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THE NUMERICAL TAXONOMY OF SOME SPECIES OF POPULUS BASED ONLY ON VEGETATIVE CHARACTERS
Author(s) -
Hu Chiachi,
Crovello Theodore J.,
Sokal Robert R.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
taxon
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.819
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1996-8175
pISSN - 0040-0262
DOI - 10.2307/1221778
Subject(s) - herbarium , taxon , numerical taxonomy , biology , botany , twig , taxonomy (biology) , genus , zoology
Summary This study examines whether a satisfactory classification can be obtained from phenetic clustering of herbarium specimens based on vegetative characters alone. Twelve leaf and twig characters of 731 specimens in 13 taxa within the genus Populus L. were subjected to standard numerical phenetic techniques. A classification based on character means for each taxon corresponded well to the established classification. Another classification based on 68 individual specimens, while showing considerable phenetic affinities of putatively related individuals, yielded an overall unsatisfactory classification. Some sections of the genus were easier to delimit by vegetative characters than others.