Botanical Simple Leaf Shape Search





  Simple leaves Not composed of more than one morphologically equivalent unit, that is, not divided into leaflets.
are not divided and are attached on their own stalk to the stem. As contrasted with a compound leaf, which is divided into several leaflets. To distinguish a leaf from a leaflet, simple and compound leaves have a bud at their base, but a leaflet does not.
Select a leaf shape from the following list (if needed, mouse hover over terms for definitions and shapes):

  Acicular, Needle-shaped
  Cordate, Heart-shaped
  Cuneate, Wedge-shaped
  Deltate, Triangular
  Deltoid, Triangular
  Elliptic, Shaped like an ellipse
  Ensiform, Sword blade-shaped
  Falcate, Sickle-shaped
  Fan-shaped, Having the form of an open fan
  Filiform, Thread-like


  Flabellate, Fan-shaped
  Hastate, Spearhead-shaped, with flaring pointed lobes at the base.
  Lanceolate, Lance-shaped
  Ligulate, Strap-shaped
  Linear, Long and narrow (like a blade of grass).
  Lingulate, Tongue-shaped
  Lorate, Thong or strap shaped (broader than Ligulate usually).
  Lunate, Crescent shaped
  Lyrate, Having a curvature suggestive of a lyre; terminal lobe rounded and bigger than the other lobes.
  Obcordate, Reversed cordate shape; inversely heart-shaped; attached to the stalk by the pointed end.


  Obdeltoid, Inversely deltoid; triangular shaped with the apex of the triangle attached to the stem.
  Oblanceolate, Inversely lanceolate, much longer than wide with the widest portion near the tip.
  Oblong, Longer than broad, rounded at each end with roughly parallel sides.
  Obovate, Inverse ovate; egg-shaped leaf with the narrower end at the petiole (leaf stalk).
  Obtrullate, Inverse trullate; Resembling a trowel blade with the two longer sides meeting at the base.
  Orbicular, Circular or rounded.
  Orbiculate, Circular or rounded.
  Oval, Broadly elliptical.
  Ovate, Egg-shaped, with the leaf widest below the middle.
  Palmatifid, Approximately palm-shaped or hand-shaped with the lobes extending about half-way to the base.


  Palmatisect, Approximately palm-shaped or hand-shaped with the lobes extending close to the base.
  Pandurate, Shaped like a fiddle.
  Peltate, A rounded leaf where the petiole (leaf stalk) attaches near the center of the lower surface instead of the base.
  Pinnatifid, With lobes whose incisions extend about a quarter to half-way to the midrib (the middle vein of the leaf).
  Pinnatipartite, With lobes whose incisions extend half to two-thirds to the midrib (the middle vein of the leaf).
  Pinnatisect, With lobes whose incisions extend approximately to the midrib (the middle vein of the leaf).
  Reniform, Kidney shaped; having a circular shape with a notch where the leaf stem attaches.
  Rhombic, Diamond shaped, with approximately four equal sides.
  Rhomboid, Diamond shaped, with approximately four equal sides.
  Runcinate, With incised margins with the lobes or teeth curved toward the base.


  Sagittate, Arrowhead-shaped; with one point at one end and two pointed lobes extending downward from the base.
  Spathulate, Shaped like a spatula or a spoon.
  Suborbicular, Approximately orbicular or orbiculate; nearly circular or rounded.
  Suborbiculate, Approximately orbiculate or orbicular; nearly circular or rounded.
  Subulate, Tapering from the base to the apex; awl-shaped.
   and Trullate Having the shape of a trowel blade.


A search on ovate, for example, will find ovate, deltate-ovate, ovate-lanceolate, ovate-oblong, etc. Simple leaf shape assignments are based on data from The Flora of North America, Illinois Wildflowers, and a few examples are from Missouri Plants, Missouri Botanical Garden, Flora of China, USDA, and Flora of Wisconsin. See the reference section on the home page for the URL for each of these resources.