First published in 1975, this book is a comprehensive and quantitative
study of the shoot apex and leaf growth. Its central purpose is to
provide precise quantitative descriptions of shoot apical systems of
very diverse types. Vegetative apices are considered except for wheat
for which a description of the developing inflorescence is also given.
The descriptions rely on a development of the old technique of serial
reconstruction, which allows the early stages in growth of leaf
primordia and related tissues to be measured as volume. An important
feature of the book is the numerous three-dimensional scale drawings,
which, together with the photomicrographs, enable the reader to build up
a clear picture of the process of growth in the stem apex. The appendix
contains details of the methods employed in this quantitative study
together with the procedures used for data processing. This major study
on the growth of higher plants will be a standard work and will be a
valuable source of quantitative information. Botanists, particularly
those studying plant physiology, crop science, developmental biology and
theoretical biology, will find this stimulating book has much to say
that is of permanent value.
