1968 Sots of the above-ground plant organ used for photosynthesis.

A leaf (plural leaves) is the principal lateral appendage of the vascular plant stem,[1] usually borne above ground and specialized for photosynthesis.[from wikipedia]

Leaves can have many different shapes, sizes, and textures.[from wikipedia]

Leaves are the most important organs of most vascular plants.

The internal organization of most kinds of leaves has evolved to maximize exposure of the photosynthetic organelles, the chloroplasts, to light and to increase the absorption of carbon dioxide while at the same time controlling water loss.[from wikipedia]

The shape and structure of leaves vary considerably from species to species of plant, depending largely on their adaptation to climate and available light, but also to other factors such as grazing animals (such as deer), available nutrients, and ecological competition from other plants.[from wikipedia]

The importance of this decomposition of the leaves and other shed plant litter is that their degradation and decomposition forms a critical step in the mineralization of organic nutrients and their recycling.[from wikipedia]

Typically leaves are broad, flat and thin (dorsiventrally flattened), thereby maximising the surface area directly exposed to light and enabling the light to penetrate the tissues and reach the chloroplasts, thus promoting photosynthesis.[from wikipedia]