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In Acacia species, the first few leaves are pinnately compound. Then there are leaves with flattened petiole and fewer pinnae. The leaves of adult plant has parallel veined flattened petiole and no pinnae. It shows that
Leaves of adult plant are reduced to phyllodes while those of the seedling are unreduced
The parallel-veined green structures of the adult plant are phylloclades
The plant shows developmental heterophylly, compound in seedling and simple in adult plant
The leaves of adult plant are unreduced while they are reduced in the seedling stage
Solution
(a) In several species, of Australian Acacia (e.g.,$ A. melanoxylon, A. auriculiformis$), the petiole and part of rachis expands to form phyllode.
Phyllodes are vertical, have fewer stomata and therefore, lose less water in transpiration.
