In a morphometric variability study of montane shrub species populations, which I have just launched, leaf shape would be quite a promising character. Although commonly used in such studies, leaf shape is often analysed as actually a set of individual “shape-describing” linear traits and their ratios, leaf area and perimeter. But still, each of these traits is treated by the analysis as an individual independent variable. Thus, I am looking for a high-precision method to measure and analyse leaf shape as a single whole.

The supposed algorithm is following: on the photographed or scanned leaf images, a number of control points are placed along the leaf outline in a computer program. The program then analyses the differences between leaf outlines based on these points, resulting in numerical/graphical representation of the leaf shape variation.

Having reviewed some literature, I found that this can be done by so-called Elliptic Fourier leaf shape analysis using R statistics. Has anyone dealt with such kind of analysis? Is it applicable for within-species population studies? This analysis can be carried out by any of numerous algorithms, so did anybody compare their effectiveness? Also, are there any easier-to-use substitutes for this method? I would be grateful for recommending a relevant statistics and software, some manuals and publications.