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The tip of the main stem of a plant. The form of the leader (whether erect or drooping) can aid identification of certain conifers. For example, the western red cedar, Thuja plicata, has an upright leader, which distinguishes it from the similar Lawson cypress, Chamaecyparis lawsonia, which has a drooping leader. The term may also be used of the terminal segment of any main branch in distinction to any lateral branches arising from it. In those conifers in which the leaves are borne in clusters on short side shoots, e.g. cedars (Cedrus) and larches (Larix), the side shoots are termed spurs while the main shoot is the leader.
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