Leaves can be distinguished as follows:

Palmate leaves exhibit a fan-shaped lamina consisting of pinnae all attached to the apex of the rachis;

Costapalmate leaves exhibit a fan-shaped lamina consisting of pinnae attached to the distal end of the rachis, thus forming a rib projecting into the lamina; 

Pinnate or bipinnate leaves exhibit pinnae attached on both sides of the rachis.

Pinnae, exhibiting one to several folds, may be either linear or fish-tailed, or acute or finally truncate, lower ones are often turned into spines.