Abstract Leaf surface characteristics are the key to determine the water storage capacity of tree canopy and then determine the water interception capacity of the entire stands. We selected 10 common tree species in Qingdao, China, as experimental materials to determine the relationship between the leaf water storage capacity and the microstructure of leaf surfaces. The results revealed that water storage capacity varied from 110.16 to 181.35 g·m−2 on tree branch surfaces and 122.58 to 193.24 g·m−2 on leaf surfaces in these species. Prunus serrulata with the highest leaf storage capacity had low wettability and high roughness, while Platanus acerifolia with the lowest leaf storage capacity had high wettability and low roughness. Among them, leaf roughness played an important role in work‐of‐adhesion for rainfall. With an increasing roughness, the raindrops increasingly adhered to the leaf surface, and leaf water storage capacity increased. Thus, the effects of leaf surface properties on hydrological processes cannot be ignored, and this study is of great significance for demonstrating their impacts on water storage capacity and further promoting sponge city construction by using trees.
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