Capote is the binder. In a Cuban or Dominican factory you will hear this word more often than the English one. It is a practical leaf: strong, able to burn well, and large enough to wrap a bunch in one or two pieces.
Because it sits under the wrapper, small blemishes that would rule out a wrapper leaf are acceptable. Strength and burn matter more than appearance. Some binder comes from the same farms as the filler, and some is grown specifically as binder.
See binder for what the binder does, and double binder for cigars that use two binder leaves.