What Does Pinnate Venation Mean?
Pinnate venation is a characteristic, often used as a diagnostic or identification tool for certain types of leaves on trees, shrubs and other herbaceous plants.
The venation is part of the plant’s vascular system, much like veins in humans and other animals. A “pinnate” venation describes a visible pattern on a leaf where there is a dominant center vein, or “mid-rib” with other veins branching off from the middle. The branching veins may be opposite one another, creating a symmetrical appearance, or they may be alternate. Pinnate is one of several different types of vein patterns on leaves that occur naturally.
Maximum Yield Explains Pinnate Venation
Pinnate venation may sometimes be referred to as “feather” venation. This is due to the similarity in appearance between the central rib of the leaf and the quill and rachis (shaft) of a feather and the secondary veins of the leaf and the barbs of the feather. Numerous systems of classifying leaves exists, but most identify the main types of primary venation patterns as “pinnate”, “palmate” or “parallel”. Systems further subdivide leaves based on the patterns of the secondary and tertiary veins. Other characteristics of leaves used for identification include the leaf base, tips, margins, arrangement and textures among others.
