View Single Post
Old 09-04-2008, 03:33 PM   #1
Grendel
Jr. Gardener
 
Grendel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Chillin in the zeitgeist
Posts: 139
Thanks: 384
Thanked 198 Times in 94 Posts
Grendel is budding up nicely.Grendel is budding up nicely.Grendel is budding up nicely.Grendel is budding up nicely.
Non-palmate leaves?

Hey all, question for you(s)...

I have what I believe to be a non-palmate plant. Just single opposing leaves the whole way up (until they begin to alternate). I am utterly baffled. It was (I thought) bagseed. On reflection I suppose its entirely possible it was just growing where I thought bagseed had been growing and is actually something else entirely.

The case:

This plant sprouted exactly like every other plant I've seen. Two cotyledons, followed by two, single opposing leaves. The thing is, as the plant grew, its leaves never became palmate... they're just singles the whole way.

At vegetative maturity main top began producing a second, smaller leaf near the base of the main leaf (not unlike the smallest leaves near the stem of a palmate leaf). This second smaller leaf, then did the same thing, leading to a pattern that looks kind of like this (emanating from both sides of the main stem):

I
I___I
_I_____

Where the bottom line represents the single leaf coming out of the stem, and the verticle line represent the second, smaller leaf, and the top horizontal line is the second smaller leaf's small leaf.
It continues out from the stem in that same pattern like how the mortar between bricks in a brickwall looks.

The other thing is these single leaves look EXACTLY like the individual fingers of a palmate leaf... right down to the veins, serration, and general size (although I know leaf size is quite variable).

Does anybody have any experience with a similar plant??? I am absolutely baffled.

Thanks!

-Grendel

Last edited by Grendel; 09-04-2008 at 03:36 PM.. Reason: typos
Grendel is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Grendel For This Useful Post:
EMj (09-04-2008)