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Leaves mostly absent or reduced to scales
Members of several genera (e.g. Bossiaea, Daviesia, Jacksonia, Sphaerolobium, Templetonia) appear entirely leafless, have leaves that persist only during the juvenile phase, or have leaves that are deciduous prior to flowering. The stems of these taxa (generally referred to as "cladodes" or "phylloclades") may fulfill the primary photosynthetic function in the plant. A trait associated with this is the presence of minute leaf-scales (often brown in colour) or in Sphaerolobium, persistent leaf bases that subtend branchlets and inflorescence structures. For the purposes of this key, leaf scales are not considered equivalent (homologous) to leaves, and are not coded for leaf characters.
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