Identification of morphological descriptors for characterization of teak (Tectona grandis L. f.)

Abstract

The implantation of teak ( Tectona grandis ) in Brazil has increased in recent years; however, morphological descriptors of teak are still lacking. Thus, vegetative and reproductive materials of teak were collected from Brazil (Caceres) and compared with different provenances in several commercial and experimental plantations: the Solomon Islands, Indonesia and Thailand. A survey of thirteen quantitative morphological traits of leaves, inflorescences and flowers and qualitative traits, such as leaf shape and type of leaf trichome, was performed at the ESA Herbarium. The quantitative traits included petiole length; leaf length; leaf width; inflorescence length and width; calyx lobe and corolla lobe length; fillet, anther and ovary length; and number of sepals, petals and anthers. Of the thirteen quantitative traits, the Indonesia provenance presented ten traits that were similar to Caceres. The Thailand materials presented nine similar traits, whereas the Solomon Islands materials were the least similar, possessing only seven similar traits. In addition, two qualitative traits were considered: leaf shape and trichome type. Of the trichomes, the provenance that differed the most from the others was the Solomon Islands provenance, which presented arachnoid trichomes. This preliminary study describes quantitative and qualitative morphological traits of teak that can inform future studies seeking to establish potential descriptors.