SUMMARY

NUR MUFARHATUN. Analysis of Different Quantitative Leaf Morphologies Among

Meranti Species (Shorea spp.) During the Sapling and Tree Phases. Supervised by
IWAN HILWAN and HENTI HENDALASTUTI RACHMAT.

Shorea is the largest genus within the family of Dipterocarpaceae, a dominant

wooden tree inhabiting Southeast Asian tropical forests. The high diversity level of
Shorea genus causes difficulties in identifying species in the field, both in the sapling
and tree phases. Several tree species tend to have morphological differences in the
sapling and tree phases, although several morphological characteristics remain from
the sapling to tree phases.
The leaf morphological characteristic difference analysis was performed
quantitatively on Shorea balangeran, S. leprosula, S. mecistopteryx, S. multiflora, S.
ovalis, S. pinanga, S. platyclados, S. selanica, and S. stenopthera. It aimed to quantify
the leaf morphological characteristics and analyze the groups in several sapling phases
and tree phases of the meranti wooden group (Shorea spp.) in the Dramaga and Gunung
Dahu Research Forest. The sapling phase samples were three sheets from 20
individuals of each species. Meanwhile, the tree phase samples were five sheets from
ten individuals of each species. Eleven leaf physical shape variables were analyzed
using PCA with XLSTAT and the F different test with IBM SPSS Statistics 25.
Meanwhile, the leaf color characteristic difference was analyzed using the same
samples with R Statistics 3.6.0, RawTherapee 5.5, ImageJ 1.32, nixsensor, and
encycolorpedia.id to acquire the leaf color from the observed species. The group
analysis for all variables, i.e., physical shape and leaf color, were performed using the
Hierarchical Cluster Analysis with IBM SPSS Statistics 25.
The study results of different physical characteristics showed that from 11
samples in the sapling and tree phases, only eight samples with applicable values as the
quantitative leaf morphological differentiators, i.e., LD (leaf width), PL (lamina
length), LP (widest leaf width), SD (leaf vein angle), PT (leaf stalk length), JT (leaf
vein count), LS (leaf area), and KL (leaf circumference). The analysis results of
different leaf colors, each species had different colors. However, the digital color
extract findings demonstrated that the tree phase was darker than the sapling phase. It
is due to the higher chlorophyll content in the tree phase compared to the sapling phase.
On the three treatments, the species with the highest chlorophyll concentration was S.
leprosula. S. leprosula is a species recommended for intensive silviculture (SILIN)
activities due to its rapid growth and adaptable nature, where high chlorophyll
concentration is a supporting factor.
The group or cluster analysis results conducted using the dendrogram analysis in
the sapling and tree phases revealed nine meranti (Shorea spp.) species categorized into
two major groups. Group 1 comprises two species, i.e., S. stenopthera and S.
mecistopteryx, where both species are classified into the Pachycarpae section. Group 2
comprises different sections and group 2 consists of S. balangeran, S. leprosula, S.
ovalis, S. pinanga, S. platyclados, and S. selanica. One species even came from the
yellow meranti wooden group, i.e., S. multiflora. Although S. multiflora is categorized
into the meranti wooden group, the quantitative leaf morphological characteristic
analysis showed that it is categorized into group 2 since its physical shape and leaf
color are similar to other observed Shorea species. Conversely, S. stenopthera and S.
mecistopteryx in group 1 belong to the same section, and they are categorized into
group 1 due to their similar size and leaf shape. Also, this group is established due to
similarities or closeness between variables used in the nine observed meranti (Shorea
spp.) species categorization.

Keywords: cluster analysis, leaf color, leaf morphology, Shorea