Leaf shape - Herbaceous plants

Choose herbaceous leaf types from the following 4 options, or from special cases below (View ALL before choosing)

Lvs absent or cylindrical
Lvs flat entire (or fine teeth only)
Lvs toothed/lobed (not to midrib)
Lf palmate/pinnate (divided to midrib)
See also some special cases:
Lvs thick, succulent
Leaves entire with sticky glands
Pitcher leaves
Silvery leaves

Ferns
Horsetails
Clubmosses
Saprophytes (no obv. lvs)

Mosses & liverworts

(a) Leaves absent or stem-like (tubular/cylindrical), or rolled:

Rushes
Other cylindrical leaves
Round sedges
Rolled leaves

Leaves stem-like or tubular/cylindrical or tightly rolled or much reduced

Water/mud plants
Terrestrial

Water plants - or growing on mud

Terrestrial plants - lvs roundish x-section

Lvs entire (smooth edged) or with v. fine teeth:
Lvs long and narrow (length >6x width)
Lvs narrow to broad (length <6x width)
Lvs circular or nearly so
Lf base inset (i.e. cordate, saggitate or hastate)
Long, narrow flat lvs (length >6x width)
Leaves with Hairy edges (Woodrushes)
Lvs linear to oval with parallel veins
Other lanceolate lvs (branching veins)
N.B. The distinction between 'Parallel' and 'Branching' veins is often not clear - it can help to hold leaf against the light.

Other long flat leaves - separated by Ligule shape/presence:

The ligules (flap at junction of blade and sheath of leaf) provide a key feature for separating plants with linear flat leaves:

+/-triangular stems, ligules (attached to blade) (Sedges)
Round or oval stems, 'free' membrane ligules (Grasses)
Round or oval stems, ligule of hairs (Grasses)
No ligules ("Monocots")
Lvs in 3 ranks
Lvs not in 3 ranks
Lvs not in 3 ranks
Sheath & blade not separate, mostly showy flowers (Lilies, orchids, etc.)

Linear leaves "Monocots" including lilies, etc.

Linear to ovate leaves in one part without separate sheath and blade but with parallel veins (No auricle/ligule separating sheath from blade), mostly showy flowers ("Monocots")

Lanceolate (lvs >4x as long as broad) "Dicots"

(not Monocots,    Sedges,     Grasses, or     Woodrushes)

Rosettes

Alternate leaves

Opposite leaved

Leaves in whorls (or close spirals)

Lanceolate - rosettes

Lanceolate - alternate lvs - edges entire

Lanceolate - opposite lvs

Whorled (or close spiral) linear leaves

Petiole inset into lf base - choose nearest

Cordate (Entire - smooth edges)
Cordate (Obvious teeth or lobes)
Sagittate to Hastate

Petiole inset - entire (smooth edges)

Petiole inset - clearly toothed or lobed

Lvs saggitate or hastate

Lvs variously toothed, lobed or spiny - divisions generally not down to midrib:
Lvs with regular small teeth
Lvs lobed/toothed or wavy edged-often +/-irreg.
Lvs spiny or prickly
Lvs shallowly palmate lobed

Compound lvs (divided down to midrib into leaflets):
Deeply palmate (or 2x palmate)
1-pinnate
2-pinnate
3 or more pinnate

(Note: pinnate lvs with few leaflets may appear palmate or ternate)