Correlation of Leaf Anatomy and Plant Growth Among Clones of Bio-Energy Oil Plant Cornus wilsoniana

Cornus wilsoniana Wangerin, a member of Cornaceae, is a deciduous or evergreen tree or shrub that is endemic to China. It is an important plants for its ecological significance and economic value. Its fruits, which have rich oil with high oleic and linoleic acid, had been untilized for edible oild production for centuries. Today, this plant is an important biodiesel feedstock in China and brings a lot of research and development attention. Many existing plantations from natural seedlings had little or no use due to its height and lower yield. To establish new plantation, dwarf plants with high yield have to be selected. Correlation between leaf anatomy and plant growth of 10 Cornus wilsoniana clones were analyzed. The findings indicated that leaf area and thickness had little relationship with plant growth. However, leaf anatomical structures, especially thickness of spongy tissues, significant positively correlated with stem diameter at the ground level. Internode length positively correlated with palisade thickness, but negatively related to the spongy layer thickness. So did as to ratio of palisade to spongy tissues. Internode length determines branch length, as well as habit and plant height. We could use the palisade thickness and ratio of palisade and spongy tissues to predict the dwarfness of potential clones of Cornus wilsoniana.