Figure 2.

Schematic Representation of the Method Used in Determining Allometric Leaf Growth Pattern in Diverse Species.

The filled dot represents an ink spot introduced at the middle of the length axis in a young lamina and serves as a traceable surface marker of linear growth. At the start of the measurement, the length of the distal half (x) equals the proximal half (y). A set of (x_i,y_i) value is collected during leaf growth and fitted to the power equation y∞x^α (shown in Figure 3). Depending on the growth polarity, the ink spot is traced within the distal half (x < y, positive allometry), the proximal half (x > y, negative allometry), or in the middle (x = y, isometry) of the mature lamina.