Morphometric data of Colophospermum mopane leaves in the Limpopo Province of South Africa

Abstract

Colophospermum mopane (J. Kirk ex Benth.) J. Kirk ex J. Léonard occurs over a very large region of southern Africa, occupying varying habitats that could account for ecotypic speciation. This investigation statistical analysed the variations in the architecture of the leaflets of C. mopane from the Limpopo Province of South Africa, with the purpose of ascertaining whether natural variability can act as a source of information for investigating ecotypic variation. Leaf morphometric traits, such as leaflet area, length, width, perimeter, pulvinus angle and the acuteness of the apex, were digitally measured and statistically compared for intra- and inter-population variability. Data indicate that the intra-population variation is 35.33% (statistical similarity: 64.67%), while the inter-population (n = 5) variation is 46.67% (statistical similarity: 53.33%).

Keywords

• Colophopsermum mopane
• Ecotypic variation and speciation
• Limpopo Province
• Phenology