Download Amazing Facts – Insects

Four Winds Nature Institute
4 Casey Rd. Chittenden, VT 05737
802-353-9440
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Amazing Facts – LEAVES: NATURE’S SUNCATCHERS
1. The world’s largest leaves grow on the raffia palm in Africa. Those leaves can be over 65 feet long!
(World Book Encyclopedia).
2. The leaves of one beech tree were counted. The trunk measured 15 inches in diameter, and there
were 119,000 leaves. The total surface area was estimated to be 3,000 square feet. (Hands-On
Nature)
3. Many features of leaf shape are designed to shed rain water so the leaves do not become infected
with bacteria. Some leaves (e.g., American elm) are asymmetric and tip the water off. Others
(e.g., maple) have sharp tips that allow the water to drip off. (Hands-On Nature)
4. Openings in leaf blades allow the exchange of gases like carbon dioxide and oxygen, and the release
of water vapor. These openings are called stomata. A single leaf may have over 2 million stomata,
but they only account for 1% of the total surface area of the leaf. (World Book Encyclopedia)
5. Transpiration – the release of water from the leaves of trees – helps keep the leaves cool, analogous
to perspiration in humans. A large oak tree can give off as much as 300 gallons of water in a day.
(Hands-On Nature)
6. Many plant structures are specialized leaves. These include spines (cactus), protective bud scales
(many plants), tendrils (ivy, grape, pea), colorful bracts (poinsettia), water storage reservoirs
(stonecrop), food storage bulbs (onion, tulip), and insect-capturing traps (Venus’ fly trap, sundew).
(World Book Encyclopedia)
7. In windy environments, leaves may be lobed to allow the wind to pass through without tearing the
leaf; or the leaves may be small and the petiole (leaf stem) may be flexible to bend easily in the
wind. (World Book Encyclopedia)
8. Although leaves usually need sunlight, too strong light can damage the cells’ photosynthetic
machinery. Leaves in strong sun may have a thick waxy covering called a cuticle to help screen
out some of the sunlight; or they may be covered with tiny hairs to diffuse the light. (World Book
Encyclopedia)
9. Begonias, which grow well in shaded areas, have special rounded cell in their leaves that act like
magnifying glasses to concentrate the light. In full sunlight, these magnifying cells can cause the
leaves to burn and die from too much sun. (Photosynthesis- Silverstein,et.al.)
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