EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Answer: The waxy covering on plant leaves, young stems, and fruit is called the “cuticle". It is composed of cutin, a wax-like material produced by the plant that is chemically a hydroxy fatty acid. The purpose of this covering is to help the plant retain water.

Detailed explanation-2: -Thick waxy cuticle: The cuticle cuts down water loss in two ways: it acts as a barrier to evaporation and also the shiny surface reflects heat and so lowers temperature. Sunken stomata: Stomata may be sunk in pits in the epidermis; moist air trapped here lengthens the diffusion pathway and reduces evaporation rate.

Detailed explanation-3: -A waxy layer known as the cuticle covers the leaves of all plant species. The cuticle reduces the rate of water loss from the leaf surface. Other leaves may have small hairs (trichomes) on the leaf surface.

Detailed explanation-4: -The cuticles are protective, hydrophobic, waxy coverings produced by the epidermal cells of leaves, young shoots and all other aerial plant organs. Cuticles minimize water loss and effectively reduce pathogen entry due to their waxy secretion.

Detailed explanation-5: -So the leaf has another adaptation to reduce water loss: the waxy cuticle, so called because it is made out of a water-repellent substance called cutin.