Question

Pulvinate leaf base is found in
(a)Lycopersicum
(b)Trifolium
(c)Nicotiana
(d)Petunia

Answer 1

Hint: Pulvinate leaf base is also seen in Mimosa pudica i.e. the touch me not plant. With the help of pulvinus, this plant is able to perform its characteristic movement that is the drooping of leaves in response to touch.

Complete answer:
The swollen structure at the end of the leaf base is known as the pulvinus. The leaf base is the structure that attaches the leaf to the stem. Pulvinus helps in the thigmonastic(movement due to touch) and nyctinastic(movement in response to darkness/night) movement of leaves. A pulvinate leaf base is seen in the Leguminosae family. Out of all the options, only Trifolium (clover) is a member of that family.

Additional Information: Lycopersicum: It is a food crop that belongs to the Solanaceae family and is commonly known as the tomato plant.
Trifolium: It is a fodder plant commonly known as clover.
Nicotiana: It is known as the tobacco plant and is used to obtain nicotine. Member of the Solanaceae family.
Petunia: It is an ornamental flower belonging to the Solanaceae family.
So, the correct answer is ‘Trifolium.’

Note: -The process involved to cause movement through pulvinus is that when the Mimosa plant is touched, there is a rapid efflux of water from the cells of the pulvinus causing it to lose turgidity at that point. This causes the leaves to droop down.
-Pulvinus is also found in the leaves of Mangifera indica (Mango).
-Important members of the Leguminosae family include Mimosa, arhar,muliathi,sunhemp,shisham, etc.