How do leaves differ in their venation and phyllotaxy?
Venation refers to the arrangement of veins in a leaf. It is of two types:
1. Reticulate venation – Veins form a network, found in dicots (e.g., mango).
2. Parallel venation – Veins run parallel to each other, found in monocots (e.g., grass).
Phyllotaxy is the arrangement of leaves on a stem or branch. It is of three types:
1. Alternate – A single leaf grows at each node alternately (e.g., sunflower).
2. Opposite – Two leaves grow at the same node opposite each other (e.g., guava).
3. Whorled – More than two leaves grow in a circle at a node (e.g., Alstonia).