A single cladode or a structure derived from a modified branch that serves a leaf-like function in certain plants.
From Greek 'klados' (branch) with the Latin noun ending '-ium,' used in scientific nomenclature to create a singular technical term for this botanical structure.
The cladodium is such an efficient alternative to leaves that some plants have abandoned true leaves entirely—the resurrection plant Selaginella can lose all its water and still rely on its cladodia to resume photosynthesis when rain returns.
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