compound leaf

American  

noun

1. a leaf composed of a number of leaflets on a common stalk, arranged either palmately, as the fingers of a hand, or pinnately, as the leaflets of a fern; the leaflets themselves may be compound.

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compound leaf British  

noun

1. a leaf consisting of two or more leaflets borne on the same leafstalk

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compound leaf Scientific  

1. A leaf that is composed of two or more leaflets on a common stalk. Clover, roses, sumac, and walnut trees have compound leaves.

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Etymology

Origin of compound leaf

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

In a compound leaf, the leaf blade is completely divided, forming leaflets, as in the locust tree.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

How does a compound leaf give a selective advantage to avoid herbivory?

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

The leaves are stalked bipinnate; leaflets three-parted, cut, and glaucous; there are few plants with more handsome foliage, and its beauty is further enhanced by the gracefully bending habit of the whole compound leaf.

From Hardy Perennials and Old Fashioned Flowers Describing the Most Desirable Plants, for Borders, Rockeries, and Shrubberies. by Wood, John

A compound leaf bearing leaflets along the sides of the axis.

From The Plants of Michigan Simple Keys for the Identification of the Native Seed Plants of the State by Gleason, Henry Allan

The stalk of a leaflet in a compound leaf.

From Handbook of the Trees of New England by Dame, Lorin Low