An Introduction to Plant Structure and Development
Plant Anatomy for the Twenty-First Century

Providing an introduction to plant anatomy, combining basic information on plant structure with up-to-date coverage of the development of structure.

Charles B. Beck (Author)

9780521518055, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 22 April 2010

459 pages, 275 b/w illus.
25.2 x 19.5 x 2.5 cm, 1.28 kg

'What this work attempts and substantially accomplishes, is the connection of key topics in plant anatomy with contemporary knowledge in contiguous disciplines, particularly cell biology, plant physiology and to some extent genetics … a significant and informative synthesis. Those interested in plant structure are likely to find it a valuable reference worth owning. for me, it is already proving its usefulness in both teaching and research.' Plant Science Bulletin

A plant anatomy textbook unlike any other on the market today. Carol A. Peterson described the first edition as 'the best book on the subject of plant anatomy since the texts of Esau'. Traditional plant anatomy texts include primarily descriptive aspects of structure, this book not only provides a comprehensive coverage of plant structure, but also introduces aspects of the mechanisms of development, especially the genetic and hormonal controls, and the roles of plasmodesmata and the cytoskeleton. The evolution of plant structure and the relationship between structure and function are also discussed throughout. Includes extensive bibliographies at the end of each chapter. It provides students with an introduction to many of the exciting, contemporary areas at the forefront of research in the development of plant structure and prepares them for future roles in teaching and research in plant anatomy.

1. Problems of adaptation to a terrestrial environment
2. An overview of plant structure and development
3. The protoplast of the eukaryotic cell
4. Structure and development of the cell wall
5. Meristems of the shoot and their roles in plant structure and development
6. Morphology and development of the primary vascular system of the stem
7. Sympodial systems and patterns of nodal anatomy
8. The epidermis
9. The origin of secondary tissue systems and the effect of their formation on the primary body of seed plants
10. The vascular cambium: structure and function
11. Secondary xylem
12. The phloem
13. Periderm, rhytidome, and the nature of bark
14. Unusual features of structure and development in stems and roots
15. Secretion in plants
16. The root
17. The leaf
18. Reproduction and the origin of the sporophyte.

Subject Areas: Plant physiology [PSTD], Botany & plant sciences [PST], Biology, life sciences [PS]