Question

In tamarind (imli), the pinnate leaf is -
a. Tripinnate
b. Bipinnate
c. Paripinnate
d. Imparipinnate

Answer 1

Pinnation is an arrangement of distinct structures (such as leaflets, stems, veins, lobes, or appendages) forming at multiple points along a general axis. For example, once-divided leaves possessing leaflets arranged on both sides of a rachis are pinnately compound leaves. A lot of palms (remarkably the feather palms) and many cycads have pinnately divided leaves.

Complete answer:
Leaves are the key photosynthetic organ of a plant. They are also critical to water movement. The Pinnation of leaves also plays an important function in the morphology of various plants.

Bipinnate: Leaves in which the leaflets are themselves pinnately compound; also termed as "twice-pinnate". Tripinnate: Leaves in which the leaflets are themselves tripinnate; also known as "thrice-pinnate". In imparipinnate, the leaflets are peculiarly paired in the opposite direction. In this, a single leaflet is present at the frontal end of the rachis.

The pinnately compound leaves in which leaflets are present in pairs along the rachis without a particular terminal leaflet are called paripinnate. They are also known as even-pinnate, e.g., tamarind.

Hence, the correct answer is option (C).

Note: Apart from simple leaves, the compound leaf is a leaf composed of more than two leaflets.
In a compound leaf, the midrib of the leaf is branched into diverse leaflets and is joined by a single petiole. Getting more precise, in a palmately compound leaf, the leaflets are joined at the tip of the petiole such as Silk cotton, and in a pinnately compound leaf, the midrib of the leaf is split into abundant leaflets and all linked by an ordinary axis like Neem.