It’s the time of year when hearts begin appearing everywhere—and you might not know it, but there’s an official word for that in the plant world: Cordiform.
Cordiform (heart-shaped plants) are found throughout botanical collections, ranging from the microscopic:
to the hard-to-miss:
Cordiform plants usually produce their heart shaped parts in the form of a cordate or obcordate leaf.
Cordate leaves, identified by the way the stalk (petiole) is attached to the top of the heart shape, are most common. You can see this in the leaves of Dioscorea elephantipes, or Anthurium harleyi.
Obcordate leaves, identified by the way the stalk is attached to the bottom of the heart shape, are less common. You can see this in the tiny leaves of the Alluaudia ascendens or in the three-dimensional shape of the succulent Conophytum bilobum:
These are just a few of the living valentines found in our collections – tons of cordiform can be seen throughout the gardens. The next time you’re here, see how many you can spot! (You know, in case you were looking for a romantic activity this week for some reason.)
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