A Leaf Morphometrics Comparison between the Deciduous Plane Tree <i>Platanus orientalis</i> L. and Its Ever-Growing Mutation <i>Platanus orientalis</i> L. var. <i>cretica</i> 

Abstract

Platanus orientalis L. var. cretica is the ever-growing mutant of Platanus orientalis L. (plane tree) and its population consists of few trees, growing in isolation on the island of Crete, in the Aegean Archipelago of Greece, while the typical plane tree form is ubiquitous to the island and mainly present in streams and ravines. In the present study, 23 mutant and adjacent typical plane tree pairs were studied. Four leaf morphometry parameters were measured using the ImageJ software in order to derive five independent of size leaf shape ratios. Paired comparisons using Kruskal-Wallis tests were conducted via the SPSS software. The analyses showed no general tendency of statistically significant differences regarding studied parameters between pairs. Statistically significant differences (p P. orientalis L. and the ever-growing P. orientalis L. var. cretica.

Keywords

• <i>Platanus orientalis</i> L. var. <i>cretica</i>
• ever-growing mutant
• leaf morphometrics