The spiky, iconic Canadian maple leaf. A large, lush Florida palm leaf. Thin aspen leaves rustling in the crisp Colorado air. You can probably recall many different leaf shapes from many different ...

Steve Nix is a member of the Society of American Foresters and a former forest resources analyst for the state of Alabama. Trees are among the earth's most useful and beautiful products of nature.

The technique could be used on everything from flowers to cells to examine the factors that influence the shapes of plant parts. The story of a plant is etched in its leaves. A tree growing in a cold ...