Differences in leaf traits among Mediterranean broad-leaved evergreen shrubs

Leaf morphological and physiological traits of the broad-leaved evergreen s hrub species Quercus ilex, Phillyrea latifolia, Pistacia lentiscus, Arbutus unedo and Cistus incanus of the Mediterranean maquis were studied. Specifi c leaf mass (SLM). leaf tissue density (LTD), leaf life-span (LLS) and wate r use efficiency (WUE) were the most representative key traits resulting fr om discriminant analysis. Cluster analysis was used to identify the affinit y among the species by statistical linkage. Dendrograms show two clusters c haracterised by a different integration of morphological and physiological leaf traits: Quercus ilex, Phillyrea latifolia and Pistacia lentiscus were in the same cluster, significantly different from that formed by Arbutus un edo and Cistus incanus.