# True leaves

> The first leaves produced by the shoot tip after the cotyledons, with the plant's characteristic serrated leaflets.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/true-leaves.html
- Also written: first true leaves, true leaf, first set of leaves, first serrated leaves
- Glossary category: Plant biology
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

True leaves are leaves produced by the [shoot apical meristem](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/apical-meristem.md), as opposed to the [cotyledons](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cotyledon.md) formed in the embryo. In cannabis the first pair has a single serrated [leaflet](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/leaflet.md) each; later pairs carry three, then five, and more leaflets as the plant matures, up to seven to eleven or more on large [fan leaves](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/fan-leaf.md).

## In practice

Growers count true-leaf nodes to time things. Common landmarks: start light feeding at roughly the second or third set of true leaves; topping is often done at the third to fifth node; seedlings are usually ready to [transplant](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/transplanting.md) from a small cell once they have a few sets of true leaves and roots reach the cell edge.

Early leaves arise in opposite pairs. As the plant moves toward flowering, phyllotaxy usually switches to alternate (one leaf per node). That switch is a maturity marker, not a sex indicator.

Slow, cupped or pale first true leaves usually point to light intensity, [overwatering](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/overwatering.md) or medium [pH](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/ph.md) before nutrients.

## Don't confuse with

- **Cotyledons**: the smooth, rounded seed leaves that come first.
- **Leaflet**: one blade of a compound true leaf.
- **Sugar leaves**: small resinous leaves within the flower clusters.

## Related terms

[Cotyledon](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cotyledon.md), [Leaflet](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/leaflet.md), [Serration](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/serration.md), [Node](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/node.md), [Fan leaf](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/fan-leaf.md)

## Read more

- [Seedling care: the first three weeks](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/germination/seedling-care.md)
- [The cannabis life cycle, stage by stage](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/basics/life-cycle.md)

## Sources

1. Small E. 2015. Evolution and classification of Cannabis sativa (marijuana, hemp) in relation to human utilization. The Botanical Review 81:189-294. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12229-015-9157-3