Biomorphic cerias were produced through mineralizing plant-leaf templates (camphor and common oleander) with a cerium nitrate precursor. They were mesoporous while inheriting the species-de pendent macrofeatures of plant-leaf templates, like macropores, channels, and microfibrous clusters, to have a meso/macroporous hierarchy. Surface oxygen activity was enhanced for the biomorphic cerias, as was revealed by temperature-programmed reduction measurements, suggesting their potentials in mid-temperature (300 degrees-600 degrees C) applications of oxygen storage, catalysis, gas sensing, etc.