Rewatering Plants after a Long Water-deficit Treatment Reveals that Leaf Epidermal Cells Retain their Ability to Expand after the Leaf has Apparently Reached its Final Size

Abstract

After the leaf has ceased to grow, leaf cells retain their ability to expand for several days before leaf size becomes fixed. A response window was identified in both species, during which the extent of leaf area recovery decreased with time after the 'initial' leaf growth cessation. These results suggest that re-growth after rewatering of leaves having apparently attained their final size could be a generalized phenomenon, at least in dicotyledonous plants.