Leaf shape is an important clue in the identification of plants and trees. The heart shape is one of the most easily recognized. Plants and trees with heart shaped leaves can be found around the house, garden and in the woods. They can be found in both flowering and non flowering plants, aquatic plants, garden herbs and vegetables and trees.

1. Flowering Plants Sunflowers can be twelve feet tall. They have gigantic heads with little flowers growing tightly together. It's interesting that the sunflower is a heliotrophic plant and follows the sun from east to west as it rises as sets until it is fully developed. Morning Glories love the sun! They usually open in the early morning and close late in the evening. In addition to being an ornamental flower, the seeds of this flower have been used medicinally as laxatives and in religious ceremonies as a hallucinogen. Because of the way it spreads it can be a nuisance plant.

2. Non-Flowering Plants Elephant Ears; one only needs to look at this plant to know how it got its name. Its heart shaped leaves are big and yes they do look like the elephant's ears. The Blood leaf plant has colorful, purplish or reddish foliage, which is incidentally where it gets its rather strange yet descriptive name.

3. Aquatic Plants An aquatic plant has leaves that are heart shaped. A couple of examples include the chameleon and the pond lily.

4. Herbs Herbs are plants valued for reasons other than their use as food. Mostly they are used for their flavor and scent but they can also be used in religious ceremonies or as medicine. Ginger, oregano, and basil are examples of herbs with heart shaped leaves.

5. Garden Vegetables Heart shaped leaves are present in several garden vegetables including the cucumber, green beans, and sweet potato vines.

6. Trees One of the trees best known for its heart shaped leaves is the basically small redbud tree with its beautiful purplish pink flowers in early spring. Other trees with this shape leaf are the mulberry tree and the catalpa tree. What better way of communing with nature than having a walk through the woods on a breezy summer afternoon? Seeing all the creatures and plant life can be exhilarating, especially if they can be identified. One of the easiest methods for identification is by their leaves and if you're with that special someone looking at heart shaped leaves can have a double meaning.