Introduction

Plant systematics has become a mainstream field for botanists and other biologists alike.
They study the morphology or the physical and chemical characteristics of the unidentified
species, and from this information a plant can be given its identity. A problem arises when in a
given situation, a biologist makes an assumption that a plant he discovers has not been identified.
In this situation, it is important to look make a comparison of plants that have already been
discovered by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, which houses the database of
identified species as well as their morphological features. For example: a biologist can compare
leaf sizes of similar looking plants, which may lead to confusion as to whether or not the similar
looking plants are the same; with this information and other comparative observations, the
biologist can make an inference whether or not the plant of his or her interest is a new species.
This paper gives light to the average size of a leaf of a typical Bougainvillea plant, or the
Bougainvillea spectabilis. With this information, one can compare plants that look similar to the
Bougainvillea plant and use this as a basis for whether or not the plant is a Bougainvillea plant or
not.

Methodology
The study was conducted in Portofino, a village located in Las Pinas. The study was
conducted here because there is an abundance of fauna, or plant life, especially the plant of the
study. The sample consists of 33 leaves that were randomly selected from pots that were
scattered all around the village. The leaf was measured using a plastic transparent ruler that was
accurate up to the first decimal place. The ruler measured the leaves in millimetres. Each leaf
was measured from the apex of the leaf down to the leaf blade, the point where the petiole

attaches to the leaf. The sample consisted of adult leaves, indicated by the white spots on the
surface of the leaves.
III. Results
After sampling the leaves, the mean was computed to determine the average size of the
leaf of the bougainvillea tree. The sample mean was found to be 5.1818 millimeters from the
n=33 sample size. Currently, there are no hypotheses stating the size of the Bougainvillea leaf so
the original hypothesis would be equal to the mean of 5.1818; the null hypothesis would
establish that the mean is not equal to 5.1818 The standard deviation was found to be
0.95572438 while its variance is 0.91340909. From the information gathered, one can be 95%
sure that the actual average of the leaf size lies within the range of 4.860 - 5.507. (See appendix
for computations)
IV. Conclusion
From the data collected and analysed, it can be inferred that the average adult leaf size of
the Bougainvillea plant is about 4.860 5.507. More or less, the sizes of the leaves will normally
be found around this range, anything outside this range is most likely due to genetic diversity and
environmental factors. 5% of the time the leaf sizes will not be located within this range; these
leaves have probably not matured or may be found to have genetic mutations that can affect the
growth of the plant, altering the expected genetic blueprint for growth.
With this information, Botanical databases can be updated with the size of the
Bougainvillea leaf or the size for any leaf to increase the descriptive power of plant morphology.
Biologists would be able to identify more easily the plant they are looking for.

V. Appendix and References

Sample of sizes of the leaves of

Mean of the sample = (6+5.3+..5.7) / 33

Bougainvillea

= 5.1818

Sample no.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Leaf Size in mm
6
5.3
8.2
5.5
5.4
3.9
4.5
6
4.8
5.7

11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20

4.3
5.6
5.9
5.4
6.9
5.8
3
3.9
4.5
5.3

21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30

3.9
4.9
5.4
4.7
4.3
5.1
5.4
5.3
4.6
5.7

31
32
33

4.5
5.6
5.7

Standard deviation = 0.95572438

Variance (SD2)= 0.91340909

Two sided 95% Confidence interval:

Z(a/2) = 1.96
5.1818 +/- 1.96(0.95572438/sqrt(33))
= 4.860-5.507
References:
Gilman, Edward. "Bougainvillea Spp."
University of Florida. 1 Oct. 1999. Web. 23
Nov. 2015.
<http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/database/documents/
pdf/shrub_fact_sheets/bousppa.pdf>.
Mendenhall, William. Introduction to
Probability and Statistics. 14th ed. Belmont,
Calif.: Wadsworth Pub., 2014. Print.
Simpson, Michael G. Plant Systematics.
Amsterdam: Elsevier/Academic, 2006. Print.

Biostatistics
The average size of the Bougainvillea
spectabilis leaf
3BIO3
Jose Pontejos
Professor Ramos