Labeled leaf cross section diagram
Labeled leaf cross section diagram · 1 page
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A leaf cut open from top to bottom and labeled layer by layer: the waxy cuticle, upper epidermis, tall palisade mesophyll cells packed with chloroplasts, loose spongy mesophyll with air spaces, a vein of xylem and phloem, the lower epidermis, and a stoma between two guard cells. Arrows show carbon dioxide entering through the stoma and oxygen and water vapor leaving.
It is the same leaf as the cross-section view in our interactive photosynthesis diagram, where every layer explains its job at three reading levels. Pair it with the photosynthesis worksheet.
Tips for using it
- Trace the path of one carbon dioxide molecule from the air, through the stoma and air spaces, into a palisade cell.
- Ask why the palisade layer sits right under the top of the leaf.
Variations
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Questions
Why do palisade cells have the most chloroplasts?
They sit just under the upper surface, where the most light reaches, so most photosynthesis happens there.
Why are most stomata on the bottom of the leaf?
The underside is shadier and cooler, so less water evaporates through the open pores.