Phenotyping imaging will be most suitable for leaf morphology.Neural art network is also better.

I try with Phenophyping imaging, but it is possible to differentiate the two species from same genus having same type of leaf morphology

@ Joachim, Thanks a lot sir, this will be very much helpful for me

now a days identification of plant is not in accordance with the morhological characters.....Go through the worl checklist of plants..all the oldtraditional classification has been changing..Now Phylogeny..based on molecular taxomy..is practicing..

Morphological-------world check list

It is supporting tool for identification

This is a very useful discussion for me. Study on leaf venation is never outmoded for identification.

http://www3.geosc.psu.edu/~pdw3/1999_MLA.pdf

http://si-pddr.si.edu/dspace/bitstream/10088/17623/1/paleo_Price_et_al_2011_Ecology_Letters.pdf

@ PA Q-ting, i agree with you. if two species of same genus having closely related characters. in case it is very difficult to identify the species using the morphological. leaf venation will help. I agree.

I believe the attached material will be of great use to you. Cheers

I found it useful to help identify tropical trees, though of course you need a reference base of descriptions which you will probably have to set up yourself using local herbaria material. In the following paper some plant families are shown to have interesting distributions of the characters: prominence of various categories of leaf veins.

http://www.dcf.ufla.br/cerne/artigos/10-02-20097776v12_n1_artigo%2001.pdf

Leaf venation is very useful. We have tried this with Psychotria species, Cinnamomum species and some species of the family Malvaceae.Try this: http://www.philjol.info/philjol/index.php/PJSB/article/view/1563

Leaf venation is a very important aspect of leaf morphology. Studies have shown that even between the same species the leaf venation and morphology can differ due to habitat differences and morphological plasticity.

A cue can be taken from this to differentiate plants of different species too.

Please find attached another related document. Cheers

The discussion is identification not phylogenetics. The reproductive parts may help us distinguish plant genera but vegetative traits are then usually needed for species identification. Also, when observed in sufficient detail and with the aid of a simple computer, vegetative traits alone can help distinguish hundreds of tropical trees across genera and families (see my papers). Only in special cases is molecular information necessary for plant identification.

Peter.. i believe the special cases where molecular information may be required to distinguish genera may include plants with intermediate features of two or more species. From experience multivariate analysis of various data of vegetative parts can be useful in resolving such problems by highlighting variables that best distinguish the species with intermediate features.

Sabestian, Leaf morphology is a very distinguishing character of the plants. With the help of leaf morphology we can easily classify some families. Moreover Leaf morphology gives us idea of its habitat.

...not only does morphology give us an idea of its habitat it can also give more specific information like the niche it occupies in the habitat.

By using venation, we can easily separate the dicot and monocot plant... mostly monocot plants have parallel venation, whereas dicot have reticulate venation... further vein termination and vein islet number may help to identify the plant....

Many morphological characters are useful in the accurate identification of different plant species. This is because some features are very specific to a particular plant or plant group. The leaf size, shape, arrangement and venation is one character that can be used for proper identification of plants. For example Ficus krishnae plant have a particular shape of the leaves which is a unique character.

I am agree with the answer of Roshan Patel, Yes, leaf venation can be employed to distinguish dicot and monocot angiosperms. However, it is true that morphological traits especially leaf (size, texture, colour, surface) express very unique character in comparison to other component of a plant, that might be useful for identification or for knowing status and condition of habitat.

One of my colleague also given valuable answer of this question. He addressed the answer with one example of plant belonging to ficus family (Ficus krishne), this plant has have unique leaf structure.On the basis of such uniqueness character you may identify only Ficus krishne.

Conclusion: On the basis of leaf venation, whole plants could not be identify. Carl Linnaeus had taken reproductive organs (reproductive traits) in artificial systems of classification. To date, there are many advanced knowledge has been appended in the the history of plant taxonomy but how much this classification is still useful we all people know about it.

Home message: Leaf venation can be taken for identification of dicot and monocot satisfactorily but not for plant identification.

Venation usually useful in fern identification (to some extent). But, again, if you need to be very sure then you need more characters, especially the reproductive ones (spore).

Yes, Wita wardani, Venation of leaf normally more effective for identification of fern and some extent to specific angiosperms like monocot.

Dear Marco

Can you give the full details for "Hickey 1973" please? I cannot find it elsewhere in the discussions.

Thankyou.

Here's the link to Hickey 1973. Although only the abstract is available for viewing. Cheers

http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/2441319?uid=3738720&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&sid=21102641313763

Very recently, when i observe two bryophyte species. Two shows different type of leaf pattern. I just observed under microscope without taking section or peel. I feel it is well better way to distinguish or identify the species of bryophytes ..

Dear Azubuike

Thankyou.

My academic library subscribes to only a limited number of articles from American Journal of Botany and this particular article is not included. However I was able to find the whole article online. The other option would have been to make a free and temporary registration with jstor.org.

I found another article which I don't think is linked anywhere in this discussion. It can be accessed via Wiley Online: "Pectinal Veins: a new concept in terminology for the description of dicotyledonous leaf venation patterns" (2008) by Robert A. Spicer

The "Manual of Leaf Architecture" (1999), which John Pipoly, above, provides a link to, looks very helpful as well. Hickey was involved in its production.

Thankyou again for your reply to my query. I discovered quite a bit in my wanderings due to the link you gave me.

...Thank you too Sandi. I'll be glad if u could send me the whole article. Cheers

Hi Azubuike

I think you will have it by now, courtesy of Marco.

It can also be obtained freely via Google, entering the title: "Classification of the Architecture of Dicotyledonous Leaves"

Sandi

Thanks Sandi, i got it. Thanks for the advice. Cheers

actually, there are most recent versions... but I'dont have the PDF...

Manual of Leaf Architecture by Beth Ellis, Douglas C. Daly, Leo J. Hickey, Kirk R. Johnson, John D. Mitchell, Peter Wilf, and Scott L. Wing. 2009. 216 pp. ISBN: 978-0-8014-4. Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850 U.S.A. (Published in association with The New York Botanical Garden.)

Leaf venation can help to distinguish two closely relate species. Otherwise, it can never play a big role in the identification of plants

Leaf venation and other leaf characters have been used in paleobotany for identification of angiosperms for over 100 years.

A good guide is this book:

Ellis, B., Daly, D. C., Hickey, L.J., Johnson, K. R., Mitchell, J. D., Wilf, P., and Wing, S.L. 2009. Manual of Leaf Architecture. Cornell University Press. 190 p.

There is an older free version published in 1999.

Leaf venation can help to distinguish certain groups like in the Myrtaceae Family for Syzygium

In Clusiaceae, leaf venation can easily be used to recognize or identify the genus. For example, Calophyllum has very distinct leaf venation compared with other genus in Clusiaceae. In recent classification or systematics, Calophyllum has been separated as Calophyllaceae, but it is still regarded as Clusiaceae in certain discussion. In species level I find it is very difficult to identify especially in Garcinia spp. Some species might be easy, but in Garcinia there are many similarities that make it difficult to differentiate.

Leaf venation including the intra marginal veins are useful in the family Myrtaceae.

 I chose the leaf veins of three species, P. clarofolia, P. conradinae and  P.serrulata  to observe. Is there any significantly different among them? Can I use the veins as a feature to classify the three species?