noun
- a small leaflike appendage to a leaf, typically borne in pairs at the base of the leaf stalk
Usage: botanical
Examples
- The rose bush has small stipules at the base of each leaf.
- Botanists use the presence or absence of stipules to help identify plant species.
- The stipules on this plant are so small they’re barely visible.
- Some plants have stipules that are modified into thorns.
- The stipules fell off as the leaf matured.
- Students learned to identify stipules during their plant anatomy class.