Book 17, Question 76
Why Do Rainforest Leaves Have Long, Pointed “Drip Tips”?
Many rainforest leaves end in a long, pointed tip called a drip tip! It works like a spout, letting rainwater run off the leaf quickly. It is the plant's built-in rain gutter.
More fun facts
- A drip tip funnels the water on a leaf onto a narrow point.
- Because of this, the leaf sheds drops more often, but each drop is smaller.
- When scientists cut drip tips off leaves, water drained more slowly.
- One study found drip tips mostly help leaves dry faster.
- Shedding water quickly also stops dirt and fungal spores from building up on the leaf.
- In one lowland rainforest study, leaves very close to the ground, below 50 cm, had no drip tips.
- Scientists still debate exactly why drip tips evolved, since the leaf's angle and surface matter too.
Sources: National Institutes of Health
Questions kids ask
Are there more drip tips on some soils?
One study found more drip tips in two Amazon rainforest areas with sandy soil than at a nearby site with clay soil.