This tree outside is in every respect an American Basswood only it has leaves that are 8 inches to 12 inches long. I measured one with a ruler at 10 inches and it was not the largest nor the smallest leaf on the tree. The book has that species with leaves up to 6 inches or even 8 inches long as the upper number.
2007-02-18 11:41:28 · 3 answers · asked by Professor Armitage 7 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Botany
Firstly, when guide books state the size leaves that a tree normally has, it's an average size. So they could be bigger, or they could be smaller.
Also, the better the minerals it gets and if it gets the perfect amount of sun and water it will, like all other plants, grow taller,wider, and faster.
2007-02-18 13:51:25 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sure..there can be a lot of things that affect leaf size including light, water and nutrient availability. Also, you could be dealing with a variant. Identification books just give the most common, or average for that tree.
2007-02-18 20:35:36 · answer #2 · answered by Ellie S 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, I have seen this happen in Basswood and other trees. It depends on their growing conditions such as sunlight, competition, moisture, food, etc.
2007-02-18 20:12:47 · answer #3 · answered by physandchemteach 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋