Fruit Biometry and Descriptive Statistical Evaluation of Papilionaceae from Eastern Maharashtra, India

Abstract

The present investigation deals with the fruit biometric analysis and descriptive statistical evaluation of 24 taxa of Papilionoideae collected from different localities of eastern Maharashtra, India, particularly Chandrapur district and adjoining regions. Fruit morphological parameters including length, width, and thickness were measured and statistically analyzed using mean, mode, median, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation. Considerable interspecific variation was observed among the studied taxa. The longest fruits were recorded in Sesbania grandiflora, whereas the smallest fruits were observed in Melilotus alba. High coefficients of variation in certain taxa indicated substantial morphological variability. The study highlights the taxonomic significance of fruit biometric characters in species delimitation and contributes baseline data for systematic, ecological, and evolutionary studies in Papilionaceae.