Leaf Observations

The object that we observed in class today was three small, light green leaves attached to a thin red stem. The leaves are all attached at the same spot on the stem. The leaf in the middle is symmetrical in it's shape, but the other two are not. This is due to the curved edges of the leaves. The two side leaves have four curves on the bottom half and only two curves on the top half whereas the middle leaf has four curves on both sides. This makes the entire leaflet symmetrical down the center. One characteristic that I find most fascinating is the dark dots and squiggly patterns on two of the leaves. I did not know the cause of this discoloration until our discussion afterwards, and I learned that these spots are caused by a species of parasitic moth. I also observed that the top side of each leaf is smoother than the bottom side, and they have a fragrant smell. After using a ruler to measure the size of the leaf, I determined that the leaflet is longer than it is wide. I did not write down the exact measurements of its size because I was unsure if the ruler was in centimeters or another scale of measurement.