Plant morphology

Phytomorphology is the study of the physical form and external structure of plants.[1] This is usually considered distinct from plant anatomy,[1] which is the study of the internal structure of plants, especially at the microscopic level.[2] Plant morphology is useful in the visual identification of plants. Recent studies in molecular biology started to investigate the molecular processes involved in determining the conservation and diversification of plant morphologies. In these studies transcriptome conservation patterns were found to mark crucial ontogenetic transitions during the plant life cycle which may result in evolutionary constraints limiting diversification.[3]

Inflorescences emerging from protective coverings
  1. ^ a b Raven, P. H., R. F. Evert, & S. E. Eichhorn. Biology of Plants, 7th ed., page 9. (New York: W. H. Freeman, 2005). ISBN 0-7167-1007-2.
  2. ^ Evert, Ray Franklin and Esau, Katherine (2006) Esau's Plant anatomy: meristems, cells, and tissues of the plant body - their structure, function and development Wiley, Hoboken, New Jersey, page xv, ISBN 0-471-73843-3
  3. ^ Drost, Hajk-Georg; Bellstaedt, Julia; Ó'Maoiléidigh, Diarmuid S.; Silva, Anderson T.; Gabel, Alexander; Weinholdt, Claus; Ryan, Patrick T.; Dekkers, Bas J.W.; Bentsink, Leónie; Hilhorst, Henk W.M.; Ligterink, Wilco; Wellmer, Frank; Grosse, Ivo; Quint, Marcel (2016-02-23). "Post-embryonic Hourglass Patterns Mark Ontogenetic Transitions in Plant Development". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 33 (5): 1158–1163. doi:10.1093/molbev/msw039. PMC 4839224. PMID 26912813.