As a nuerodivergent person, I was always fascinated by patterns, especially those of the leaves. The veinous arrangement, the leaflet, the symmetry ( and asymmetry as well), the colour and shapes are of great interest to me. I have doodled leaves in my artbook, notebooks, etc since childhood. Pages after pages are filled with them, and even today I find myself automatically scribbling leaves on my notepad. So, I thought why not I share this with my dear readers and art enthusiasts!
Here are some of the easiest leaf drawings that I hope you not only enjoy drawing but also increases your knowledge of botanical shapes.
1. Linear
Linear leaves are long, narrow leaves with parallel sides and rounded ends. They are usually at least four times longer than they are wide.
Here are some examples of plants with linear leaves: lavender, rosemary, and most grasses.
2. Acicular
Acicular leaves are needle-shaped, long, and narrow leaves that are soft and fresh green in color. They can be found on many plants, including:
- Atlas cedar
- Japanese white pine
- Mountain pine
- Hedgehog agave
- Tamarisk
- Prickly thrift or sea lavender
3. Orbicular
Orbicular leaves are circular, or almost circular, in shape.
Some examples of plants with orbicular leaves are the Arrowwood Viburnum, the Cranberry Cotoneaster, Indian Lotus and the Quaking Aspen.
4. Cuneate
Cuneate leaves are wedge-shaped leaves with a base that forms an acute angle
Here are some examples of plants with cuneate leaves:
- Mountain Nailwort: The leaves of this plant are narrowly elliptic and tapered to the base.
- Common Tall Meadowrue: The base of the leaflets of this plant is rounded to cuneate.
- Small-flowered Pawpaw: The base of the leaves of this plant is cuneate.
- Bay Star-vine: The base of the leaves of this plant is cuneate.
- Northern Spicebush: The base of the leaves of this plant is tapered or cuneate.
- Dwarf Sundew: The leaves of this plant are cuneate.
- Ozark Witch-hazel: The base of the leaves of this plant is cuneate.
5. Pinnate
A pinnate leaf is a compound leaf with a central axis and smaller side branches that resemble a feather
Here are some examples of pinnate leaves:
- Neem: A pinnately compound leaf with a rachis, or midrib, that has a number of leaflets on it
- Cassia: A unipinnate leaf with leaflets on each side of the axis
- Polyscias: A genus of flowering plants with pinnately compound leaves
6. Rhomboid
A rhomboid leaf is a leaf with a kite-shaped or diamond-shaped outline that is bilaterally symmetrical. The leaf is broadest above the middle, with the two lower sides equal and longer than the upper.
The Acalypha rhomboidea, also known as the Three-seeded Mercury or Copperleaf, is a plant with rhomboid leaves
7. Reniform
Reniform leaves are simple, kidney-shaped leaves that are not divided into parts. The word “reniform” is an adjective that means “kidney-shaped”.
Some plants with reniform leaves include:
- Utricularia reniformis: A carnivorous plant from Brazil
- Dichondra carolinensis: A small plant from Pennsylvania
- Asarum canadense: A larger plant from Pennsylvania
- Garlic mustard: An invasive weed with young leaves that are reniform
8. Ginkgo
The leaves of the ginkgo tree are fan-shaped with two or more lobes, and are often described as looking like a duck’s foot:
Here are some other characteristics of ginkgo leaves:
- Color: Ginkgo leaves are greenish-yellow in the summer, turn golden in the fall, and fall to the ground.
- Texture: Ginkgo leaves are somewhat leathery.
- Veins: The veins of ginkgo leaves are diverging, almost parallel, and fork in pairs from the base of the leaf.
- Notches: Ginkgo leaves are irregularly notched.
- Grooves: Ginkgo leaves are often deeply grooved in the middle, producing two distinct lobes.
9. Ovate
Ovate refers to a leaf, sepal, petal, or other flat structure that is wider at the base than at the midpoint, tapers toward the apex, and has a length-to-width ratio of 1.5:1 to less than 2:1.
Here are some examples of plants with ovate leaves:
- Tulipa: A symbol of Holland, the leaves of this flower are ovate to lanceolate and elongated.
- Anthurium grandifolium: A climbing plant with large, ovate leaves and elongated stems.
- Cordia parvifolia: A deciduous shrub with gray-green, ovate leaves that are about one and a half inches long.
- Tamarind londo: Also known as Pithecellobium dulce, the leaves of this plant are ovate and greenish white, and are about 2 to 4 cm long.
10. Lyrate
A lyrate leaf is shaped like a lyre, with many transverse segments that increase in size towards the rounded tip of the leaf.
Some plants with lyrate leaves include:
- Arabidopsis lyrata, also known as the lyrate rockcress
- Berlandiera lyrata
- Ficus lyrata, also known as the fiddle-leaf fig
- Leibnitzia lyrata
- Paysonia lyrata
Many plants in the brassica family, such as kale, radish, and turnip, also have lyrate leaves.
11. Lanceolate
Lance-shaped leaves are long and wider in the middle, generally pointed at both ends.
Trees with leaves described variously as lanceolate, linear, lance-linear, and oblong-lanceolate are Quercus phellos (willow oak), Salix nigra (black willow), and Fraxinus pennsylvanica (green ash).
12. Sagittate
A sagittate leaf is shaped like an arrowhead, with two pointed lobes extending downward from the base.
Here are some plants with sagittate leaves:
- Elephant ears: These plants have large, flat, heart-shaped leaves with prominent veins. They are grown in cooler climates for their leaves.
- Alocasia: This plant has a variety of leaf shapes, including sagittate leaves.
- Arrowhead: This aquatic perennial herb has sagittate leaves. In China, it is used as a culinary vegetable and in traditional medicines.
13. Crenate
Crenate leaves have margins with rounded or blunt teeth that are widely spaced.
Here are some examples of trees with crenate leaves:
- Hollyhock: This tree has dark green, crenate, and lobed leaves.
- Passiflora edulis: This vine has 3-lobed leaves with a crenate or serrate margin.
14. Oblong
An oblong leaf is a simple leaf with parallel sides and rounded ends.
Here are some trees with oblong leaves:
- Agar wood: A tree with oblong leaves
- Allspice: A tree with oblong leaves
- Arjun tree: A tree with oblong leaves
- Buttonwood mangrove: A tree with oblong leaves
- Ceylon paracroton: A tree with oblong leaves
15. Palmate
A leaf is palmate when it has four or more lobes or leaflets that radiate from a single point. The veins of a palmate leaf radiate in a fan shape from the leaf petiole.
Trees with palmate leaves include:
- Maple: The major veins of a maple leaf radiate from the point where the leaf attaches to the petiole.
- Sweetgum: Sweetgum leaves have palmate venation.
- Japanese maple: The Japanese maple has palmate leaf veins.
- Purpleblow maple: The purpleblow maple has palmate leaf veins.
- White poplar: The white poplar has palmate leaf veins.
- Cassava: The cassava plant has large palmate leaves with five to seven lobes.
I hope you enjoyed learning and drawing these leaves.
I would love to know your experience in the comments.
Happy drawing and happy holidays!
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