bladlobben

Bladlobben is a term in Swedish botany used to describe a lobe of a leaf blade. The word combines blad (leaf) with lobben (the lobe) and is used in floristic descriptions and plant keys to indicate the presence, size, and shape of lobes on a leaf.

Leaves may exhibit various lobing patterns. Lobes can be palmately arranged, radiating from the base of the blade, or pinnately arranged, arising along the main vein. The lobes may be shallow or deeply incised, and the spaces between lobes—called sinuses—vary in depth. Some leaves appear dissected but retain a single blade, while others have clearly separated lobes.

Developmentally, bladlobben results from differential growth in leaf tissue guided by genetic programs and influenced by environmental conditions such as light quality, temperature, and water availability. Variation within and between species means bladlobben is a useful character for field identification and taxonomy in many temperate plants.

In practical use, bladlobben is not a taxonomic rank but a descriptive feature. Descriptions may note whether a leaf is unlobed, palmately lobed, or deeply incised, and may specify the number and size of lobes for identification. The concept is common in Swedish horticulture and botany and parallels similar terms in other languages describing leaf lobation.