# Unrolling of Syngonium podophyllum: Functional Anatomy, Morphology and Modelling of Its Peltate Leaves

## TL;DR

This paper studies how peltate leaves of Syngonium podophyllum unroll, focusing on anatomical changes and a mathematical model to explain the process.

## Contribution

The study introduces a mathematical model for leaf unrolling based on anatomical observations and cell expansion dynamics.

## Key findings

- Leaf unrolling in Syngonium podophyllum is driven by cell expansion in the upper epidermis.
- A mathematical model successfully predicts curvature changes during leaf unrolling.
- Cell turgor plays a key role in leaf development and unrolling.

## Abstract

The mechanisms underlying leaf unfolding remain largely speculative and are often inferred from mathematical models. Peltate leaves, unlike typical foliage leaves, frequently emerge in a “rolled‐up” state. This study investigates mechanisms related to the unrolling process in the peltate species Syngonium podophyllum by analyzing anatomical and morphological changes and quantifying forces that arise during unrolling. Leaf unrolling in S. podophyllum appears to be primarily driven by cell expansion, particularly in the upper epidermis, with cell turgor playing an important role in leaf development and unrolling. Considering leaf properties such as cell dimensions and leaf radius of curvature, this work proposes a mathematical model to further characterize the unrolling process. The model provides satisfactory predictions of curvature variations, highlighting its potential for other plant movements involving dynamic curvature changes.

The unrolling of the peltate leaves in Syngonium podophyllum is analyzed and quantified (left‐hand side to center). These measurements serve to verify a mathematical model for leaf unrolling based on the model used in Schmidt (2007). An additional formula for obtaining a layer mismatch from a prescribed radius is derived.