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Nature Moments: Packing Leaves into Buds

How do plants pack their growing leaves inside such small buds? Nat Wheelwright explains the four main methods: leaves can be folded, rolled up, coiled, or pleated. The way a particular species packs its leaves has less to do leaf size or shape than with the plant’s evolutionary history.

Nature Moments are filmed with the help of Wilder Nicholson, Rebecca Goldfine, Tom Porter, Paul Benham and Genie Wheelwright.

View all Nat’s Nature Moments videos — and subscribe to receive them in your inbox (select “Maine’s Naturalist”).