Research Training Program

Ana Marcela Florez
Universidad Industrial de Santander
Bucaramanga, Colombia

Kenneth Wurdack, Ph.D.
Supervising Scientist
Department of Botany

"Being a participant in the RTP
has been the best and more
fruitful academic experience
of my life. It has definitively
opened my eyes to more
opportunities and ways
to do science."

Where do three parted leaves fit in the compound leaf classification?

Leaf shape has always played an important role in plant taxonomy, leaf characters help botanist classify different plants. Three parted leaves present a challenge because they're in-between two different classes of compound leaves; pinnate and palmate. In Bishofia this kind of leaf has put in doubt its taxonomical status, it has three parted compound leaves and is sister to exclusively simple-leaved taxa, plus some mutant leaves present multi-leaflet pinnate and palmate forms. Mutant leaves are also found on Staphylea holocarpa, mutant leaves are very useful and interesting to study because they show developmental pathways not otherwise seen in normal leaves. With a scanning electron microscope small developing shoots were examined in an array of plant taxa (in Bishofia javanica, Staphylea trifolia, Staphylea holocarpa and Rhus aromatica), it was discover how these leaves developed and how they grow to become a fully expanded leaf. Luckily mutant leaves were found and the pathway of its growth was uncovered. This study helps us conclude that three parted compound leaves often called pedate or ternate, are an intermediate between palmate and pinnate, the mutant leaves were found to follow a pinnate pattern. These investigation help botanist understand the evolution of compound leaf shape and solve taxonomical questions in regards to leaf shape.

This research was supported by a generous donation from the Honorable Max Berry.