The flat portion of a leaf, also called the leaf blade. In this case, the leaf has lost its lamina during evolution and the petiole has taken its place in photosynthesis. Some acacias have phyllodes. The pulvinus often acts to lower the leaf when it is wilted. A broadened petiole base that surrounds the stem.
Most grasses have leaf sheaths.
The presence of stipules is characteristic of a number of species. Often, they protect the buds and developing leaves and then fall off. Some can be large and conspicuous. They are typically paired in dicots, when they are present, and absent in monocots. Small shoots with scale-like leaves which, when given the proper conditions, burst out in growth.