Plants With Spatulate Leaf Shapes

Trees

• Oak trees come in different sizes and shapes and have differently shaped leaves. Water oak (Quercus nigra) is easy to identify because of its distinctive spoon-shaped leaves. These leaves form an open rounded canopy, reaching 60 to 80 feet tall with a 50- to 70-foot spread. All spatulate leaves on plants do not change color in autumn. Water oak is an exception, displaying yellow leaves that fall in autumn in the North and semievergreen leaves in the South.

Succulents

• Although green roofs help cool buildings by adding a layer of planted vegetation atop structures, individual plants must be selected for their ability to thrive in hot and dry conditions. This makes succulents one of the best choices for planting green roofs because of their adaptation to arid conditions. Sedum, also called stonecrop, is a succulent plant with fleshy leaves that store water for periods of drought. Michigan State University recommends two sedums, kamschatikum and spathifolium, for their desirability as green-roof covers. Both of these plants have spatulate leaves and are commonly called spoon-leaf stonecrops.

Edibles

• Some edible plants have spatulate leaf shapes. Many lettuce leaves have spoon or spatula shapes, and other garden greens, classified as Chinese vegetables, also share this leaf shape. Tat soi, used in Chinese cooking, is a green leafy vegetable that grows as a basal rosette of dark-green spatulate leaves. Sometimes called lamb’s lettuce, corn salad is a variety of mache and has tiny spoon-shaped leaves with a nutty flavor. Spinach dock, also called garden sorrel, has longer spoon-shaped leaves with a lemony flavor. These greens add zest to otherwise bland lettuce salads.

Groundcovers

• Reducing or eliminating turfgrass areas is one principle of xeriscaping. In shadier areas, which present challenges to growing traditional lawns, ajuga is a favored groundcover for its ability to grow even in deep shade. Commonly called bugleweed, ajuga grows quickly by runners and forms a solid mat of small rosettes with spatulate leaves. A variety of cultivars is available, including different foliage colors of green, purple and bronze; some cultivars display variegated patterns.