Morphometric and dendrochronological characteristics of Zanthoxylum rhoifolium Lam in Mixed Alluvial Ombrophylous Forest fragment

Zanthoxylum rhoifolium Lam is a species of wide occurrence in Brazilian forests and its wood has potential multiple uses. However, for the better knowledge of this species, studies of its ecology and dynamics in the forest are necessary. In order to contribute to the advances of native forest species studies, we sought to evaluate the morpho-metric characteristics of the tree's three sociological positions: dominated, intermediate and dominant, as well as its dendro-chronological characteristics in a fragment of Alluvial Mixed Ombrophilous Forest, located in the urban area of Guarapuava, PR. To evaluate the morphometry, the diameter at breast height, total and canopy insertion height, and the eight canopy projection radii were measured. The increment data were obtained by the analysis of 74 increment cores, collected using the Pressler auger and correlated with the climatic variables. Significant correlation was found at 1% probability of growth with precipitation. The leanness, prominence and coverage indices had great variability, with values from 35.71 to 166.32, 13.04 to 47.25 and 0.13 to 0.96 respectively. The species Z. rhoifolium showed a high correlation between DBH and the degree of slenderness, and the total height with the crown length.