Smallest leaves

The smallest leaves are those produced by the pygmy weed Crassula erecta, a tiny species of succulent saxifrage from California, USA. It produces minute fleshy leaves, each of which measures approximately 1.3 mm long – which is equal to the diameter of the head of a normal straight pin.

Some plants produce tiny leaf-like structures known as prophylla, which are membranous and scale-like in form, and sometimes very tiny. In Spirodela polyrrhiza, a species of duckweed, each prophyllum measures a mere 0.3–0.5 mm long. In addition, many species of tree in the cypress family, Cupressaceae, have overlapping scale-like leaves that are no more than 2 mm in length. These include cypresses Cupressus, junipers Juniperus, and cedars Chamaecyparis and Thuja.