Fractal analysis of leaf shapes

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Abstract
An application of fractal mathematics to the analysis of leaf shapes is presented. Six leaves randomly selected from nine tree species were used in the study. A video imaging method together with microcomputer-based image processing was used to generate leaf outlines. A fractal analysis program was written to calculate the fractal dimensions of the leaves. Recalling a leaf outline from a diskette and specifying both the starting position on it (e.g., the beginning of the petiole) and six step lengths (explained later), the program then generates the fractal dimension according to the theory described. The results show that the fractal dimension is sensitive to leaf shape variations within a species. For example, two types of ginkgo leaves (one with and one without a notch in the middle of the leaf outline) showed distinctly different fractal values. Similar sensitivity to shape change was observed among the leaves of white oak, red oak, and sugar maple where such variables as width to length ratio and the degree of jaggedness of the leaf caused a departure of the fractal value from the average.

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