Characteristics of “Number of Veins” to Estimate Leaf Maturity in Pteris mutilata (Pteridaceae)

Abstract

, as has been established in ferns of cool temperate regions. NV expressed developmental stages better than any other leaf size parameters, such as blade length, blade width, stipe length, and total length (blade+stipe length). The leaf shape became more oblong and/or slender after the plant matured, which could be measured by two shape parameters, (blade width)/(total length) and (blade width)/(blade length). Principal component analysis using all the morphological parameters showed that NV is categorized into size parameters, although NV has been considered to differ somehow from the other size parameters. Thus NV represents one of the size parameters that is the most appropriate to estimate leaf maturation.