Phyllodes are modified petioles or

leaf A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the plant stem, stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leav ...

stems, which are leaf-like in appearance and function. In some plants, these become flattened and widened, while the leaf itself becomes reduced or vanishes altogether. Thus the phyllode comes to serve the purpose of the leaf. Some important examples are ''

Euphorbia royleana ''Euphorbia'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family Euphorbiaceae. Euphorbias range from tiny annual plants to large and long-lived trees, with perhaps the tallest being ''Euphorbia ampliphyll ...

'' which are cylindrical and ''

Opuntia ''Opuntia'', commonly called the prickly pear cactus, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae, many known for their flavorful fruit and showy flowers. Cacti are native to the Americas, and are well adapted to arid clima ...

'' which are flattened. Acacia suaveolens 155867

They are common in the genus ''

Acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Austral ...

'', especially the Australian species, at one time put in ''Acacia'' subg. ''Phyllodineae''. Sometimes, especially on younger plants, partially formed phyllodes bearing reduced leaves can be seen. The illustration (to the right) of '' Acacia suaveolens'' from '' Novae Hollandiae plantarum specimen'' shows the juvenile true leaves, together with the developing phyllodes, and the phyllodes of the mature plant. The genus, ''

Daviesia ''Daviesia'', commonly known as bitter peas, is a genus of about 130 species of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, and is endemic to Australia. Plants in the genus ''Daviesia'' are shrubs or small trees with leaves modified as phyllodes or ...

'', in the family

Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

, is characterised in part by the plants having phyllodes. File:Acacia suaveolens 9064505997 9f14f5f117 o.jpg, '' Acacia suaveolens'' File:Lathyrus nissolia eF.jpg, ''

Lathyrus nissolia ''Lathyrus nissolia'', the grass vetchling, is a species of flowering plant in the pea and bean family Fabaceae.Streeter D, Hart-Davies C, Hardcastle A, Cole F, Harper L. 2009. ''Collins Flower Guide''. Harper Collins Its common name refers to t ...

'' File:Daviesia angulata - Flickr - Kevin Thiele.jpg, '' Daviesia angulata'' File:Daviesianudiflora14633633025 079b5a9a46 o.jpg, '' Daviesia nudiflora'' File:Acacia mangium leaves.jpg, '' Acacia mangium''

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite journal, last1=Crisp, first1=M.D, title=Contributions towards a revision of ''Daviesia'' (Fabaceae: Mirbelieae). III.* A synopsis of the genus, journal=Australian Systematic Botany, volume=8, issue=6, year=1995, pages=1155, issn=1030-1887, doi=10.1071/SB9951155 PlantNET glossary: P
National Herbarium of NSW, Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. Leaf morphology fr:Phyllode