Architectural analysis of Osmanthus fragrans Crown
桂花植冠的枝系构型分析

Branching pattern was studied in Osmanthus fragrans grown in Shifengzai Scenery, Fujian Province, China, by the Strahler method. The architectural parameters (overall bifurcation ratio, stepwise bifurcation ratio (SBR1:2 and SBR2:3), length of the first-order branch, ratio of branch diameter (RBD2:1), branch angle and leaf angle) varied with the different growth and development stages. The architectural comparison of branches showed that height growth was obvious at the seedling stage, transition from height growth to crown expansion occurred at the sapling stage, and the crown diameter increased rapidly with slow height growth at the mature stage. The analysis of leaf distribution showed that the leaves are distributed mainly at the first-order branches and the third-order branches, and the leaf size increased with the growth and development of O. fragrans. It is suggested that the plasticity of branching pattern is an adaptive strategy of O. fragrans.