bladstengels

Bladstengel refers to the leaf’s stalk that connects the leaf blade to the plant stem. The term is used in botany and horticulture in Dutch; in some sources the term bladsteel is used as a synonym and is more common in everyday language. The blade is the broad, photosynthetic part of the leaf; the bladstengel positions and supports it and serves as a conduit.

The bladstengel functions as the conduit for water, minerals and sugars between stem and leaf; it contains vascular tissue, typically xylem and phloem, bundled near its base with the leaf’s vascular system. In many plants the stalk may be short or well-developed; in some groups, such as grasses, the leaf base forms a sheath that clasps the stem and the blade sits at the end of that stalk.

Leaves can be petiolate (with a bladstengel) or sessile (without one). In monocots, leaves often have a sheath around the stem rather than a separate stalk, while in many dicots the stalk is clearly distinct as the petiole. The length and robustness of the bladstengel vary widely among species and can influence leaf orientation and light capture.

Distinctions between bladstengel and related structures, such as the leaf blade, petiole, and leaf sheath, are part of basic plant morphology. The term is mainly used in botanical descriptions and plant identification, as it helps distinguish how a leaf is attached to the stem.