A morphometric analysis of the genus <i>Ficus</i> Linn. (moraceae)

Abstract

Foliar parameters of Ficus in Nigeria were subjected to quantitative analysis. The morphometric analysis is based on ten quantitative parameters of the leaves of species. Principal compound analysis produced six groups whose characters are described. Highly significant positive correlation exists between leaf length and leaf width, leaf length and lamina length, leaf length and petiole length, lamina length and lamina width. Negative correlation was observed between leaf width and leaf length/width ratio, petiole length and fruit length/petiole length ratio. The groups that emerged compared well with existing traditional classification with some sub-sectional discrepancies.


Key Words: Ficus; morphometric analysis; numerical classification.


African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 3 (4), 2004: 229-235