Estimation of the leaf area of Cinnamodendron dinisii from linear dimensions

Abstract

The species Cinnamodendron dinisii (Canelaceae) is native and endemic to Brazil and found in fragments of the Atlantic Forest. The plant is popularly known as “pimenteira” and is used by traditional communities in the treatment of various diseases. In addition, the insecticide, antimicrobial and leshimanicidal pharmacological properties have already been described in the literature for the essential oil extracted from its leaves. Despite the medicinal potential of the species, there is still a need for basic research involving aspects related to propagation, growth and development. In this sense, the objective was to estimate the leaf area of C. dinisii from the linear dimensions of its leaves. A total of 200 leaves were collected from specimens present in the remaining forest of the Horto de Plantas Medicinais at UFLA, Lavras – MG. After collection, the leaves were scanned and the images were submitted to the ImageJ software to measure the linear length and width measurements. Linear models, graphs and frequency histograms were made using the STATISTICA software. The data obtained showed that the product of the linear measurements length and width are sufficient to estimate the leaf area of the species, where there was a good adjustment of the relationship between the observed leaf area (OLA) and the estimated leaf area (ELA). Thus, it is possible to determine the leaf area of C. dinisii from the linear equation: Ŷ = 0.0187 + 0.6674x as a function of the product of the linear measurements length and width. Therefore, the present study contributes significantly with data for future investigations on the growth and development of Cinnamodendron dinisii.