Floral Diagrams: An Aid to Understanding Flower Morphology and Evolution
Cambridge University Press, 2/4/2010
EAN 9780521729451, ISBN10: 0521729459
Paperback, 458 pages, 24.6 x 17.4 x 2.5 cm
Language: English
Floral morphology remains the cornerstone for plant identification and studies of plant evolution. This guide gives a global overview of the floral diversity of the angiosperms through the use of detailed floral diagrams. These schematic diagrams replace long descriptions or complicated drawings as a tool for understanding floral structure and evolution. They show important features of flowers, such as the relative positions of the different organs, their fusion, symmetry, and structural details. The relevance of the diagrams is discussed, and pertinent evolutionary trends are illustrated. The range of plant species represented reflects the most recent classification of flowering plants based mainly on molecular data, which is expected to remain stable in the future. This book is invaluable for researchers and students working on plant structure, development and systematics, as well as being an important resource for plant ecologists, evolutionary botanists and horticulturists.
1. Introduction
flower morphology
2. Floral diagrams
3. Floral diagrams used in this book
4. Systematic significance of floral diagrams
5. Conclusions
6. References
7. Glossary
Index.