Heart shaped tree leaves

Indian bean tree (Catalpa)

Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)

Redbud (Cercis siliquastrum)

Empress tree (Paulawnia tomentosa)

Ficus petiolaris

Fig leaf - Ficus carica - shape, venation, margin, texture

 Fig leaves are probably most famous for the biblical mention of Adam and Eve covering themselves with these leaves after they sinned.  Personally I can´t imagine anyone wearing these rather rough and sandpaper textured leaves.  Or perhaps the first couple covered themselves with the leaves of another member of the ficus family.  These fig leaves come from the Edible Fig - Ficus carica.  As can be seen from the images Fig leaves are very deeply "lobed".  The edible fig does drop it leaves each year.  The image below is of the autumn colors.

 The following image shows the bright green color of the fig leaf as well as its lumpy surface.  What is not see easy to see from the image is its rough, sandpaper like texture on the top side.

 The image below is of the reverse (underside) of the leaf, which is a lighter green color and is also rough but with stiff pubescent hairs.  It is also very "rugose" with the veins being very visible and pronounced.

 The venation of the fig leaf is "reticulate" with the secondary veins forming a network pattern. Each of the lobes also has a main vein that branches of from the rachis.

 The margin is "serrate" with rounded teeth that point slightly forward.

Summary...
Shape: Lobate
Margin: Serrate
Consistency: thick and stiff
Venation: Reticulate
Texture top side: Rugose
Texture reverse: Pubescent
Color: bright green, yellow-orange in autumn
Petiole: 2-6cm

Olive branch leaf arrangement

 The Olive tree (species name: Olea europaea) has a leaf arrangement that is a good example of the "Opposite & Decusatte" arrangement.  The "opposite" part refers to the leaves arranged in pairs that grow out of the opposite sides of the stem.  The "decussate" part means that the leaves are arranged on a stem in opposite pairs at right angles to those above or below.  The images below give a pretty good perspective on what this looks like.  In the case of the Olive tree the leaves themselves have a narrow lanceolate shape with a short petiole.  These pictures also show the new inflorescence forming right above the petiole on the new branch growth.

Which is the Maple Leaf?

Of the two leaves below can you tell which one is the Maple leaf? Only one of them is a maple .... can you guess what tree species the other leaf is from?

These two leaves where taken from two trees in a city park in Spokane Washington that stand side by side. The leaf on the left is a Norway Maple (Acer platanoides) leaf (I put the winged seed in the picture as a hint). The leaf on the right is from a London Plane. As you can see the leaves of these two trees are very similar and quite easy to confuse. Let me give two easy ways to tell these trees apart.

1. You can tell them apart by the structure that holds their seeds. In the case of the Norway Maple the seeds are held in a winged "samara" (seen in the image above by the left leaf). In the case of the London Plane the seeds are located in a ping-pong sized ball (see image below).


2. You can tell them apart by their bark which is very different from each other. The first image below is of the Norway maple bark.


The next image is of the Londan Plane bark on a mature tree that shows the characteristic lumpiness and bulging. The bark peels off in small sheets, which is one of the reasons it does so well in high pollution cities.

Brachychiton Acerifolius leaf variations

All of these leaf pictures were taken from one Brachychiton Acerifolius (Illawara Flame tree) on the same day. As you can see these trees have a significant amount of variation from one leaf to another even on the same tree. I have seen leafs with just one lobe to leaves with up to nine lobes although typically they have three, five or seven lobes.



The leaves in these pictures are about 6-8 inches long and have a smooth texture.





It is also very common for leaves to be irregular in shape with the lobe on one side being more fully formed than the opposite lobe on the other side.
External links...

www.tree-species.com

Ten Thousand Trees