The Euler Characteristic Transform Enables Classification of Complex Plant Shapes and Prediction of Leaf Venation from Blade Geometry
Yemeen Ayub, Sarah Scullen, Sarah Percival, William N. Weaver, Nischal Karki, Wahiba Yahiaoui, Karina Astudillo-Pavon, Alejandra Barrios, Jill C. Check, Joel Colchado-López, Benedikt Dolgikh, Deborah V. Espinosa-Martínez, Qiuyi Fu, Kevin Manuel Galván Lara, Jorge Noé García-Chávez, , Daniel H. Chitwood
This paper introduces the Euler Characteristic Transform (ECT) for classifying plant shapes and predicting leaf venation from blade geometry using deep learning.
bioRxiv · Apr 16, 2026 · PreprintPlant Biology