The wrapper is the last leaf the roller applies. It has to stretch without tearing, lie smoothly from foot to head, and look like a single, even piece when the cigar is finished. Factories pay more for wrapper than for almost any other leaf, because defects are visible and because the wrapper burns with every puff.
In Spanish this leaf is called the capa. Shade-grown leaves, such as Connecticut grown under cloth and some Ecuadorian leaf grown under natural cloud cover, tend to be thinner and more elastic. Sun-grown habano and many maduro wrappers are thicker and oilier. Color names (claro, colorado, oscuro, candela) describe the finished appearance, not a separate plant.
The wrapper is not the whole cigar; the filler and binder still make up most of it. However, a torn wrapper ruins a cigar, and a well-chosen wrapper complements the blend.