Editing Crocus (section)

=== Leaves ===
Plants produce several basal linear bifacial green [[leaves]] that arise from the corms. These are [[Adaxial (botany)|adaxially]] (upper surface facing axis) flat or channelled with pale median stripes, while the opposite (abaxial) surface is strongly keeled, with two grooves on either side. The leaves have a distinctive shape in cross-section, being boat-shaped with two lateral arms with margins recurved inwardly towards the central ridged keel, forming the sides of the "boat". The keel may be square or rectangular, but is lacking in ''C. carpetanus''. The pale central stripe is caused by [[Ground tissue|parenchymatous]] cells which lack [[chloroplast]]s and may contain air spaces.{{sfn|Rudall|Mathew|1990}} The leaves are from {{convert|5 to 30|mm|in|frac=32}} wide and {{convert|10 to 118|cm|in|0}} long. The leaf-like [[bracts]] are membranous, while the smaller bracteoles are either membranous or absent.{{sfn|Goldblatt et al|1998}}{{sfn|Zhao et al|2004}} The leaf bases are surrounded by up to 5 membranous sheaths called [[cataphylls]], a specialised leaf. The bases of the cataphylls form the corm tunic, and their number varies from 3 to 6, and enclose the true leaves (euphylls), bracts, bracteoles and flowering stalk.{{sfn|Kafi et al|2018}}{{sfn|Kerndorff et al|2015}}