樹木谷Hong Kong Tree Society

情迷３月，３月迷情

春之葉

Bewildered in March and March Bewilderment

- Spring Leaves

單葉和羽狀復葉的簡單辨認方法是它葉芽的位置．譬如一個一回羽狀葉共有十片小葉，它是復葉的話便只有一個葉芽，而它是單葉的話，便有十個葉芽．要確定它們，當然要在春天它們長出嫩葉時進行了．

今次選來了6種葉片，小葉都在初生狀態，我們較少注意．留意它們葉芽的位置便可以判斷究竟是單葉或復葉了．

油甘子的葉片羽狀排列，實際它的是互生單葉．可不要弄錯．

You can simply distinguish simple leaves and pinnate by looking at their bud position. Take a pinna which has a total of 10 leaflets as an example. If it is a pinnate, then there is only one bud. If it is a simple leaf, then there are 10 buds. To determine the buds, of course, it』d be best to do it in spring when young leaves are springing up.

Here are six kinds of leaves. They are in the primary growth state which we usually do not take much notice. If you look carefully at the bud positions, you can tell if it is a simple leaf or a compound leaf.

Leaves of Myrobalan (Phyllanthus emblica) are of pinna arrangement, but actually they are alternate simple leaves. Don』t go wrong!