Video:What Are Balanced Lobed Hardwood Leaves?

Transcript:What Are Balanced Lobed Hardwood Leaves?

Hi, I'm Meghan Field, an air quality specialist in California with a background in forestry and natural resources. I'm here today for About.com to answer the question: What are balanced lobed hardwood leaves? 

Identifying Balanced Lobed Hardwood Leaves

If it's a balanced lobe you're seeking, then quite simply, the lobes on each side of the main vein of the leaf will be almost identical to each other. Once you've identified this feature, you'll need to make sure that the tree is a hardwood, not a softwood. Softwood trees are typically conifer trees, like pines. They tend to have needles and grow much faster than hardwoods, making their trunks thinner and more uniform. You'll find that hardwood trees are usually broad leaved and lose their leaves during the winter months. Since they grow slower than softwoods, you'll find that they have thicker, sturdier trunks.

Types of Hardwood Trees With Balanced Lobed Leaves

If you're certain you have a hardwood tree, and the leaves on either side of the vein are symmetrical, you can be fairly sure that you're in possession of a balanced lobed hardwood leaf. Balanced lobed hardwood leaves can be found on maples, oaks, and sycamores all of which can be found in North America. Taking it a step further, maples and sycamores have palmately lobed leaves, meaning that the veins of the leaf radiate outward from the stalk like fingers on a hand.

Pinnately Lobed Hardwood Leaves

Conversely, oaks have pinnately lobed leaves where the veins within the lobes arise from several places along the central vein. Balanced lobed hardwood leaves are easy to identify once you know what you're looking for. Just make sure that it's indeed a hardwood tree, and the leaves are balanced on each side of the vein, and you've got it.

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