Samara length–weight relationships in the endangered Cedro (Cedrela montana Moritz ex Turcz)

ABSTRACT

Cedrela montana Moritz ex Turcz, a ‘nearly threatened’ tree species in Colombia, produces a samara (fruit) that has not been classified in the literature. This article focusses on exploring the length–weight and width–weight relationships in samaras collected in Bogotá City, Colombia, to provide morphological guidelines for identifying C. montana from their samaras. A total of 101 samaras were collected from 12 C. montana trees in an urban forest and were weighed and measured. The average weight of the samaras was 4.86 g, the average width was 19.44 mm, and the average length was 54.53 mm. However, the length of the samaras ranged from 38.72 to 73.35 mm, with widths from 15.32 to 24.03 mm and weights from 2.08 to 9.54. Length–weight relationships showed a moderate to strong correlation of 0.63. Width–weight relationships had a moderate to strong correlation of 0.71. These allometric relationships could be used for identification and conservation purposes.

Key policy insights

• Samara allometric relationships could be used for identification and conservation purposes. Particularly, length–width–weight correlations could be associated with seed number within each Cedrela samara.

• Currently, most Cedrela species face some degree of vulnerability or are endangered. It is important to develop conservation strategies and plans to protect these valuable tree species.

• Cities may be important ecosystems for the conservation of vulnerable and/or endangered species. More research is warranted to understand the phenology and reproductive biology of Cedrela species in both wild and urban environments.

KEYWORDS:

• Allometric
• conservation
• fruit
• Meliaceae
• neotropical
• urban forest

Acknowledgements

Thanks to L. Marien for her valuable help.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Fernando Ramírez

Fernando Ramírez is an independent researcher. He studied biology as an undergraduate and received his master’s degree in biological sciences at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia. He has been investigating the reproductive physiology of tropical crops such as mango, tree tomato, lulo and uchuva. He has co-authored several books and research articles in the field of tropical plant biology.