Mucronate

Mucronate is a botanical term used to describe a plant organ, most commonly a leaf, that ends in a short, sharp point called a mucro. The mucro is typically a small projection and does not form a long, tapering spike. The term is part of the morphological vocabulary used in species descriptions and identification keys.

Mucronate is distinguished from other apex shapes such as acuminate, which ends in a long tapering point, and obtuse, which is blunt. The mucro in a mucronate apex is abrupt and brief, often appearing as a tiny point at the extreme tip of the leaf. In some texts, mucronate is used interchangeably with mucronulate, a related idea referring to a minute mucro; exact usage can vary among authors and floras.

Usage of the term is common in floras, monographs, and herbarium descriptions, where leaf apex shape can be a diagnostic character for taxa. The feature may be observed across a range of plant groups, including trees, shrubs, and herbaceous species, and is typically assessed on fresh or well-preserved specimens.

Etymology traces mucronate to the Latin mucronatus, from mucr- mucro meaning “sharp point,” with the adjectival ending -atus. The term appears in botanical Latin and is employed in both classic and contemporary descriptions to convey the presence of a small, abrupt apex.