Biology · Morphology of Flowering Plants · NEET
It is still a SIMPLE leaf. NCERT says a leaf is simple when its lamina is entire, or when it is incised but the incisions do not touch the midrib. The leaf becomes compound only when the incisions reach up to the midrib and break it into separate leaflets. So a deeply lobed leaf (like some maple-type leaves) can still be simple. This is a very common NEET trap.
Look at two things. First, do the cuts reach the midrib and cut it into separate leaflets? If yes, it is compound. Second, find the axillary bud. In BOTH simple and compound leaves the axillary bud sits in the axil of the petiole. There is NO bud in the axil of a leaflet. So if you see many green blades but only one bud at the base, they are leaflets of one compound leaf, not many simple leaves.
In a pinnately compound leaf the leaflets are arranged on a common axis called the rachis, which stands for the midrib of the leaf (example: neem). In a palmately compound leaf the leaflets are all attached at one common point, the tip of the petiole, spreading out like fingers from a palm (example: silk cotton). Rachis present = pinnate; all from one point = palmate.
The axillary bud is present in the axil of the petiole, that is at the base of the whole compound leaf where the petiole meets the stem. It is NOT present in the axil of each leaflet. This single rule lets you decide whether a structure is one compound leaf (one bud) or a branch bearing many simple leaves (a bud at each leaf).
Neem has a pinnately compound leaf. The many leaflets are arranged along a common axis, the rachis, which represents the midrib. Because the incisions reach the midrib and form separate leaflets, it is compound, not simple.
Identify the correct set of statements: (a) The leaflets are modified into pointed hard thorns in Citrus and Bougainvillea (b) Axillary buds form slender and spirally coiled tendrils in cucumber and pumpkin (c) Stem is flattened and fleshy in Opuntia and modified to perform the function of leaves (d) Rhizophora shows vertically upward growing roots that help to get oxygen for respiration (e) Sub-aerially growing stems in grasses and strawberry help in vegetative propagation. Choose the correct answer:
Try the real previous-year questions from this chapter — each with the answer and a full solution.
No. Only the whole compound leaf has an axillary bud, in the axil of its petiole. Leaflets do not have a bud in their axil. This is the key rule NEET tests to separate leaflets from simple leaves.
The rachis is the common axis of a pinnately compound leaf on which the leaflets are arranged. It represents the midrib of the leaf, as seen in neem.
Neem is a pinnately compound leaf (leaflets on a rachis). Silk cotton is a palmately compound leaf (leaflets attached at the tip of the petiole).
Yes. A simple leaf can be deeply incised, but as long as the cuts do not reach the midrib it stays simple. Only when the cuts reach the midrib and form separate leaflets does it become compound.
NEET frequently mixes leaf terms with stem and root modifications in assertion-reason and match-type questions. Knowing simple vs compound and pinnate vs palmate, plus the single-bud rule, protects easy marks in the Morphology chapter.
