leafblad

Leafblad is a fictional plant genus created for speculative biology and fantasy literature. It is not recognized by real-world taxonomic authorities and does not refer to any extant species.

The name Leafblad combines an English noun with a suffix that signals taxonomic status in many fantasy and pseudo-scientific texts. In in-universe lore, it is used as a proper noun for a monophyletic group.

In many treatments, Leafblad plants are described as perennials with a dominant leaf blade that gives the plant its name. The blade is usually broad and glossy, with a reticulate venation pattern. Some depictions show smaller supporting leaves or climbing aerial roots, and in some sources the plant reproduces by small flowers or by spores carried by wind.

Habitat and ecology: Leafblads are said to inhabit temperate forest understories and cool, misty bogs in the fictional world. They are depicted as forming associations with mycorrhizal fungi and attracting particular pollinators in local ecosystems. In some stories, the blade's surface collects dew that nourishes specialized herbivores.

In fiction and media: Leafblad appears in multiple fantasy novels and tabletop settings as a rare and valuable plant. It is used as a material in crafts and as a source of lore, sometimes imbued with magical properties by authors or game designers.

See also leaf blade, foliar anatomy, plant taxonomy.