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A leaf is the primary organ of any plant and just like human
organs, a leaf is essential for the survival of a plant, until it
itself stops it food making process and conserves nutrients and water
during winters. Typically a leaf is a thin, flattened organ borne
above the ground by plants to get access to sunlight and carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere. The shape and size of the leaf maximizes
the surface area exposed to light and promotes the photosynthetic
function. Moreover, leaves are naturally arranged on a plant in such
ways so as to expose their surface to light as efficiently as
possible and without shading other leaves.
The main job of leaves is to make food for
the plant. They do it by making use of sunlight for energy to break
water that they get from the plants’ roots and also carbon dioxide
from the atmosphere. This food production process is called
photosynthesis. Water gets to the leaves through a series of
extremely thin pipes that run all the way from the roots to the
leaves. During spring and summers, leaves open up their tiny openings
that are placed under their surface to let out moisture and also
oxygen. During winters, when the ground freezes and enough water
isn’t available, plants shed their leaves to conserve water.
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