A Nutritional Interpretation of Sclerophylly Based on Differences in the Chemical Composition of Sclerophyllous and Mesophytic Leaves

Abstract

On the assumption that some of the characteristics of sclerophyllous leaves may have a nutritional basis, data on the leaf composition of nineteen species from evergreen bushland in Jamaica are compared with published data on the leaf composition of thirty-one species of mesophytes from Central America. The data show that in terms of dry matter a sclerophyllous leaf is associated with a decrease in percentage protein content rather than with an increase in percentage fibre content. There is a highly significant positive correlation between the protein and phosphorus contents of the leaves considered, and it is suggested that the ability to tolerate low phosphate may characterize sclerophyllous vegetation in general.