1. a flattened stem or branch that resembles and functions as a leaf
Usage: botanical

Examples

• The prickly pear cactus has cladophylls that perform photosynthesis.
• Butcher’s broom produces small flowers directly on its cladophylls.
• The flattened green structures on this plant are cladophylls, not true leaves.
• Many desert plants develop cladophylls as an adaptation to conserve water.
• The botanist explained that the broad, leaf-like structures were actually modified stems called cladophylls.