And they do totally different things. Redwoods have two types of leaves, one to make food and the other to absorb water.
Redwoods are among the most well-studied trees on the planet, yet their mysteries continue to surprise and delight scientists and nature lovers.
The peripheral leaf spends its working hours making the tree’s food — converting sunlight into sugar through photosynthesis. Its colleague, the axial leaf, does almost nothing to help with photosynthesis. Instead its speciality is to absorb water. In fact, the study found that a large redwood can absorb up to 14 gallons of water in just the first hour its leaves are wet.
Read the fascinating summary of the scientific article → https://www.ucdavis.edu/climate/news/discovery-uncovers-new-leaf-redwoods