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Leaf window, also called epidermal window, is a specialized leaf structure consisting of a translucent area where sunlight can enter into the interior surfaces of the plant's modified leaf where photosynthesis can occur. A leaf with such structures is known as a Fenestrated leaf. The translucent structure can appear as a large continuous patch, a variegated or reticulated region, or as numerous small spots. This structural adaptation is found in certain succulent plants native to arid climates, which allow much of the plant to remain beneath the soil surface where it is protected from desiccation of extreme winds and heat while optimizing the absorption of light by increasing the photosynthetic surface area. Many of the known species containing leaf window are native to South Africa and neighbouring countries.Carnivorous plants can also make use of fenestrations by growing traps (highly modified leaves) which use sunlight to lure and/or confuse insects and increase the effectiveness of the trap.[1]

The primary function of the leaf window is to increase the absorption of radiant energy, and there by the rate of photosynthesis.[2] Leaf windows are situated at the apex of leaves, allowing unobstructed sunlight to be captured and utilized even when the plant is buried below the surface of the soil. [3] The absence of stomata in the transluscent tissue of the leaf window prevents water loss in the plant. This allows succulents to minimize the exposure of leaf surface area to the outside environment and reduce the risk of desiccation under intense heat. The actual green, photosynthesizing surface is hidden in the underground part of the plant, so that it collects only the diffused light that strikes the windows. Experiments in the Lithops species of succulents, have shown that the size of leaf windows correlates inversely with habitat solar irradiance.[4] Leaf windows of plants growing in regions of high irradiance and low-rainfall were smaller than of those plants which grew in cloudy, high-rainfall regions. It is presumed that the size variation evolved to allow individual plants to set their optimal uptake of sunlight based on its environment. "Predatory Plant: Lure of the Cobra Lily". KQED Science. Retrieved 2016-06-10. Jump up ^ Egbert, K. (March 2002). "The Influence of Leaf Windows on the Utilization and Absorption of Radiant Energy in Seven Desert Succulents". Photosynthetica. doi:10.1023/A:1020129820295. Retrieved June 10, 2016. Jump up ^ "Windowed". www.cactus-art.biz. Retrieved 2016-06-10. Jump up ^ Martin, C. E.; Brandmeyer, E. A.; Ross, R. D. (2013-01-01). "Ecophysiological function of leaf 'windows' in Lithops species - 'Living Stones' that grow underground". Plant Biology (Stuttgart, Germany) 15 (1): 243–247. doi:10.1111/j.1438-8677.2012.00672.x. ISSN 1438-8677. .

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