Comparative Morphology, Anatomy, and Function of the Stem and Root of the Flowering Plants

This contribution represents an extension of an earlier report covering the morphology and anatomy of the stem of flowering plants (Dickison 1992). As such, I have found it convenient to organize recent research under many of the same topic headings that were recognized previously. This chapter is different from my first contribution, in that selected literature devoted to root organization and structure is also summarized briefly. As before, this is not intended as an exhaustive literature review but a selection of current research that represents an overview on the progress made in the field of stem and root morphology and anatomy during the past few years. Also, as before, literature dealing with fossil plants, tissue culture, the phloem, the periderm, and regional, purely descriptive, or applied wood anatomy is not treated. The wide range of topics reviewed in this chapter, ranging from considerations of the cell theory, patterns of differentiation, evolution, and organismal morphology and computer modeling, reflect the current diversity of interests and research progress within the broadly based field of structural botany.