This book presents an overview of the role of meristematic tissues in plant growth and development, with an emphasis on advances of the last decade. It examines meristematic tissues as a defined, independent tissue type in plants and gives consideration to their origin, maintenance, and function. The editors pay particular attention to the molecular mechanisms underlying meristem formation and maintenance. This volume is a tremendously valuable resource for plant geneticists, developmental biologists, and molecular biologists.

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.

Intended as a text for upper-division undergraduates, graduate students and as a potential reference, this broad-scoped resource is extensive in its educational appeal by providing a new concept-based organization with end-of-chapter literature references, self-quizzes, and illustration interpretation. The concept-based, pedagogical approach, in contrast to the classic discipline-based approach, was specifically chosen to make the teaching and learning of plant anatomy more accessible for students. In addition, for instructors whose backgrounds may not primarily be plant anatomy, the features noted above are designed to provide sufficient reference material for organization and class presentation. This text is unique in the extensive use of over 1150 high-resolution color micrographs, color diagrams and scanning electron micrographs. Another feature is frequent side-boxes that highlight the relationship of plant anatomy to specialized investigations in plant molecular biology, classical investigations, functional activities, and research in forestry, environmental studies and genetics, as well as other fields. Each of the 19 richly-illustrated chapters has an abstract, a list of keywords, an introduction, a text body consisting of 10 to 20 concept-based sections, and a list of references and additional readings. At the end of each chapter, the instructor and student will find a section-by-section concept review, concept connections, concept assessment (10 multiple-choice questions), and concept applications. Answers to the assessment material are found in an appendix. An index and a glossary with over 700 defined terms complete the volume.

The shoot apex, although tiny and enclosed in the apical bud, forms the whole of the shoot system of plants and has a key role in producing leaves and flowers. An appreciation of how it functions is essential to an understanding of plant growth. In this book, the questions of the manner and the speed at which the shoot apex grows, and the likely cellular processes that are involved in the formation of leaves and flowers, are examined at the biochemical, physiological, biophysical, molecular, and genetic levels. This book is the only one currently available that is wholly devoted to the growth and physiology of the shoot apex and its key role in the formation of leaves and flowers.

In the 2007 third edition of her successful textbook, Paula Rudall provides a comprehensive yet succinct introduction to the anatomy of flowering plants. Thoroughly revised and updated throughout, the book covers all aspects of comparative plant structure and development, arranged in a series of chapters on the stem, root, leaf, flower, seed and fruit. Internal structures are described using magnification aids from the simple hand-lens to the electron microscope. Numerous references to recent topical literature are included, and new illustrations reflect a wide range of flowering plant species. The phylogenetic context of plant names has also been updated as a result of improved understanding of the relationships among flowering plants. This clearly written text is ideal for students studying a wide range of courses in botany and plant science, and is also an excellent resource for professional and amateur horticulturists.