower.

  • The perfoliate leaf of the plant is quite unique.

  • Many perfoliate leaves can be found in tropical regions.

  • Some species of honeysuckle are known for their distinctive perfoliate leaves.

  • The botanist pointed out a rare perfoliate leaf structure on the wildflower.

  • The stem of the plant passes through the center of each perfoliate leaf.

Surface Forms

perfoliate leaf singular
perfoliate leaves plural

Morphology

perfoliate + leaf

The phrase is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: if a learner knows 'perfoliate' as 'having edges that unite around the stem' and 'leaf' as the plant organ, they can combine these to infer a leaf whose base surrounds the stem. This follows a common, cross-linguistic adjectival modification pattern, so the overall meaning is directly derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Perfoliate leaf names a leaf that looks as if the plant stem goes through it. The base of the leaf wraps completely around the stem, so the stem seems to 'pass through' the leaf and the name describes this kind of leaf.