Cuspidate

Cuspidate

In botany, the term cuspidate refers to an organ, especially a leaf, which ends in an elongated and rigid point.
The term cuspidate comes from the Latin cuspidatus, a derivation of cuspis -ĭdis «cuspide», therefore ending in the shape of a cusp.
An organ is cuspidate when, narrowing from the base towards the apex, it ends with a rigid and thin not very long tip of both vascular and laminar origin, as in some leaves (Verbascum phlomoides, Acer platanoides).
The term cuspidate is distinguished from:
– mucronate with only vascular tip;
– apiculate with non-rigid tip;
– pungent with long and stiff tip.