Leaves originate on the flanks of the shoot apex. A local concentration of cell divisions marks the very beginning of a leaf; these cells then enlarge so as to form a nipple-shaped structure called the leaf buttress. The cells of the leaf buttress may be derived from the tunica alone or from both the tunica and the corpus.

In the early growth of the leaf primordium, new cells are contributed mainly by meristematic activity at the pole directed away from the stem, so that the buttress extends in length. The subsequent distribution of growth varies among the different groups of vascular plants according to the shape of the mature leaf. In considering the angiosperms, a broad-leaved dicotyledon (e.g., tobacco) and a narrow-leaved monocotyledon (e.g., maize [corn]) will serve as examples.

Apical growth dominates in the tobacco-leaf primordium until a height of about 0.5 millimetre (0.02 inch) is reached. Thereafter, the buttress becomes more and more flattened in the transverse plane by laterally oriented cell divisions and further expansion growth on either side. The dividing zones are the marginal meristems, through the activity of which the leaf gains its laminate form. In each meristem the outer file of cells, or marginal initials, contributes the epidermal layers by continued division. The cells below, the submarginal initials, provide the tissue of the inner part of the leaf. Usually a certain number of cell layers is defined in the mesophyll (the parenchyma between the epidermal layers of a foliage leaf). Cell division is not limited to the region of the marginal meristems but continues throughout the leaf in each of the layers, always in the same plane, until the final cell number is approached. The rate then declines, ceasing in the different layers at different times. Divisions usually end first in the epidermis, then in the lower mesophyll layers of a leaf such as that of tobacco, and last in the main photosynthetic tissue, the palisade layer, just beneath the upper epidermis.

The vascular pattern in a tobacco leaf is determined early in the development of the vessel primordium. A procambial strand is formed by the elongation of narrow axial cells, and this extends both toward the base and toward the apex, eventually linking with the procambium of the stem. When the marginal meristems become active, the lateral veins of the leaf are initiated first, followed by the third and later order branchings that give the characteristic network of veins in the mature leaf.

Although the differentiation of the cells of the vascular system begins at the base, the epidermal and mesophyll cells mature from the tip inward toward the stem. The palisade cells elongate in a plane at right angles to the epidermis; those of the lower mesophyll expand irregularly to give lobed forms. The cells of the epidermis, shaped like irregular paving stones, continue to expand in the plane of the leaf after growth ceases in the mesophyll, so that the cells of the internal tissues are pulled apart to form the system of air spaces found in the mature leaf.

Dicotyledonous leaves are folded in various ways in the bud, the patterns being determined by differential growth in the tissues of the upper and lower surfaces (laminae) of the young leaves. Differential growth may cause the lamina either to roll or fold toward the leaf midrib or to fold near lateral veins, thus pleating the lamina. The folds in the bud are, of course, eliminated during the final phase of leaf expansion.

In the development of the maize leaf, the primordium arises first as a prominence some distance below the apical dome. The zone of division and growth extends laterally around the apex so that a complete collar forms; then the margins overlap. Meanwhile the original tip zone continues to elongate, eventually surpassing the stem apex. Tip growth declines thereafter, and further increase in cell number results from meristematic activity at the base. The early development of the vascular system is unlike that in dicotyledons, for several parallel procambial strands, rather than a single midrib, are initiated. The first of these grow toward the apex, but, as tip growth ceases, procambial strands form above and extend toward the base, passing through the node, or point of insertion of the leaf primordium, and into the stem below. As the leaf extends in length, the tissues begin to mature first at the tip, and a wave of differentiation passes down toward the base, where cell division and extension growth may continue long after the tip of the leaf is mature. Protection for this immature and succulent tissue of the leaf base is afforded by the sheaths of older leaves surrounding it.

These examples illustrate the principles involved in leaf development, but there are many deviations associated with variations in leaf form. Lobing and toothing result from the persistence of cell division and growth in particular stretches of the margin after growth ceases in between. Carried to the extreme, this localized growth gives the feather-like pinnate leaf. Many monocotyledons form cylindrical leaves as a result of a fusion of the margins of the primordium after it has encircled the stem.