Table 1.

Mean values ( ± s.e.) of the interval of leaf production per shoot, leaf expansion time, leaf life span and specific leaf mass (SLM) of Bauhinia rufa (BR), Leandra lacunosa (LL) and Miconia albicans (MA)

Variables	Bahuinia rufa	Leandra lacunosa	Miconia albicans
Time period of leaf production per shoot (days)
(n = number of shoots)
Leaves emerged during 1999	14·49 ± 1·46 a	141·34 ± 9·27 b	119·43 ± 7·90 b
	n = 93	n = 29	n = 39
Leaves emerged during 2000	9·93 ± 0·32 a	125·15 ± 2·78 b	133·51 ± 6·60 b
	n = 90	n = 50	n = 71
Leaf expansion time (days)
(n = number of leaves)
Leaves emerged during 1999	28·46 ± 1·17 a A	61·87 ± 2·42 b A	58·10 ± 1·08 b A
	n = 56	n = 63	n = 274
Leaves emerged during 2000	29·66 ± 0·93 a A	76·33 ± 2·53 b B	92·05 ± 2·98 c B
	n = 216	n = 123	n = 144
Leaf life span (days)*
(n = number of leaves)
Leaves emerged during 1999	258·55 ± 9·00 a A	247·75 ± 19·67 a A	364·28 ± 17·53 a A
	n = 49	n = 20	n = 69
Leaves emerged during 2000	272·39 ± 5·30 a A	371·79 ± 13·73 b B	516·00 ± 27·41 c B
	n = 210	n = 99	n = 40
SLM (g m−2)	147·00 ± 4·52 a	105·11 ± 4·40 b	162·32 ± 9·64 a
n = 50 leaves

Different lower-case letters in the rows indicate significant differences among species (ANOVA, P < 0·05) while upper-case letters (in the columns) indicate significant differences between the two periods studied for each species (Student's t-test, P < 0·05).

^*Leaves emerged in September (BR) or in October–November (LL and MA).