Infleunce of branching angles on the crown shape of some savannah trees in Kano, Nigeria

Abstract

The relationships between height of the first branching, first and second angles of branching and the shape of tree crowns of eight tree species (Parkia biglobosa Jacq. Benth.; Khaya senegalensis (A. Juss); Eucalyptus species, Adansonia digitata Linn.; Cassia siamea Lam.; Azadirachta indica (A. Juss.); Delonix regia (Boj. Ex. Hook) and Acacia nilotica (Linn) growing in Kano were examined. Twenty trees of each species, deemed to be free from obvious ecological disturbances, were selected for the study. The first and second angles of branching are on the average the same for any particular tree species. It was evident that the differences in branching are on the average the same for any particular tree species. It was evident that the differences in branching angles accounted for particular the different shapes shown by the trees. The result also indicated that the effect of first branching angle or canopy width, is very large one (P<0.05). Most of the trees did not show dependence of first angle of branching on height of branching. It was concluded that most of the relationships had a positive adaptive significance in most of the trees (P<0.05; r = 0.4438). These relationships could adequately define the various patterns of branching in trees as well as crown shapes.