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: -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-3: -Botany A waxy layer that covers the outermost tissue layer of a plant. The cuticle is secreted by the epidermis and helps prevent water loss and infection by parasites.

Detailed explanation-4: -Most people have encountered what we call a waxy cuticle on leafy greens or aquatic lotuses, although it is found on stems and leaves of nearly all plants living on land. (Some mosses and other bryophytes are exceptions.) Kale has an especially obvious cuticle.

Detailed explanation-5: -The cuticle is a waxy layer secreted by the epidermis on the two surfaces of the leaf. It serves to prevent evaporation of water from the leaf surface.