Leaf morphology of Claytonia virginica: racial and clinal variation

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Abstract
Differences in average leaf length to width ratio are found to characterize the four chemical and cytological races of the geophytic spring ephemeral Claytonia virginica L. (Portulacaceae). Two races with wide leaves are mostly northern in distribution, while two other races having narrower leaves are predominantly southern. Within each race, a statistically significant north–south cline in leaf ratio is observed, mirroring the variation pattern observed for the species as a whole. Several ecological variables, including zenith angle of the sun and total solar radiation, also show north–south gradients when measured over the aboveground portion of the Claytonia virginica seasonal cycle and corrected for the time of flowering of the species at different latitudes. It is suggested that the clinal pattern of variation observed in the species has evolved in response to these environmental gradients.

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