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What is unusual about the leaves of Muntingiaceae plants?
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Malvales
A fony baobab tree (Adansonia rubrostipa), estimated to be more than 1,000 years old, in Madagascar.
The leaves of plants in the family Muntingiaceae are characterized by two distinct features that are considered unusual:
- Arrangement: The leaves are two-ranked along the stem.1
- Stipule-like structures: They possess structures that appear to be stipules, but these are actually the first leaves of the axillary shoot.1
Additionally, these leaves are often unequal at the base.1