A type of flattened plant stem that functions like a leaf and bears flowers or fruits.
From Greek 'klados' (branch) + 'phyllon' (leaf). This botanical term emerged in the 19th century to describe modified stems that evolved to look and function like leaves.
Many plants trick you by looking like they have leaves when they're actually showing off fancy branches—asparagus is a famous example, hiding its true leaves in tiny scales while these cladophylls do the photosynthesizing work.
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