Most of us usually see huge trees surrounding us, but have you ever encountered a huge leaf or leaves? If not, here we are going to observe the largest leaves in the world. You never saw or knew it before.
So let’s begin our journey of observing and collecting records of the largest leafy plants or trees in the world.
20 Largest Leaves in the World:
1. Raphia farinifera
| Botanical name | Raphia farinifera |
| Size | ~20 m |
| Identification | Multiple fronds in one leaf |
| Geographical location | India, Nigeria, Madagascar, and Eastern Africa |
The Raffia palm is an evergreen, clumping palm tree with unbranched stems up to 10 meters tall and 60cm in diameter. Its leaves, which can be 20 meters long, grow out of the top of the stem. The plant is cultivated in Nigeria, Madagascar, Africa, and India and is also semi-cultivated in several areas of Africa.
It is the prime source of raffia, used in basket making, and is cultivated in lowland riparian and swamp forests. If you see, the leaves have multiple fronds. This tree has the longest leaves in the world.
2. Musa ingens
| Botanical name | Musa ingens |
| Size | ~5 m |
| Identification | The pseudostem is covered with a whitish wax layer. |
| Geographical location | New Guinea and Indonesia |
Musa ingens, also known as the giant highland banana or Oem, is the largest member of the Musaceae family and the only member of the section Ingentimusa.
Growing in the tropical montane forests of New Guinea’s Arfak Mountains Regency in Indonesia, its leaves can reach a length of 5 meters (16 feet) and a width of 1 meter (39 inches). The “trunk” of its leaves, the longest petioles of any known plant, is typically up to 15 meters (49 ft) in height, with the leaves having a total height of 20 meters (66 ft).
3. Talipot palm
| Botanical name | Corypha umbraculifera |
| Size | ~5 m |
| Identification | many small flowers borne at the top of the trunk on a branched stalk. |
| Geographical location | eastern and southern India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Thailand |
Corypha umbraculifera, also known as the talipot palm, is a palm species native to eastern and southern India and Sri Lanka, as well as Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, and the Andaman Islands.
It lives up to 60 years before bearing flowers and fruits and is one of the largest palms, with large, palmate leaves up to 5 meters in diameter.
4. Bolivian waterlily
| Botanical name | Victoria boliviana |
| Size | ~3.35 m |
| Identification | outer rim is a bright red color. |
| Geographical location | Bolivia |
Victoria boliviana, also known as the Bolivian waterlily, is a new species of water lily in the genus Victoria in the Nymphaeaceae family. Victoria boliviana leaves are around 3m wide, with the largest recorded leaf measuring 3.2m across from a plant in Bolivia.
If the 8 cm (3.1 in) rims are included, the leaf is 3.35m (11.0 ft) in width. This species is equal to the largest leaves of Gunnera manicata and is only exceeded by Amorphophallus titanum and Musa ingens among herbaceous plants.
5. Victoria Amazonica
| Botanical name | Victoria amazonica |
| Size | ~3 m |
| Identification | The stem and underside of the leaves are coated with small spines. |
| Geographical location | South America |
Victoria amazonica is a large flowering plant native to tropical South America, specifically Guyana and the Amazon Basin. It is the second largest in the water lily family, known as uape jacana in Brazil and Atun Sisac in Inca.
The plant has large leaves, up to 3 meters in diameter, floating on a submerged stalk of 7-8 meters in length. However, they can also crush rival plants as the lily seeks sunlight, depriving them of vital resources and darkening the waters below.
6. Johannesteijsmannia altifrons
| Botanical name | Johannesteijsmannia altifrons |
| Size | ~3 m |
| Identification | Undivided palm leaves |
| Geographical location | Southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, and Sumatra |
Johannesteijsmannia altifrons is a flowering plant native to southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, and Sumatra. Its flowers smell of sour milk and grow up to 10–20 feet tall and 10–15 feet wide.
They are medium-sized, trunkless palms with large, simple, undivided leaves that can be up to 6 meters long. The leaves are pleated and have serrated edges. The plant has a solitary acaulescent stem, large, erect leaves, and a subterranean stem.
7. Johannesteijsmannia perakensis
| Botanical name | Johannesteijsmannia perakensis |
| Size | ~3 m |
| Identification | undivided palm leaves |
| Geographical location | Malaysi |
Johannesteijsmannia perakensis is a solitary palm that can reach heights over 20 feet due to its long, slender trunk. Its undivided, large, leathery leaves, which can reach 10 feet long, are the most desirable trait. The palm takes up to 10 years to develop a viewable trunk, and its undivided leaves can be compared to elongated diamonds.
8. Chilean rhubarb
| Botanical name | Gunnera tinctoria |
| Size | ~2.5 m |
| Identification | Numerous spikes on the stem |
| Geographical location | New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Ireland |
Gunnera tinctoria, also known as giant rhubarb, Chilean rhubarb, or nalca, is a flowering plant species native to southern Chile and Argentina. It is a large-leaved perennial plant that grows to over two meters tall and has been introduced to many parts of the world as an ornamental plant.
The stems are covered in numerous spikes, and the leaves can grow up to 2.5 meters across, cordate, and palmate, with up to 9-lobed margins.
From spring to early summer, it produces cone-shaped inflorescences with small flowers, making it an introduced species of concern in countries like New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.
9. Gunnera × cryptica
| Botanical name | Gunnera × cryptica |
| Size | ~2 m |
| Identification | Heart shape based on leaves |
| Geographical location | Europe |
Gunnera × cryptica is a hybrid between Gunnera manicata and Gunnera tinctoria, introduced into Western Europe in the late 19th century. The hybrid occurred spontaneously in cultivation, likely around 1873.
The leaves can reach up to 2 meters in width, with varying leaf sizes depending on the plant’s age and location. The leaves are slightly asymmetrical, have 5-7 conspicuous lobes, pointed tips, and toothed margins. The base is heart-shaped, and the basal lobes do not overlap when mature.
10. Licuala peltata
| Botanical name | Licuala peltata |
| Size | ~2 m |
| Identification | short trunk |
| Geographical location | Malay Peninsula |
The entire-leaved Licuala peltata, also known as Licuala elegans, is a popular palm variety from the Malay Peninsula. It is moderately sized, has a short trunk, and can hold up to 15 fan leaves up to 2 meters in diameter. This species is more tolerant of cool conditions than most other Licuala.
Its leaves are deep green and can be found in protected spots in frost-free, warm temperate climes.
11. Santa Cruz water lily
| Botanical name | Victoria cruziana |
| Size | ~2 m |
| Identification | thick rim |
| Geographical location | South America, primarily Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, and Paraguay |
Victoria cruziana is a tropical water lily native to South America, primarily Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, and Paraguay. Its leaves are red-purple with soft hairs, and its pad is bright green with a tall rim.
The plant is popular in botanical gardens, with its large leaves reaching up to 2 meters wide and a thick rim up to 20 cm high. Rims up to nine inches have been recorded.
12. Cordyline indivisa
| Botanical name | Cordyline indivisa |
| Size | 1-2 m |
| Identification | broad blue-grey leaves |
| Geographical location | New Zealand |
Cordyline indivisa, a monocot tree native to New Zealand, is known for its distinctive broad blue-grey leaves and compacted inflorescence. This tree, also known as the mountain cabbage tree or bush flax, can grow up to 8 meters tall and has a trunk ranging from 40 to 80 centimeters in diameter.
The leaves are 1-2 meters long and 10–30 centimeters wide, and the foliage droops with age, shaped like a broad sword. The inflorescence is a panicle that emerges from the base of the growing points underneath the leaves, forming a distinctive feature of the Cordyline species.
13. Saw palmetto
| Botanical name | Serenoa repens |
| Size | 1-2 m |
| Identification | flowers are yellowish-white. |
| Geographical location | south-eastern United States |
Serenoa repens, also known as saw palmetto, is a small palm with a fan palm shape and a bare petiole ending in a rounded fan of about 20 leaflets. The petiole has sharp teeth or spines, making it easy to break the skin.
The leaves are light green inland and silvery-white in coastal regions, 1-2 meters long, with leaflets 50–100 cm long. They are similar to palmettos of the Sabal genus. The flowers are yellowish-white, 5 mm across, and produced in dense compound panicles up to 60 cm long.
14. Desert fan palm
| Botanical name | Washingtonia filifera |
| Size | 1.5-2.0 m |
| Identification | pure green leaves with yellow edges |
| Geographical location | southwestern United States and Baja California, Mexico |
The California fan palm, also known as Washingtonia filifera, is a flowering plant native to the southwestern United States and Baja California, Mexico.
It is a member of the palm family Arecaceae and has fronds up to 4 meters long, thorned petioles up to 2 meters long, and a fan of leaflets 1.5–2.0 meters long. The fan has long, white fibers, and the petioles are pure green with yellow edges.
15. European fan palm
| Botanical name | Chamaerops humilis |
| Size | ~1.5 m |
| Identification | divided palm leaflet |
| Geographical location | Europe and North Africa |
Chamaerops, a genus of flowering plants in the Arecaceae family, includes one species, Chamaerops humilis, also known as the European fan palm or Mediterranean dwarf palm.
This cold-hardy palm is used in temperate climates for landscaping. Stems grow slowly and tightly together, reaching 2–5 meters tall with a trunk diameter of 20–25 cm. Leaves have petioles terminating in rounded fans of 10–20 leaflets, each up to 1.5 meters long.
16. Brazilian giant rhubarb
| Botanical name | Gunnera manicata |
| Size | ~1.2 m |
| Identification | red, green flowers |
| Geographical location | coastal Serra do Mar Mountains of Santa Catarina, Parana, the Rio Grande do Sul States, and Brazil |
Gunnera manicata, also known as Brazilian giant-rhubarb or giant rhubarb, is a large, herbaceous perennial plant in the Gunneraceae family, native to the coastal Serra do Mar Mountains of Santa Catarina, Parana, and Rio Grande do Sul States, Brazil. Its leaves can reach diameters of over 120 cm (4 ft).
The largest on record had leaves up to 11 feet (3.3m) in width. In early summer, it bears tiny, red-green, dimerous flowers and small, spherical fruit. It has a symbiotic relationship with certain blue-green algae that provide nitrogen through friction.
17. Mexican fan palm
| Botanical name | Washingtonia robusta |
| Size | ~1 m |
| Identification | pale orange-pink flowers |
| Geographical location | northwestern Mexico |
Washingtonia robusta, also known as the Mexican fan palm, Mexican Washington, or skyduster, is a palm tree native to the Baja California peninsula and a small part of Sonora in northwestern Mexico.
It grows up to 25 meters tall and has petioles up to 1 meter long and a palmate fan of leaflets up to 1 meter long. The inflorescence is up to 3 meters long and has numerous small, pale orange-pink flowers. The fruit is a spherical, blue-black drupe, edible but thin-fleshed.
18. Xanthosoma caracu
| Botanical name | Xanthosoma caracu |
| Size | 0.9-1.8 m |
| Identification | elephant-ear like leaves |
| Geographical location | South America |
Xanthosoma caracu, a native plant native to South America, is cultivated in Puerto Rico. It grows to 1.5 m in height and has bluish-green, glossy leaves. The leaves resemble an elephant’s ear and grow 3 to 6 feet long. It is light green and arrow-shaped, with long leaf stalks.
19. Papaya leaf
| Botanical name | Carica papaya |
| Size | 0.5-0.7 m |
| Identification | prominent yellow veining |
| Geographical location | America, Mexico, and Asia |
Papaya leaves are medium to large, averaging 50–70 centimeters in diameter and 18–90 centimeters in length. They are broad, flat, and deeply lobed, with prominent yellow veining throughout the 5–9 lobes.
They grow on hollow stems in palm-like clusters at the top of the tree and contain a white, milky latex liquid. Papaya leaves have a crisp, fresh, green flavor and can be extremely bitter, depending on maturity. Papaya leaves have numerous medicinal properties and are a good source of nutrition.
20. Night-scented lily
| Botanical name | Alocasia odora |
| Size | ~0.6 m |
| Identification | The leaf has a diamond blade shape. |
| Geographical location | East and Southeast Asia |
Alocasia odora, also known as night-scented lily, Asian taro, or giant upright elephant ear, is a flowering plant native to East and Southeast Asia. It is known as hoomu in Manipur, India, and is traditionally used as a medicine for the treatment of the common cold in North Vietnam.
The leaves are big, diamond-blade-shaped, slightly teardrop-shaped, and ovate, with a light green hue and a cordate base.
Petioles are 0.3–1.0 meters long, with the lower parts clasped around the stem. The leaves are lustrous, brilliant green, paddle-shaped, and borne on strong stems, reaching 2 ft. in length and 1 ft. in width.
Conclusion:
These are some of the largest leaf plants in the world. You might know some of them, but it may be surprising to you as well. Raphia farinifera and its similar species are recorded to grow to a length of 20 m. If you want to know more about the Animal Kingdom, follow HowItSee.
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