New Zealand Journal of Botany abstracts

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A revised estimate of the total plant surface area of Leptospermum scoparium J. R. et G. Forst. (Myrtaceae)

W. D. Burke

50 Wellington Street, Nelson, New Zealand

Abstract An equation, lny = 2.05 Inx + 7.26, r = 0.%, relating basal stem diameter to total plant surface area including twigs, branches, stems, and leaves is given for the shrub Leptospermum scoparium J. R. et G. Forst. This equation gives the ratio of total plant surface area to ground area occupied by the stems, for a 4-m² quadrat placed in an area of L. scoparium scrub, as 7.4. Direct measurement of the surface area of one shrub with a basal stem diameter similar to the sample mean (n = 41), and multiplying by 41, gave a ratio of 7.7. Previous estimates of the ratio for/., scoparium of about 1 are too low, and the ratio of 7.4 falls within the range obtained for some North American vegetation.

Keywords total plant surface area; Leptospermum scoparium; Myrtaceae

Received 1 May 1980
New Zealand Journal of Botany, 1981, Vol. 19:123-124

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (119K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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