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CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON2 (CUC2) and the interacting microRNA miR164 regulate leaf margin dissection. Here, we further investigate the evolution and the specific roles of the CUC1 to CUC3 genes during Arabidopsis thaliana leaf serration. We show that CUC2 is essential for dissecting the leaves of a wide range of lobed/serrated Arabidopsis lines. Inactivation of CUC3 leads to a partial suppression of the serrations, indicating a role for this gene in leaf shaping. Morphometric analysis of leaf development and genetic analysis provide evidence for different temporal contributions of CUC2 and CUC3. Chimeric constructs mixing CUC regulatory sequences with different coding sequences reveal both redundant and specific roles for the three CUC genes that could be traced back to changes in their expression pattern or protein activity. In particular, we show that CUC1 triggers the formation of leaflets …