Leaf structure

• Plants make their own food through photosynthesis
• Photosynthesis


  1. Get sunlight, carbon dioxide and water

  2. Combine to create glucose and oxygen
• Leaf


  • Plant's food factory
  • Parts work together to get reactants in one place for photosynthesis
• Palisade mesophyll


  Cells specialized for trapping light, packed with chlorophyll
• Top side of leaf is darker than bottom due to palisade mesophyll
• Leaves have large surface area to trap as much sunlight as possible
• Stomata


  Little pores that open to let carbon dioxide diffuse in
• Guard cells


  Control opening and closing of stomata
• Carbon dioxide entry


  1. Through stomata

  2. Travels through spongy mesophyll

  3. Reaches palisade layer for photosynthesis
• Water entry


  1. Comes up through roots and stem

  2. Enters leaf through vascular bundle

  3. Spreads through leaf via veins
• Leaf's palisade cells have water, carbon dioxide and sunlight needed for photosynthesis
• Cuticle


  Waxy coating above palisade and below spongy mesophyll, seals leaf
• Epidermis


  Leaf's skin
• Palisade mesophyll


  Where bulk of photosynthesis occurs
• Spongy mesophyll


  Space between cells for reactants to move
• Vascular bundle


  Contains xylem to transport water and phloem to transport sugars
• Leaves come in different shapes and sizes but have common parts to get reactants and perform photosynthesis