Table 3.

New apical shoot length (NSL) and its internode length (NSIL), axillary branch length (BL) and its internode length (BIL), and the axillary budburst (% of buds on the main stem that sprouted) of E. illinita, E. rosea, and E. rubra diploid controls (D) and tetraploid numbers (T), measured on at least 4 four plantlets per plant number (mean ± standard deviation).

Escallonia species	Ploidy group	Analyzed plant numbers	NSL (cm)	NSIL (cm)	BL (cm)	BIL (cm)	Axillary budburst (%)
E. illinita	D	6	11.0 ± 4.5NS	1.0 ± 0.2***	23.6 ± 2.6*	1.4 ± 0.1*	15.6 ± 2.0**
	T	23	11.4 ± 2.4	1.1 ± 0.2	20.1 ± 2.9	1.5 ± 0.1	18.0 ± 2.3
E. rosea	D	4	3.8 ± 2.8***	0.3 ± 0.1***	6.8 ± 2.2***	0.4 ± 0.1***	93.1 ± 10.3**
	T	6	1.3 ± 1.2	0.2 ± 0.2	3.4 ± 2.0	0.3 ± 0.1	85.1 ± 15.2
E. rubra	D	16	4.9 ± 4.3*	0.4 ± 0.3***	8.2 ± 2.1***	0.6 ± 0.1***	81.5 ± 17.0**
	T	23	5.5 ± 3.9	0.5 ± 0.3	8.6 ± 2.0	0.7 ± 0.1	76.2 ± 16.7

Statistical analysis within the genotype between diploids and tetraploids with MWUT for pairwise comparison, except for NSL and NSIL of E. illinita and E. rubra, a T-test for pairwise comparison was used.

^NS, Not significant;

^*p = 0.05;

^**p = 0.01;

^***p = 0.001.