Phyllodes are modified petioles or

leaf A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ...

stems, which are leaf-like in appearance and function. In some plants, these become flattened and widened, while the leaf itself becomes reduced or vanishes altogether. Thus the phyllode comes to serve the purpose of the leaf. Some important examples are '' Euphorbia royleana'' which are cylindrical and '' Opuntia'' which are flattened. Acacia suaveolens 155867

They are common in the genus ''

Acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus nam ...

'', especially the Australian species, at one time put in ''Acacia'' subg. ''Phyllodineae''. Sometimes, especially on younger plants, partially formed phyllodes bearing reduced leaves can be seen. The illustration (to the right) of '' Acacia suaveolens'' from '' Novae Hollandiae plantarum specimen'' shows the juvenile true leaves, together with the developing phyllodes, and the phyllodes of the mature plant. The genus, '' Daviesia'', in the family

Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...

, is characterised in part by the plants having phyllodes. File:Acacia suaveolens 9064505997 9f14f5f117 o.jpg, '' Acacia suaveolens'' File:Lathyrus nissolia eF.jpg, ''

Lathyrus nissolia ''Lathyrus nissolia'', the grass vetchling or grass pea, is a species of flowering plant in the pea and bean family Fabaceae. It is native to most of Europe, Maghreb, Levant and the Caucasus. Despite its common names, it is not a grass, but belo ...

'' File:Daviesia angulata - Flickr - Kevin Thiele.jpg, '' Daviesia angulata'' File:Daviesianudiflora14633633025 079b5a9a46 o.jpg, '' Daviesia nudiflora'' File:Acacia mangium leaves.jpg, '' Acacia mangium''

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite journal, last1=Crisp, first1=M.D, title=Contributions towards a revision of ''Daviesia'' (Fabaceae: Mirbelieae). III.* A synopsis of the genus, journal=Australian Systematic Botany, volume=8, issue=6, year=1995, pages=1155, issn=1030-1887, doi=10.1071/SB9951155 PlantNET glossary: P
National Herbarium of NSW, Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. Plant morphology fr:Phyllode