In 1958 E. BUNNING published a book in the former series "Proto-
plasmatologia" entitled "Polaritat und inaquale Teilung des pflanzlichen
Protoplasten" (polarity and unequal division of the plant protoplast) in
which for the first time results of experimental plant cytomorphogenesis
were re- viewed. This book was based completely on light microscopic
observations and rather simple experimental techniques. Since then our
knowledge of basic cytomorphogenetic mechanisms has greatly increased,
especially with the introduction of modern ultrastructural, biochemical
and sophisticated experi- mental methods so that the field of
cytomorphogenesis in our days should be considered a separate discipline
within the general field of cell biology. This book, "Cytomorphogenesis
in Plants", represents a necessary attempt to bring together current
knowledge in this field of research on a comparable basis. Unfortunately
enormous gaps in our understanding of the underlying principles of
cytomorphogenetic events still exist. Therefore it seemed reason- able
to present a book composed of individual chapters, each written by
experts for a defined experimental system. Each chapter represent a
separate treatise with its own references, hence it was not possible to
avoid some overlap both in the text and in the literature of the
chapters without destroying the uni- formity of the respective article.