Leaf Trait Related to Growth in 61 <em>Catalpa bungei</em> Clones

Abstract

In order to clarify the relationship of leaf characteristics and growth of Catalpa bungei and provide a theoretical basis for clone selection in Catalpa bungei, the growth and leaf morphology characteristics of 61 Catalpa bungei clones were studied. The results showed that significant variances were found in leaf length, width, width/length, leaf stalk length, specific leaf mass, Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) and height among 61 clones. Leaf length, width and leaf stalk length were positively correlated with each other. Leaf length and leaf stalk length were positively related to DBH and height and leaf width was positively related to height. This suggests that leaf morphological indices, such as leaf length, leaf stalk length and leaf width, can predict the tree growth for Catalpa bungei clones, which would be helpful for clonal selection in future.