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  RE: [Aroid-l] Leaf vein nomenclature
From: "Derek Burch" derek at horticulturist.com> on 2005.06.25 at 11:57:31(13050)
This looks much more complicated than it really is. Using your example, it
means that the usual number of veins per side is six to nine. But in
examining a lot of specimens that in all other characters fit the species
description, the botanist found occasional examples with as few as five or
as many as ten veins per side.
Particularly when used in a key, this prevents a plant being excluded from
its correct identification because it is aberrant in a single small
character. As I am sure you know, you should always read both parts of the
couplet that makes up that stage in the keying process, and select the path
that best fits the "unknown" plant even if it isn't an absolutely perfect
fit.
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