Lobe (palmate, pinnate)

A lobe sticks out from something. You can find a lobe on a leaf, a flower, or a fern.

Multiple lobes often create indents between them.

Each pointed area on this leaf is a lobe. These lobes are palmate, making a shape like the fingers of your hand. Each lobe starts from the base of the leaf.

Big-Leaf Maple – drawing © John Muir Laws

Each rounded area on this leaf is a lobe. These lobes are pinnate, starting from different points along a central vein.

Valley Oak – drawing © John Muir Laws

How small or big can a leaf lobe get?

Leaf edge serrations and teeth are too small to be considered lobes.

If an indentation goes all the way to the central vein, then you’ve got a compound leaf rather than a lobe.

Other kinds of lobes

Fern segments can have lobes:

Western Sword Fern – drawing Linda Bae Miller

Flowers can have lobes:

Want more? See Wikipedia.

Corrections/Comments: bruce@PlantID.net