Ecological Comparison of Leaf Structures of Rhododendron punctatum Andr., And the Ontogony of the Epidermal Scales
Duncan WH. 1933. Ecological Comparison of Leaf Structures of Rhododendron punctatum Andr., And the Ontogony of the Epidermal Scales. The American Midland Naturalist. 14(2):83-96
Rhododendron punctatum Andr. is a low branching shrub, one-half to two meters tall, with resin-dotted foliage. These dots are scales that are mainly on the lower leaf surface but are also on the upper surface and the petioles. They are also apparent on young twigs. The shrub grows in various places on the mountain top and the upper slopes, and the external appearances vary somewhat with the habitat. Comparing two types, one from a bald an another from a spruce-fir forest, we notice changes in xeromorphic character. The leaf margins are more revolute, the color darker, the surfaces generally more scurfy, and the leaves dwarfed. There are often more epidermal hairs near the midvein on the leaves from the bald.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Duncan, Wilbur
- Units
- GRSM
- Keywords
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park NC TN, Plant Studies, rhododendron