broaderleaved

Broaderleaved is an English adjective used in botany and horticulture to describe plant leaves that are comparatively wide. It is a relative term, typically applied when contrasting the leaf blade width of one taxon with that of another or with a standard reference. The form is sometimes written as broader-leaved or broad-leaved; broaderleaved appears primarily in older texts or in some databases as a compound adjective. In practice, botanists use such descriptors to aid in species descriptions, field notes, identification keys, and cultivar records, where leaf morphology is an important diagnostic feature.

Because leaf width can vary with age, position on the plant, and environmental conditions, "broaderleaved" is inherently qualitative. Without a defined measurement or range, it functions as a relative descriptor. In a flora or key, a statement like "broaderleaved than species X" implies a noticeable difference in blade width rather than a precise metric.

Broaderleaved is not a taxonomic category and does not indicate evolutionary relationship. It describes morphology rather than lineage and is independent of whether a plant is deciduous or evergreen.

See also broad-leaved, broadleaf, leaf morphology.