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Marine  Biological  Laboratory  Library 

Woods  Hole,  Massachusetts 


Plant  Morphogenesis 


McGRAW-HILL  PUBLICATIONS  IN 
THE  BOTANICAL  SCIENCES 

Edmund  W.  Sinnott,  Consulting  Editor 


Arnold     An  Introduction  to  Paleobotany 

Curtis  and  Clark     An  Introduction  to  Plant  Physiology 

Eames     Morphology  of  Vascular  Plants 

Eames  and  MacDaniels     An  Introduction  to  Plant  Anatomv 

Haupt    An  Introduction  to  Botany 

Haupt     Laboratory  Manual  of  Elementary  Botany 

Haupt     Plant  Morphology 

Hill     Economic  Botany 

Hill,  Overholts,  Popp,  and  Grove     Botany 

Johansen     Plant  Microtechnique 

Kramer     Plant  and  Soil  Water  Relationships 

Kramer  and  Kozlowski     Physiology  of  Trees 

Lilly  and  Barnett     Physiology  of  the  Fungi 

Maheshwari     An  Introduction  to  the  Embryology  of  the  Angiosperms 

Miller     Plant  Physiology 

Pool     Flowers  and  Flowering  Plants 

Sharp     Fundamentals  of  Cytology 

Sinnott    Plant  Morphogenesis 

Sinnott,  Dunn,  and  Dobzhansky     Principles  of  Genetics 

Sinnott  and  Wilson     Botany:  Principles  and  Problems 

Smith     Cryptogamic  Botany 

Vol.  I.     Algae  and  Fungi 

Vol.  II.     Bryophytes  and  Pteridophytes 
Smith     The  Fresh-water  Algae  of  the  United  States 
Swingle     Textbook  of  Systematic  Botany 
Weaver  and  Clements     Plant  Ecology 

There  are  also  the  related  series  of  McGraw-Hill  Publications  in  the  Zoological 
Sciences,  of  which  E.  J.  Boell  is  Consulting  Editor,  and  in  the  Agricultural 
Sciences,  of  which  R.  A.  Brink  is  Consulting  Editor. 


5  5^ 
ex 


PLANT  MORPHOGENESIS 


Edmund  W.  Sinnott 

STERLING    PROFESSOR    OF    BOTANY,    EMERITUS 
YALE    UNIVERSITY 


McGRAW-HILL  BOOK  COMPANY,  INC. 

New  York        Toronto         London 

1960 


PLANT  MORPHOGENESIS 

Copyright  ©  I960  by  the  McGraw-Hill  Book  Company,  Inc.  Printed  in 
the  United  States  of  America.  All  rights  reserved.  This  book,  or  parts 
thereof,  may  not  be  reproduced  in  any  form  without  permission  of 
the  publishers.   Library  of   Congress  Catalog   Card  Number   60-6984 

II 

57585 


To  the  Memory  of 
HERMANN  VOCHTING 

PIONEER  IN   PLANT  MORPHOGENESIS 


Preface 


The  present  volume  is  an  outcome  of  the  author's  concern  with  the 
problems  of  plant  morphogenesis  for  over  40  years.  During  that  time  he 
has  followed  the  literature  in  this  field  with  some  care  and  has  seen  the 
subject  grow  from  a  relatively  minor  aspect  of  botanical  science  to  a  much 
wider  recognition  as  one  of  the  central  concerns  of  biology.  New  tech- 
niques and  fields  of  work  have  developed  in  it  over  the  years,  and  its  con- 
tacts with  other  sciences  have  grown  much  closer.  Few  discussions  of  the 
subject  as  a  whole  have  appeared,  however,  and  no  extensive  synthesis  of 
its  content  has  been  made.  The  book  that  follows  is  an  attempt  to  do 
this  and  to  organize  the  field  of  plant  morphogenesis  so  that  it  can  be 
studied  and  taught  as  an  integrated  discipline. 

This  is  no  simple  task,  and  botanists  will  doubtless  disagree  as  to 
how  it  should  be  accomplished.  The  method  adopted  here  is  first  to 
discuss  plant  growth,  emphasizing  descriptive  and  experimental  work 
on  cells  and  meristems.  This  is  followed  by  a  survey  of  the  various 
categories  of  morphogenetic  phenomena— correlation,  polarity,  differen- 
tiation, and  the  rest— mobilizing  under  each  the  major  facts  that  are 
known  about  it  and  the  work  of  the  chief  contributors  to  the  field.  This 
portion  is  largely  descriptive  and  serves  to  pose  problems  for  considera- 
tion. It  is  followed  by  a  third  section  that  discusses  the  major  factors 
operative  in  the  control  of  plant  development  and  is  primarily  concerned 
with  physiological  and  genetic  questions.  It  touches  these  broad  sub- 
jects, however,  only  so  far  as  they  are  concerned  with  morphogenetic 
problems  and  then  only  in  a  brief  and  rather  summary  fashion.  Too 
frequent  repetition  of  material  in  the  three  sections  is  avoided  by  numer- 
ous cross  references. 

Throughout  the  book  no  attempt  is  made  to  go  at  all  completely  into 
most  of  the  topics.  From  the  vast  literature  on  subjects  of  concern  to 
plant  morphogenesis,  however,  a  considerable  bibliography  has  been 
compiled  by  means  of  which  the  reader  is  introduced  to  the  more  im- 
portant publications  where  detailed  information  may  be  found.  In  this 
bibliography  many  important  earlier  papers  of  general  and  historical 
interest  have  been  cited,  but  emphasis  has  been  placed  on  relatively 
recent  ones.  Where  available,  review  papers  have  been  cited.  There  is 

vii 


Preface  viii 

some  unavoidable  repetition  of  material  but  this  has  been  reduced  by  fre- 
quent use  of  cross  references.  The  book  is  designed  primarily  for  reference, 
though  by  means  of  such  a  presentation  more  teachers  may  be  encouraged 
to  offer  courses  in  this  field. 

To  many  individuals  the  author  is  indebted  for  good  counsel  and  as- 
sistance in  many  ways.  His  thanks  are  due  especially  to  his  former  col- 
league Dr.  Robert  Bloch,  who  for  some  years  collaborated  with  him  in 
the  present  project.  Professor  Ralph  H.  Wetmore  has  read  a  portion 
of  the  manuscript  and  made  valuable  suggestions,  as  has  the  author's 
colleague  Prof.  Arthur  W.  Galston  for  the  chapter  on  Growth  Substances. 
Various  problems  have  been  discussed  with  many  others,  and  to  all 
these  the  author  is  grateful.  For  the  positions  taken  on  particular  issues 
and  the  opinions  expressed,  however,  he  assumes  full  responsibility,  as 
he  does  for  any  errors  of  fact,  attribution,  or  citation  which  may  appear 
and  which  are  hard  to  eliminate  completely  from  a  book  of  this  sort. 

For  several  years  Mrs.  Charlotte  Reeder  has  assisted  in  compiling 
information,  in  abstracting  papers,  and,  through  her  genius  for  orderli- 
ness, in  keeping  the  project  from  bogging  down  under  the  sheer  weight 
of  its  material.  To  her  the  author  is  greatly  indebted.  Other  assistants  have 
been  associated  with  the  work  from  time  to  time,  and  their  help  is 
here  thankfully  acknowledged. 

For  financial  assistance,  and  especially  for  grants  from  the  Eugene 
Higgins  Trust,  the  author  wishes  to  express  his  gratitude  to  Yale  Uni- 
versity and  its  Provost,  Edgar  S.  Furniss. 

The  illustrations  have  been  taken  from  the  work  of  many  individuals. 
In  every  case  the  source  from  which  they  come  has  been  acknowledged 
in  the  caption,  but  the  author  here  offers  his  further  thanks  for  the  privi- 
lege of  using  them.  For  specific  figures  he  is  indebted  to  the  editors  of 
Endeavour,  the  authorities  of  the  Boyce  Thompson  Institute  for  Plant 
Research,  the  Department  of  Plant  Pathology  of  the  University  of  Wis- 
consin, Triarch  Botanical  Products,  the  W.  Atlee  Burpee  Company,  Dr. 
G.  R.  Zundel,  and  Rutherford  Piatt. 

This  book  has  been  a  long  time  in  the  making.  It  proved  to  be  such  a 
time-consuming  task  that  the  author  was  not  able  to  bring  it  to  com- 
pletion until  his  retirement  from  academic  duties  a  few  years  ago.  He 
hopes  that  this  long  period  of  ripening  may  have  improved  its  quality 
and  increased  its  value  to  those  who  use  it. 

Edmund  W.  Sinnott 


Contents 


Preface vii 

Chapter  1.  Introduction 1 

PART  ONE.  GROWTH 

Chapter  2.  Growth  in  General H 

Chapter  3.  The  Cellular  Basis  of  Growth 23 

Cell  division  —  Cell  size  —  Experimental  studies  —  Plane  of  cell  division  - 
Cell  shape. 

Chapter  4.  Meristems 55 

Apical  meristems  —  The  shoot  apex  —  Experimental  studies  on  the  shoot 
apex  —  The  root  apex  —  Lateral  meristems  —  Meristems  in  determinate 
growth. 

PART  TWO.  THE  PHENOMENA  OF  MORPHOGENESIS 

Chapter  5.   Correlation 95 

Physiological  correlations  —  Genetic  correlations. 

Chapter  6.  Polarity 116 

Polarity  as  expressed  in  external  structure  —  Polarity  as  expressed  in  internal 
structure  —  Polarity  in  isolated  cells  —  Polarity  in  plasmodia  and  coenocytes 
-  Physiological  manifestations  of  polarity  -  Polarity  and  developmental 
pattern. 

Chapter   7.    Symmetry 147 

Inorganic  and  organic  symmetries  —  Radial  symmetry  —  Bilateral  symmetry  — 
Dorsi ventral  symmetry  —  Development  of  symmetry  —  Symmetry  and  form. 

Chapter  8.   Differentiation 181 

Growth  and  differentiation  —  Differentiation  as  expressed  in  structure  —  Ex- 
ternal differentiation  -  Internal  differentiation  -  Differentiation  during 
ontogeny  —Differentiation  in  relation  to  environment  —  Physiological  dif- 
ferentiation —  Differentiation  without  growth. 

Chapter  9.  Regeneration -30 

Regeneration  in  the  lower  plants  —  Regeneration  in  the  higher  plants  — 
Reconstitution  —  Restoration  —  Reproductive  regeneration. 

ix 


x  Contents 

Chapter    10.   Tissue   Mixtures 258 

Stock-scion  interrelations  —  Chimeras  —  Somatic  mutations. 

Chapter  11.  Abnormal  Growth 275 

Abnormal  development  of  organs  —  Production  of  new  types  of  organized 
structures  —  Amorphous  structures. 

PART  THREE.  MORPHOGENETIC  FACTORS 

Chapter  12.  Introduction  to  Factors 303 

Chapter  13.  Light 308 

Intensity  of  light  —  Quality  of  light  -  Duration  of  light  —  Relation  to  other 
factors. 

Chapter  14.  Water 324 

Xeromorphy  —  Experimental  work  —  Effect  of  the  transpiration  stream. 

Chapter   15.   Temperature 337 

Thermoperiodism  —  Vernalization  —  Other  temperature  effects. 

Chapter  16.  Various  Physical  Factors 345 

Tension  —  Compression  —  Bending  and  swaying  —  Ultrasonics  —  Gravity  — 
Tissue  tension  —  Absolute  size  —  Bioelectrical  factors. 

Chapter  17.  Chemical  Factors  in  General 363 

Elements  —  More  complex  substances. 
Chapter  18.  Growth  Substances 374 

Types  of  growth  substances  —  Growth  substances  and  plant  growth  —  Growth 
substances  and  correlation  —  Growth  substances  and  the  determination  of 
structure  —  Growth  substances  and  internal  differentiation  —  Other  formative 
effects  —  Mechanism  of  action. 

Chapter   19.   Genetic   Factors 415 

Genes  —  Cytoplasm  —  Chromosomes. 
Chapter  20.   Organization 449 

Bibliography 461 

Name  Index 527 

Subject  Index 538 


CHAPTER    1 

Introduction 


A  study  of  the  form  and  structure  of  living  things  has  a  perennial  interest, 
not  only  for  biologists  but  for  everyone.  It  appeals  to  the  aesthetic  in  us. 
Philosophers  have  been  concerned  with  it  since  the  time  of  Plato,  who 
distinguished  between  matter  and  form  and  believed  that  spirit  was 
inherent  in  the  latter.  Most  naturalists  owe  their  first  interest  in  animals 
and  plants  to  the  almost  infinite  variety  of  forms  which  these  display 
and  which  make  possible  their  identification.  Although  morphology 
(Goethe's  term),  the  science  that  deals  with  form,  has  lost  the  command- 
ing position  it  once  held,  following  the  advent  of  physiology  and  the 
disciplines  that  connect  biology  with  the  physical  sciences,  it  still  remains 
the  foundation  for  any  thorough  knowledge  of  living  things.  We  must 
all  be  morphologists  before  we  can  be  biologists  of  any  other  sort. 

In  a  famous  sentence  Charles  Darwin  paid  tribute  to  morphology  by 
calling  it  the  very  soul  of  natural  history.  How  curious  it  is,  he  remarked, 
that  the  hand  of  a  man  and  of  a  mole,  the  leg  of  a  horse,  the  paddle  of 
a  porpoise,  and  the  wing  of  a  bat,  despite  the  great  difference  in  their 
functions,  should  all  be  formed  on  the  same  basic  pattern.  Specific 
bodily  forms  and  structures  had  long  been  used  to  distinguish  the  major 
groups  of  plants  and  animals  and  were  also  the  basis  of  that  "idealistic" 
morphology  which  so  intrigued  Goethe  and  the  biologists  of  his  day. 
Darwin,  however,  saw  in  the  science  of  comparative  morphology  some- 
thing far  more  significant— a  strong  support  for  the  doctrine  of  evolution, 
for  only  by  assuming  a  common  ancestry  for  each  of  the  groups  that  show 
a  common  pattern  of  bodily  form  could  these  similarities  be  explained. 
Form  was  widely  acknowledged  as  the  most  distinctive  character  on 
which  the  phylogenetic  relationships  of  organisms  could  be  based  and  a 
truly  natural  system  of  classification  constructed. 

The  study  of  organic  form,  however,  poses  a  problem  deeper  still,  and 
one  concerned  with  the  very  character  of  life  itself.  From  the  facts  of 
embryology  it  is  evident  that  in  the  development  of  an  individual  there 
occurs  as  regular  a  progression  of  changes  in  form  as  has  taken  place  in 
evolution.  Indeed,  the  theory  of  recapitulation  called  attention  to  some 

1 


2  Introduction 

interesting  parallels  between  the  two.  In  a  study  of  form  in  organic  de- 
velopment the  biologist  has  the  great  advantage  of  dealing  with  a  process 
that  is  going  on  under  his  eyes  and  is  thus  susceptible  to  experimental  at- 
tack. An  organism  is  not  static  but  displays  a  continually  unfolding 
series  of  changes  during  its  life.  It  has  been  well  described  as  a  "slice  of 
space-time."  As  knowledge  about  organic  development  increased,  biol- 
ogists came  to  realize  that  development  is  not  only  an  orderly  unfolding 
but  that  in  this  process  all  parts  of  the  growing  individual  are  closely 
correlated  with  the  rest  so  that  an  organized  and  integrated  system,  the 
organism,  is  produced.  Differences  in  rate  of  growth  and  in  character  of 
the  structures  developed  are  evident,  but  these  various  changes  do  not 
occur  independently.  They  keep  in  step  with  one  another.  When  form 
changes,  it  does  so  in  a  regular  and  predictable  fashion.  Still  more  sig- 
nificant, the  experimental  embryologist  is  able  to  show  not  only  that  these 
relationships  are  to  be  seen  in  normal  development  but  that  they  per- 
sistently tend  to  be  restored  if  development  is  disturbed.  An  organism  is 
an  essentially  fluid  system  through  which  matter  is  continually  moving 
but  which  nevertheless  maintains  a  constant  form  much  as  does  a  candle 
flame  or  a  waterfall. 

In  the  various  physiological  activities  of  the  living  organism  there  is 
evident  the  same  coordination  so  manifest  in  bodily  development.  What 
occurs  in  an  individual  is  not  simply  a  series  of  unrelated  metabolic 
processes,  but  these  are  tied  together  in  such  a  precise  fashion  that  the 
life  of  the  organism  is  maintained  in  a  steady  state.  Just  as  the  normal 
progress  of  development  tends  to  be  restored  if  it  is  disturbed,  so  the 
normal  state  of  physiological  organization  tends  to  be  maintained  at  a 
constant  level.  This  regulatory  process  of  homeostasis  is  recognized  as 
one  of  the  major  facts  of  physiology. 

Organic  form  is  thus  the  visible  expression  of  an  inner  relatedness 
characteristic  of  life  at  every  level.  This  can  be  most  simply  designated 
as  biological  organization  and  is  the  most  important  problem  that  con- 
fronts students  of  the  life  sciences.  Form  may  be  thought  of  not  only  as 
the  soul  of  natural  history  in  the  sense  that  it  provides  a  measure  of  evo- 
lutionary relationship  but  as  the  soul  of  all  biology,  since  it  provides  the 
most  obvious  and  easily  accessible  manifestation  of  the  basic  character- 
istic of  life. 

Biological  organization  is  to  be  seen  most  distinctly  in  bodily  develop- 
ment. It  is  obvious  that,  to  produce  an  individual  with  a  specific  form 
and  structure,  growth  must  be  more  rapid  in  some  directions  than  in 
others  and  must  form  tissues  and  organs  of  different  character  in  different 
places.  Embryology  has  shown  how  precisely  the  activities  in  one  part  of 
the  developing  individual  are  related  to  those  in  every  other  part.  Few 
happenings  in  nature  are  as  fascinating  to  watch  as  the  unfolding  and 


Introduction  3 

growth  of  a  leaf  or  a  flower  from  a  tiny  primordium,  especially  when  this 
is  speeded  up  to  our  eyes  by  time-lapse  photography.  Every  step  is  co- 
ordinated with  all  the  others  as  though  a  craftsman  were  molding  it  ac- 
cording to  a  plan.  Within  the  whole,  the  cells  and  other  subordinate 
parts  do  not  develop  independently  but  all  are  knit  together  into  an 
organized  system. 

How  all  this  is  accomplished  and  a  specifically  formed  organism  pro- 
duced is  not  yet  understood,  although  specific  parts  of  the  process  are 
now  well  known.  Most  metabolic  activities  are  yielding  to  biochemical 
analysis;  students  of  gene  action  find  that  specific  substances  are  produced 
by  specific  genes,  and  the  nucleic  acids,  with  their  remarkable  properties, 
are  recognized  as  being  at  the  very  foundation  of  life  itself.  How  all  the 
various  metabolic  and  developmental  activities  are  related  in  such  an 
orderly  fashion,  however,  and  proceed  without  interference  or  confusion 
so  that,  step  by  step,  an  organism  is  produced  poses  a  problem  of  a  very 
different  kind.  Relations,  not  chemical  changes,  are  the  facts  to  be  ex- 
plained. The  problem  must  be  approached  experimentally  but  one  should 
recognize  that  this  may  require  the  development  of  techniques  and  ideas 
not  yet  explored. 

The  biological  science  concerned  with  this  dynamic  and  causal  aspect 
of  organic  form  is  evidently  different  from  either  morphology,  physi- 
ology, or  embryology,  though  partaking  of  all  three.  It  deserves  a 
name  of  its  own.  The  Germans  usually  call  it  Entwicklungsmechanik,  a 
name  proposed  by  Wilhelm  Roux.  This  great  zoologist  is  looked  upon  as 
the  father  of  the  science  of  zoological  morphogenesis.  He  founded  the 
Archiv  fiir  Entwicklungsmechanik  der  Organismen,  a  journal  which  now 
occupies  16  feet  of  library  shelf  and  contains  a  vast  amount  of  material, 
chiefly  on  the  animal  side.  Elsewhere  this  science  has  often  been  termed 
experimental  morphology  or  experimental  embryology.  Rritish  biologists 
sometimes  refer  to  it  as  causal  morphology.  In  recent  years  it  has  generally 
been  given  a  more  appropriate  name  than  any  of  these— morphogenesis. 
The  derivation  of  this  word  is  obvious— the  origin  of  form.  Who  first  used 
it  is  not  certainly  known  but  Ernst  Haeckel  employed  the  cognate  form 
morphogeny  (Morphogenie)  in  1859.  Some  have  employed  this  term  in 
a  strictly  descriptive  sense,  essentially  as  synonymous  with  developmental 
morphology.  More  commonly  and  properly,  however,  it  includes,  in  addi- 
tion to  a  discussion  of  purely  descriptive  facts  as  to  the  origin  of  form,  a 
study  of  the  results  of  experimentally  controlled  development  and  an 
analysis  of  the  effects  of  the  various  factors,  external  and  internal,  that 
determine  how  the  development  of  form  proceeds.  In  other  words,  it 
attempts  to  get  at  the  underlying  formativeness  in  the  development  of 
organisms  and  especially  to  reach  an  understanding  of  the  basic  fact  of 
which  form  is  the  most  obvious  manifestation— biological   organization 


4  Introduction 

itself.  It  is  in  these  senses  that  the  term  morphogenesis  will  be  used  in 
the  present  volume. 

Each  of  the  major  biological  subsciences  is  intimately  related  to  the 
others.  One  cannot  study  genetics  apart  from  physiology,  for  example, 
or  physiology  from  morphology,  or  taxonomy  and  evolution  from  all 
these.  It  may  well  be  maintained,  however,  that  morphogenesis,  since  it  is 
concerned  with  the  most  distinctive  aspect  of  life— organization— is  the 
crossroads  where  all  the  highways  of  biological  exploration  tend  to  con- 
verge. Its  subject  matter  deals  with  some  of  the  most  elusive  and  intract- 
able phenomena  in  science,  but  it  is  here  that  the  greatest  discoveries  of 
the  future  are  likely  to  be  made.  These  will  be  significant  not  only 
for  biological  problems  but  for  many  others  that  man  faces.  Even 
philosophy,  long  concerned  with  problems  of  form,  is  still  gaining 
from  this  source  fresh  insights  into  its  chief  task,  an  understanding  of 
life. 

More  study  has  been  given  to  morphogenetic  problems  with  animals 
than  with  plants.  A  great  advantage  of  animal  material  is  that  in  many 
groups  the  egg  is  discharged  into  water  and  the  embryo  develops  there, 
at  least  through  its  earlier  stages,  and  is  thus  easily  accessible  for  obser- 
vation and  experiment.  Among  higher  plants,  on  the  contrary,  all  the  early 
development  of  the  embryo  takes  place  within  the  ovule,  surrounded  by 
many  layers  of  tissue  and  relatively  inaccessible.  The  result  has  been  that, 
save  for  rather  special  material  like  the  egg  of  Fucus  which  can  be 
treated  much  like  that  of  an  animal,  very  little  morphogenetic  work  has 
been  done  on  plant  embryos.  Modern  techniques,  however,  by  which 
it  is  possible  to  grow  the  embryos  of  some  higher  plants  to  maturity  in 
culture,  are  making  the  science  of  experimental  plant  embryology  a  more 
fruitful  one. 

Workers  with  plants  have  a  number  of  advantages,  however.  In  plants, 
permanently  embryonic  regions,  the  meristems,  are  available  for  study. 
At  the  tip  of  shoot  and  root  and  in  the  cambial  layers  these  are  inde- 
terminate and  produce  new  plant  structures  almost  indefinitely.  Such 
meristems  are  usually  numerous  or  extensive  on  the  same  plant  so  that 
ample  material  for  the  study  of  development,  identical  in  genetic  con- 
stitution, is  available.  Growth  and  differentiation  in  the  development  of 
a  plant  are  thus  continuing  processes  and  not  limited  to  a  single  and 
often  brief  life  cycle. 

Organs  such  as  leaves,  flowers,  and  fruits,  which  are  determinate  in 
growth,  pass  through  a  cycle  closely  comparable  to  that  of  individual 
animals,  and  morphogenetic  problems  can  also  often  profitably  be  studied 
in  them.  The  fact  that  they  are  usually  produced  in  abundance  on  a 
single  plant  is  a  further  advantage,  for  here  the  investigator  need  not  be 
concerned  about  genetic  diversity  in  his  material  but  can  study  strictly 


Introduction  5 

comparable  organic  forms  under  a  wide  range  of  environmental  condi- 
tions. 

Another  important  difference  between  botanical  and  zoological  ma- 
terial is  concerned  with  the  behavior  of  individual  cells  during  develop- 
ment. In  animal  embryos  many  cells  are  relatively  free  to  move  about  so 
that  certain  morphogenetic  changes  are  due  to  movements  of  cells  or  cell 
groups  rather  than  to  differences  in  relative  growth.  In  plants  above  the 
simplest  types,  on  the  contrary,  cells  are  almost  always  attached  firmly 
to  their  neighbors  so  that  morphogenetic  movements  have  no  part  in  de- 
velopment. Changes  of  form  are  the  result  of  differences  in  the  location 
or  orientation  of  cell  divisions  or  in  the  size  or  the  shape  to  which  the 
individual  cells  grow.  This  makes  the  study  of  morphogenetic  problems 
somewhat  simpler  in  plants  because  development  leaves  a  record  of  its 
course  in  the  structure  of  the  growing  system  itself. 

Most  plant  cells  have  rather  firm  walls  as  compared  with  animal  cells, 
and  the  structures  that  they  produce  are  therefore  not  as  soft  and  plastic 
as  in  many  animals.  A  plant  part  tends  to  hold  its  form  rather  well  and 
can  thus  be  measured  more  easily  and  accurately.  Its  anatomical  struc- 
ture is  also  less  fluid.  Certain  organs,  such  as  woody  stems  and  hard- 
shelled  fruits,  retain  their  form  when  dead  and  dry  and  can  then  be  kept 
for  study  without  the  necessity  for  special  preservative  treatment. 

Plant  material  is  generally  more  tractable  than  that  of  animals,  is  easily 
grown,  and  lends  itself  readily  to  experiment.  Because  of  their  stationary 
habit,  plants  are  more  susceptible  to  changes  in  environmental  influences, 
notably  water  and  light,  than  are  animals,  and  the  morphogenetic  effects 
of  such  factors  may  be  studied  more  easily  in  them. 

The  organization  of  a  plant,  too,  is  much  looser  than  that  of  most  ani- 
mals. The  individual  organism  is  less  sharply  marked  and  specific,  and 
its  powers  of  regeneration  are  far  greater.  Its  structural  plan  is  simpler, 
for  the  stationary  habit  of  most  plants  renders  unnecessary  several  organ 
systems  found  in  animals,  notably  a  digestive  tract,  excretory  organs, 
musculature,  and  a  nervous  system.  Morphogenetic  problems  can  there- 
fore be  studied  in  plants  uncomplicated  by  the  physiological  complexi- 
ties inseparable  from  animal  life.  The  absence  of  a  nervous  system,  which 
has  such  an  important  role  in  animal  development,  is  of  particular  ad- 
vantage, for  developmental  processes  in  plants  are  under  the  control  of 
relatively  unspecialized  protoplasm,  and  they  may  thus  be  studied  most 
directly  and  at  their  simplest  level.  There  is  no  reason  to  believe  that 
the  fundamental  phenomena  of  the  development  of  form  are  not  as 
manifest  in  these  relatively  simple  systems  as  in  the  more  complex  ones 
of  animals. 

What  is  now  called  morphogenesis  came  first  into  prominence  in  the 
late  decades  of  the  nineteenth  century  after  the  early  enthusiasm  over 


6  Introduction 

the  idea  of  evolution  had  given  place  to  a  more  sober  realization  that  it 
did  not  provide  a  solution  for  all  the  problems  about  living  things.  The 
list  of  men  working  primarily  with  animal  material  includes  some  of  the 
most  brilliant  names  in  the  science  of  zoology.  In  plant  morphogenesis, 
most  of  those  who  made  important  early  contributions  were  chiefly  en- 
gaged in  other  fields,  especially  morphology,  physiology,  and  pathology. 
Here  are  remembered  the  classical  studies  of  Hanstein  on  meristems  and 
their  derivatives,  of  Winkler  on  chimeras,  of  Haberlandt  on  plant  hor- 
mones, of  Kiister  on  abnormal  growth,  of  Klebs  on  the  effects  of  the 
environment,  of  Goebel  on  the  general  area  to  which  he  gave  the  name 
of  organography,  and  many  others. 

It  is  to  Herman  Vochting,  however,  long  Professor  of  Botany  at  the 
University  of  Bonn,  that  botanists  owe  the  first  thoughtful  discussion  of 
such  problems  as  polarity,  differentiation,  and  regeneration.  His  "Organ- 
bildung  im  Pflanzenreich,"  published  in  1878,  is  a  classic  and  may  be 
said  to  have  founded  a  new  field  of  botanical  investigation.  It  deserves 
to  be  read  by  all  students  of  development  even  today.  About  the  turn  of 
the  century  the  zoologist  Hans  Driesch  stated  his  often-quoted  aphorism, 
"The  fate  of  a  cell  is  a  function  of  its  position,"  which  in  a  few  words 
sums  up  a  central  fact  of  biological  organization.  What  few  botanists 
know  is  that  Vochting,  in  a  book  written  20  years  earlier,  said  the  same 
thing  in  almost  the  same  words.1  Other  botanists  also  made  important 
contributions  here.  Much  of  the  work  of  men  such  as  van  Tieghem,  Jost, 
Sachs,  Pfeffer,  Schwendener,  and  Strasburger  was  on  problems  that  we 
should  now  call  morphogenetic. 

Most  studies  in  plant  morphogenesis  have  been  made  with  vascular 
plants— pteridophytes,  gymnosperms,  and  angiosperms.  It  should  be 
remembered,  however,  that  many  of  these  problems  can  be  approached 
more  directly  through  work  on  the  lower  ones.  Polarity,  for  example,  is 
manifest  in  its  simplest  form  in  some  of  the  filamentous  algae.  The  very 
beginnings  of  differentiation  are  to  be  seen  in  the  lower  thallophytes. 
Almost  every  cell  in  some  of  the  bryophytes  may  easily  be  induced  to 
regenerate.  The  problem  of  the  development  of  form  is  nowhere  posed 
more  directly  than  in  the  formation  of  the  remarkable  fruiting  bodies  of 
some  of  the  myxomycetes  and  of  the  higher  fungi.  These  more  primitive 
plants  are  proving  to  be  ideal  material  for  the  study  of  many  problems 
in  physiology  and  genetics,  and  although  they  have  been  rather  neglected 
in  morphogenesis,  they  offer  abundant  opportunities  for  fruitful  work 
in  this  field. 

The  science  of  plant  morphogenesis  has  never  received  a  comprehen- 

1  Die  jeweilig  zu  verrichtende  Function  einer  Zelle  wird  in  erster  Linie  durch  den 
morphologischen  Ort  bestimmt,  den  sie  an  der  Lebenseinheit  einnimmt.  Organ- 
bildung  im  Pflanzenreich,  1878,  p.  241.) 


Introduction  < 

sive  formulation.  To  bring  together  in  a  single  volume  a  discussion  of 
the  various  phenomena  that  distinguish  it  and  of  the  factors  that  have 
been  found  to  affect  the  development  of  plants,  together  with  a  bibliog- 
raphy of  some  of  the  most  important  publications  dealing  with  the  sub- 
ject, should  help  to  give  it  recognition  as  a  distinctive  botanical  disci- 
pline. To  attempt  this  is  the  purpose  of  the  present  volume. 

Morphogenesis  is  such  an  immense  subject,  however,  covering  most  of 
the  territory  of  biology,  that  to  organize  its  facts  and  its  problems  in  a 
logical  and  reasonably  compact  fashion  is  a  matter  of  much  difficulty. 
The  method  used  here  is  to  divide  the  subject  into  three  parts.  First  is 
presented  a  brief  discussion  of  plant  growth  as  a  necessary  introduction 
to  morphogenesis  proper,  placing  particular  emphasis  on  its  cellular  basis 
and  on  the  activities  of  the  meristems.  The  remaining  subject  matter  is 
then  divided  into  two  sections:   first,  the  various  phenomena  of  plant 
morphogenesis  and  the  more  important  studies  that  have  been  made  on 
them  and,  second,  a  brief  account  of  the  morphogenetic  factors  that  have 
been  found  to  affect  the  development  and  form  of  plants.  In  the  first 
there  are  chapters  on  Correlation,  Polarity,  Symmetry,  Differentiation, 
Regeneration,  Tissue  Mixtures,  and  Abnormal  Growth.  In  the  second  are 
discussed  the  effects  of  light,  water,  temperature,  and  other  physical  fac- 
tors; inorganic  and  organic  substances   (especially  growth  substances); 
and  finally  the  various  genetic  factors.  There  is  a  concluding  chapter  on 
the  problem  of  Biological  Organization. 

At  the  end  of  the  book  is  a  selected  list  of  references  to  some  of  the 
more  important  books  and  papers  on  the  subject.  This  obviously  must  be 
far  from  complete  since  the  literature  is  enormous  and  scattered  through 
most  of  the  fields  of  botany.  An  attempt  has  been  made  to  include,  both 
in  text  and  references,  some  of  the  important  early  work,  not  alone  for 
its  intrinsic  but  also  its  historical  value.  In  the  more  rapidly  advancing 
fields,  where  many  of  the  results  from  older  studies  have  now  been 
superseded,  only  a  relatively  few  of  the  earlier  papers  are  mentioned, 
and  there  is  considerable  representation  of  recent  work.  Aside  from 
bringing  the  subject  up  to  date,  these  later  papers  through  their 
bibliographies  will  give  the  student  a  means  of  entry  into  the  literature 
of  a  given  field.  Opportunities  for  further  research,  particularly  in  areas 
now  less  popular  than  in  the  past,  are  so  numerous  that  the  author  has 
felt  justified  in  calling  attention  to  some  of  them  from  time  to  time. 

The  problem  of  deciding  which  pieces  of  work  to  include  in  a  discus- 
sion of  this  sort  and  which  to  omit  has  been  very  difficult.  Among  those 
mentioned  there  are  doubtless  some  that  will  be  regarded  by  many  read- 
ers as  relatively  unimportant.  The  omission  of  others  will  be  criticized. 
It  is  hoped,  however,  that  the  papers  chosen  will  provide  a  fair  picture  of 
accomplishment    in    plant    morphogenesis.    A    considerable    number    of 


g  Introduction 

review  papers  are  cited  which  help  summarize  results  in  particular  fields. 
No  one  person,  and  certainly  not  the  present  writer,  is  competent  to  give 
a  thoroughly  informed  and  authoritative  judgment  on  the  relative  worth 
of  the  wide  variety  of  investigations  here  discussed.  It  is  hoped,  how- 
ever, that  one  service  of  the  book  will  be  to  introduce  its  readers  to  the 
subjects  of  these  studies  even  though  in  some  cases  a  piece  of  work  can 
be  given  little  more  than  mention. 

Since  there  is  no  sharp  line  between  morphogenesis  and  its  neighbor- 
ing fields  of  morphology,  physiology,  genetics,  and  the  chemical  and 
physical  sciences,  much  of  the  advance  in  it  will  doubtless  be  made,  as 
in  the  past,  by  men  whose  chief  concern  is  with  one  of  these  other  disci- 
plines; but  as  morphogenesis  becomes  better  organized  and  as  more  op- 
portunities for  training  and  research  in  it  are  offered  by  our  colleges  and 
universities,  there  will  be  more  students  whose  primary  interests  are 
directed  to  it.  More  than  other  biological  sciences,  perhaps,  morpho- 
genesis will  need  to  maintain  close  contact  with  a  wide  variety  of  other 
fields,  for  few  can  hope  to  be  competent  in  its  entire  area.  To  develop 
this  comprehensive  subject  fruitfully  will  require  the  active  cooperation 
of  many  sciences,  and  by  this  means  the  morphogenetic  point  of  view 
can  thus  help  to  integrate  all  of  biology. 


PART    ONE 


Growth 


CHAPTER    2 

Growth  in  General 


The  process  of  organic  development,  in  which  are  posed  the  chief  prob- 
lems for  the  science  of  morphogenesis,  occurs  in  the  great  majority  of 
cases  as  an  accompaniment  of  the  process  of  growth.  The  association  be- 
tween these  two  activities  is  not  an  invariable  one,  for  there  are  a  few 
organisms  in  which  growth  is  completed  before  development  and  dif- 
ferentiation are  finished,  but  far  more  commonly  the  form  and  structure 
of  a  living  thing  change  while  it  grows.  Knowledge  about  growth  is 
therefore  necessary  for  an  understanding  of  development,  and  any  dis- 
cussion of  morphogenetic  problems  in  plants  should  be  preceded  by  a 
discussion  of  plant  growth  in  general.  This  is  the  purpose  of  the  first 
few  chapters  of  the  present  volume. 

Definition  of  Growth.  The  term  "growth"  has  been  variously  defined 
by  biologists.  For  some  (Hammett,  1936)  1  it  includes  not  only  increase 
but  also  the  accompanying  phenomena  of  progressive  differentiation. 
Most  regard  this  definition  as  too  inclusive  and  would  limit  it  in  one  re- 
spect or  another.  Since  much  of  the  increase  in  volume  is  brought  about 
merely  by  gain  in  amount  of  water,  increase  in  dry  weight  might  seem  to 
be  the  best  measure  of  growth,  but  sprouting  seeds  kept  in  the  dark  will 
"grow"  into  large,  etiolated  seedlings  through  intake  of  water  though 
their  dry  weight  actually  decreases.  In  one  sense  these  sprouts  have 
grown,  but  in  another  they  have  not.  The  fundamental  fact  in  all  growth, 
of  course,  is  the  self-multiplication  of  living  material,  a  process  of  much 
biological  significance.  For  this  reason,  growth  might  best  be  defined 
as  increase  in  amount  of  protoplasm.  Even  if  we  could  agree,  however, 
as  to  what  constitutes  protoplasm  (whether  vacuoles,  for  example,  are 
parts  of  it),  it  would  be  impossible,  as  a  practical  matter,  to  measure 
this.  Furthermore,  in  every  organism,  and  particularly  in  every  plant, 
there  is  much  material  ( such  as  cell  walls  and  starch  grains )  which  is  an 
integral  part  of  the  organism  but  which  presumably  is  not  living,  and  it 
seems  illogical  not  to  regard  increase  in  such  material  as  part  of  growth. 

1  For  bibliographic  information  concerning  books  and  papers  referred  to  in  the  text, 
see  Bibliography,  pp.  461  ff. 

11 


12  Growth 

In  most  multicellular  organisms  growth  is  accomplished  chiefly  by  cell 
multiplication,  and  to  some  observers  this  process  seems  to  be  an  essen- 
tial part  of  growth.  In  the  cleavage  of  many  animal  eggs  and  in  similar 
processes  in  plants,  however,  there  is  a  great  increase  in  cell  number 
but  none  in  the  actual  material  which  constitutes  the  "growing"  structure, 
and  whether  such  cellular  increase  should  be  regarded  as  growth  is  a 
question.  In  the  case  of  the  female  gametophyte  in  the  megaspore  of 
Selaginella,  and  especially  of  the  young  embryo  which  develops  there, 
growth  of  an  organized  structure  by  cell  multiplication  certainly  occurs, 
but  at  the  expense  of  material  stored  in  the  spore.  Where  an  entire  mass 
is  cut  up  into  cells,  as  in  the  development  of  a  male  gametophyte  in  a 
microspore,  one  may  doubt  as  to  whether  this  should  be  called  growth 
at  all.  What  definition  of  growth  one  adopts  depends  on  the  particular 
problem  with  which  he  is  concerned. 

For  the  study  of  morphogenesis,  the  most  important  aspect  of  growth 
is  the  permanent  increase  in  volume  of  an  organ  or  organism,  regardless 
of  how  it  is  accomplished,  and  this  is  the  sense  in  which  the  term  will 
here  be  used.  The  ultimate  problem-the  self-multiplication  of  living  ma- 
terial-is one  primarily  for  the  student  of  physiology  and  reproduction, 
but  it  is  the  gross  and  geometrical  result  of  such  growth  with  which 
morphogenesis  is  chiefly  concerned. 

Growth  in  Plants.  In  most  plants,  the  process  of  growth  is  different  in 
one  important  respect  from  that  in  animals.  The  typical  mature  plant 
cell  is  surrounded  by  a  relatively  stout  cellulose  wall  which  under  ordi- 
nary conditions  prevents  any  further  cell  division  or  growth  save  in  ex- 
ceptional circumstances.  The  cells  are  rather  firmly  cemented  together 
and  thus  unable  to  move  about  or  migrate.  Plant  tissues  are  therefore  in- 
capable of  growth  and  renewal  except  through  the  activity  of  thin-walled, 
relatively  undifferentiated  embryonic  regions,  or  meristems,  where  occur 
the  divisions  that  produce  new  cells  and  the  changes  by  which  these  at- 
tain their  final  size.  These  meristems  are  rather  sharply  localized.  In  plant 
axes  where  growth  is  continuous  and  often  indeterminate,  growth  in 
length  is  controlled  chiefly  by  the  activity  of  meristems  at  the  tip  of  each 
root  or  stem.  The  older  portion  of  the  axis,  having  once  attained  maturity, 
does  not  make  further  growth  in  length.  A  tree  increases  in  height  only 
at  the  tips  of  its  twigs  and  not  elsewhere.  In  the  stems  of  some  mono- 
cotyledons, however,  growth  of  the  stem  in  length  may  continue  for  a  time 
by  the  activity  of  intercalary  meristematic  regions  at  the  base  of  each 
internode.  Perennially  growing  roots  and  stems  increase  in  thickness 
through  the  activity  of  a  lateral  meristem,  or  cambium,  situated  between 
xylem  and  phloem,  by  which  the  growth  of  both  these  tissues  is  accom- 
plished. There  are  other  sharply  localized  meristematic  regions,  such  as 
the  phellogen,  or  cork  cambium. 


Growth  in  General  13 

In  organs  which  (unlike  the  axes)  have  a  limited  or  determinate 
growth,  such  as  leaves,  flowers,  or  fruits,  the  meristems  are  usually  not 
localized  but  are  diffuse,  so  that  the  whole  organ,  or  most  of  it,  is  grow- 
ing throughout  and  not  at  any  particular  point.  Such  structures  have  a 
growth  cycle  of  their  own,  much  as  does  an  animal  body,  and  when  they 
reach  maturity  all  their  tissues  stop  growing  and  there  is  no  embryonic 
region  set  apart  by  which  further  growth  may  be  accomplished. 

Graphical  and  Mathematical  Analysis  of  Growth.  One  of  the  most 
obvious  facts  which  a  study  of  growth  reveals  is  that  it  does  not  proceed 
at  a  constant  rate.  Many  factors  influence  this  rate,  but  under  normal 
and  favorable  conditions  a  growing  organ  or  organism  undergoes  a 
characteristic  course  of  increase,  first  growing  slowly,  then  with  increas- 
ing speed,  and  finally  slowing  down  again  until  growth  stops  entirely. 

It  is  possible  to  picture  this  graphically  in  various  ways.  In  Table  2-1 
are  presented  the  data  for  the  increase  in  diameter  of  a  gourd  fruit  from 
its  early  state  as  a  small  ovary  primordium  until  maturity.  If  these  diam- 
eters are  plotted  as  ordinates  against  time  in  days,  the  growth  curve 
shown  in  Fig.  2-1  results.  This  is  an  S-shaped,  or  sigmoid,  curve  and  is 
typical  of  most  growing  organisms,  both  plant  and  animal,  though  it  is 
subject  to  much  variation.  It  presents  the  changing  size  of  the  growing 
organ  throughout  its  course  but  does  not  give  a  very  clear  picture  of  the 
changing  amounts  of  daily  growth.  If  daily  increments  are  plotted  in  the 
same  way  against  time,  the  curve  in  Fig.  2-2  results.  These  increments 
are  small  at  first,  then  progressively  larger,  and  then  smaller  again. 

Such  graphical  representations  of  growth  have  long  interested  biol- 
ogists and  mathematicians,  who  have  endeavored  to  analyze  them  in 
mathematical  terms  and  thus  obtain  clues  as  to  the  character  of  the 
growth  process  itself.  In  many  cases  such  analyses  have  proved  helpful 
in  providing  a  simple  statement  of  the  course  of  growth,  but  there  are  so 
many  variables  involved  in  growing  organisms  that  one  can  hardly  expect 
to  express  their  increase  completely  in  an  equation. 

Table  2-1.  Growth  of  a  Gourd  Fruit  from  a  Small  Primordium  to  Maturity 

Diameter,  Diameter, 

Date  mm.  Date  mm. 

July  30 2.4  Aug.    9 30.0 

"     31 3.1  "     10 35.2 

Aug.     1 3.9  "     11 40.0 

"       2 5.1  "     12 43.8 

"       3 6.5  "13 46.0 

"       4 8.4  "     14 47.0 

"      5 11.0  "     15 47.5 

"       6 14.0  "     16 47.9 

"      7 18.0  "     17 48.0 

"      8 23.5  "     18 48.0 


14 


Growth 


Time  in  days 
Fig.  2-1.  Sigmoid  growth  curve.  Fruit  diameters  in  Table  2-1  plotted  against  time  in 
days. 

The  first  period  of  growth,  in  the  most  typical  instances,  shows  the 
regular  acceleration  of  a  mass  increasing,  so  to  speak,  at  compound  in- 
terest, the  growth  during  any  period  being  a  constant  proportion  or  per- 
centage of  the  amount  already  present,  and  the  "interest"  being  com- 
pounded continuously.  In  Table  2-1  it  will  be  observed  that  for  the  first  10 
days  the  increase  in  diameter  each  day  is  an  approximately  constant 
proportion  of  the  diameter  of  the  day  before,  though  the  daily  incre- 


Time  in  days 
Fig.  2-2.  Graph  of  daily  increments  in  fruit  diameter,  from  Table  2-1. 


Growth  in  General  15 

ments  themselves  continually  increase.  The  equation  for  "compound- 
interest"  growth  is  the  familiar  one 

?i  =  P0ert 

where  Pi  is  the  size  at  any  time  t;  P0  the  size  at  the  beginning  of  growth; 
e  the  base  of  the  natural  logarithms,  2.18;  and  r  the  rate  of  growth  (in- 
terest or  exponential  rate).  This  can  be  expressed,  by  using  common 
logarithms,  as 

logP1  =  logP0  +  loge(rt) 

To  find  r  for  the  first  10  days  in  Table  2-1,  we  substitute  in  this  equa- 
tion as  follows: 

1.4771  =  0.3802  +  0.4343  X  lOr 


1.4771  -  0.3802 


r  = 


=  0.25 


10  X  0.4343 

This  is  the  rate  of  diameter  increase  per  day  at  which,  continuously  com- 
pounded, this  fruit  is  growing,  expressed  as  a  per  cent  of  its  previous 
growth.  If  the  logarithms  of  the  successive  size  of  gourd  fruits  in  Table  2-1 
are  plotted  against  time  (or  the  data  plotted  on  semilogarithmic  paper) 
the  graph  in  Fig.  2-3  results.  Here  the  growth  for  the  first  10  days  is  seen 


E 
E 


O 


Time  in  days 

Fig.  2-3.  Curve  of  the  logarithm  of  fruit  diameter  in  Table  2-1  plotted  against  time  in 
days. 


16  Growth 

to  fall  along  an  essentially  straight  line,  showing  that  the  fruit  was  growing 
at  a  constant  exponential  rate.  The  slope  of  the  line  is  a  measure  of  this 

rate. 

The  resemblance  between  such  organic  growth  and  compound-interest 
increase  has  long  been  noted,  but  it  was  particularly  emphasized  by 
V.  H.  Blackman  (1919).  He  proposed  the  term  efficiency  index  for  the 
"interest  rate"  in  such  growth.  That  living  things  in  the  early  stages  of 
their  development  should  grow  in  this  way  is  not  surprising,  for  if 
embryonic  material  is  self-multiplicative,  the  increase  per  unit  of  time 
should  be  proportional  to  the  growing  mass. 

To  explain  the  rest  of  the  growth  curve  is  more  difficult.  Evidently 
growth  cannot  proceed  in  any  organism  at  a  continually  accelerating  rate, 
if  for  no  other  reason  than  that  building  material  would  soon  be  used  up. 
The  gradual  slowing  down  and  final  cessation  of  growth  are  far  too 
regular  a  process,  however,  to  be  due  to  mere  exhaustion  of  materials.  A 
plant  or  animal  provided  with  a  superabundance  of  nutrients  will  rarely 
exceed  the  size  characteristic  for  its  species.  Each  organ  or  body  has  a 
specific  growth  cycle  through  which  it  passes,  and  the  second  part  of 
this  cycle,  in  which  growth  is  falling  off  in  rate,  is  much  like  the  first  part 
in  reverse,  so  that  the  entire  growth  curve  thus  tends  to  be  symmetrical. 
In  such  a  case  the  periodic  increments  form  a  curve  (Fig.  2-2)  which 
much  resembles  the  so-called  normal  curve,  or  curve  of  probability.  This 
relationship  has  been  observed  and  discussed  by  various  workers, 
especially  Pearl  and  his  school  (1915),  but  any  causal  relationship  be- 
tween the  two  types  of  curves  is  not  easy  to  see. 

The  similarity  between  growth  and  the  chemical  phenomenon  of  auto- 
catalysis,  in  which  the  products  of  a  catalytic  process  accelerate  the 
process  itself,  has  been  noted  by  many  observers.  Robertson  ( 1923 )  and 
his  followers  have  attempted  to  analyze  the  whole  growth  curve  as  a  sim- 
ple ( monomolecular )  autocatalytic  reaction  by  which  an  enzyme  breaks 
down  a  mass  of  substrate.  During  the  first  part  of  the  process,  growth  will 
therefore  accelerate,  but  when  the  amount  of  substrate  becomes  seriously 
reduced,  rate  of  growth  will  also  be  reduced,  and  when  the  substrate  is 
exhausted,  growth  will  cease. 

Robertson  derives  the  typical  sigmoid  curve  from  the  equation  for 
autocatalysis: 

l^A^x  =  k{t~tl} 

where  x  is  the  volume  of  the  organic  structure  (amount  grown)  at  any 
time  t;  A  the  final  size  of  the  structure;  U  the  time  at  which  it  attains  half 
its  final  size;  and  k  is  a  specific  growth  constant,  or  exponential  growth 
rate. 


Growth  in  General 


17 


The  essential  feature  of  this  growth  equation  is  that  the  rate  of  growth 
is  determined  by  the  amount  of  growth  which  is  yet  to  occur.  This  im- 
plies that  the  final  size  is  established  at  the  start  of  growth,  either  by  the 
amount  of  available  building  material  or  in  some  other  way.  If  only  one 
"master  reaction"  were  concerned,  the  course  of  growth  might  well  fol- 
low Robertson's  equation,  but  there  are  evidently  many  substances  in- 
volved and  many  processes  going  on  simultaneously  which  probably 
make  the  growth  process  too  complex  to  be  analyzed  by  any  one  reac- 
tion. 

Growth  curves  for  certain  organs  and  organisms  fit  Robertson's  equa- 
tion fairly  well  (Reed,  1927).  For  others  the  fit  is  not  so  close.  In  a  struc- 
ture which  in  its  growth  fits  the  equation  perfectly,  the  rate  of  exponential 


E 

-3i 


Fig.  2-4.  Growth  of  large  and  of  small  fruits  in  Cucurhita.  Log  of  fruit  volume  plotted 
against  time  in  days.  Early  growth  in  all  races  is  at  a  constant  rate  (straight  line)  the 
slope  of  which  here  is  the  same  in  large  and  small  races.  Solid  circle,  time  of  flowering. 
( From  Sinnott. ) 


growth  will  constantly  decrease  (since  it  is  proportional  to  the  amount 
yet  to  grow,  which  is  decreasing)  so  that  the  curve  of  the  logarithm  of 
size  against  time  will  be  convex  from  the  beginning.  When  the  rate  is 
relatively  low  the  difference  between  this  and  the  straight  line  of  con- 
stant exponential  growth  at  first  is  not  great,  since  the  absolute  amount 
of  growth  in  these  early  time  intervals  is  slight.  In  many  growth  curves, 
such  as  those  of  fruits  of  various  races  of  cucurbits  presented  by  Sinnott 
( 1945b ) ,  the  early  growth  is  at  a  constant  exponential  rate  and  shows  no 
indications  of  convexity  of  line  (Fig.  2-4).  Furthermore,  large  and  small 
fruits  which  are  here  compared  grow  at  essentially  the  same  rates  but 
for  very  different  durations.  Under  these  conditions,  Robertson's  formula 
would  require  that  the  length  of  time  between  half  size  and  maturity 


18  Growth 

should  be  the  same  for  all  races,  but  actually  in  the  small-fruited  races 
this  period  is  much  less  than  in  the  large-fruited  ones. 

The  mathematical  analysis  of  growth  involves  many  complexities  and 
has  been  developed  in  much  greater  detail  than  is  possible  in  the  present 
brief  discussion.  For  a  fuller  treatment  of  this  subject  the  reader  is  re- 
ferred to  the  work  of  Pearl  ( 1939 ) ,  D'Arcy  Thompson  ( 1942 ) ,  Erickson 
(1956),  and  others. 

It  is  evident  that  no  single  mathematical  statement  will  express  all  types 
of  growth  nor  perhaps  any  of  them  with  complete  exactness.  Growth  is 
a  very  complex  process  involving  many  variables,  and  it  is  not  to  be  ex- 
pected that  it  can  be  compressed  into  a  single  equation.  Even  if  it  could 
be,  this  would  not  tell  us  a  great  deal  for,  as  D'Arcy  Thompson  well  says, 
a  formula  "which  gives  a  mere  coincidence  of  numbers  may  be  of  little 
use  or  none,  unless  it  go  some  way  to  depict  and  explain  the  modus 
operandi  of  growth."  That  growth  under  some  conditions  proceeds  as  at 
compound  interest  and  at  others  like  an  autocatalytic  process  is  of  some 
importance  in  providing  a  clue  to  the  mechanism  of  growth,  but  so  far 
mathematical  analysis  has  added  comparatively  little  to  our  understand- 
ing of  the  fundamental  character  of  growth  itself.  For  this  we  must  look 
to  a  more  concrete  study  of  the  growth  process  in  terms  of  genetics,  bio- 
chemistry, and  physiology. 

Variation  in  Growth.  Many  structures  do  not  show  the  simple  sigmoid 
growth  discussed  in  the  preceding  section.  Just  as  the  smooth  course  of 
growth  in  mammals  is  interrupted  by  birth  and  by  puberty,  it  is  modified 
in  various  ways  in  plants.  In  fruits  of  peach  and  cherry,  for  example, 
Tukey  and  Young  (1939)  and  others  have  shown  that  after  these  struc- 
tures are  partly  grown  there  is  then  for  some  time  no  increase  in  volume. 
This  is  the  period  in  which  the  endocarp,  or  "stone,"  is  being  formed. 
Later  the  fruit  begins  to  enlarge  again,  so  that  a  curve  like  that  in  Fig. 
2-5  results.  Duncan  and  Curtis  ( 1942 )  have  shown  a  somewhat  similar 
growth  curve  in  the  fruit  of  certain  orchids  where  one  epoch  of  growth  is 
associated  with  meiosis  and  a  later  one  with  seed  maturity.  In  vegetative 
structures,  aside  from  annual  periods,  there  are  also  sometimes  discon- 
tinuous cycles,  as  in  the  pear  shoots  studied  by  Reed  ( 1927 ) ,  where  there 
may  be  three  such  in  one  season.  The  dandelion  scape  shows  a  some- 
what similar  growth  pattern  (Chao,  1947).  It  is  rapid  during  flower  de- 
velopment, much  slower  after  the  flower  opens,  and  then  accelerates 
greatly  as  the  fruit  becomes  mature. 

Borriss  ( 1934a )  reports  that  etiolated  stipes  of  Coprinus  show  a  marked 
periodicity  of  growth  with  maxima  3.5  to  4.5  hours  apart.  This  and  similar 
cases  may  be  manifestations  of  endogenous  rhythms  such  as  have  fre- 
quently been  reported  in  other  processes  ( p.  322 ) . 


Growth  in  General 


19 


In  many  plants,  particularly  herbaceous  ones,  growth  is  not  evenly 
distributed  throughout  the  length  of  the  stem.  Thus  in  tobacco  (Wolf, 
1947)  and  in  maize  (Heimsch  and  Stafford,  1952)  the  internodes  are 
progressively  longer  from  the  base  to  about  half  way  up  the  axis  and 
then  are  progressively  shorter  to  the  apex.  The  distribution  of  growth  in 
a  developing  leaf  blade  also  shows  local  differences  (Avery,  1935).  Many 
alterations  in  form  arise  from  local  changes  in  growth. 

Determinate  and  Indeterminate  Growth.  In  most  animals,  growth  is 
part  of  a  definite  life  cycle  and  produces  a  determinate  structure.  In  many 
plants,  on  the  other  hand,  the  growth  of  the  body  is  essentially  indetermi- 


A  |0 

FULL   BLOOM 


DAYS 


Fig.  2-5.  Intermittent  curves  of  growth  of  a  cherry  fruit  from  flowering  to  maturity. 
( From  L.  D.  Tukey. ) 


nate  and,  within  certain  limits,  may  go  on  indefinitely  through  the  activity 
of  terminal  and  lateral  meristems.  Even  such  theoretically  unlimited 
growth  (such  as  that  of  a  tree  in  height  or  a  vine  in  length),  however, 
usually  reaches  a  limit  and  in  its  growth  follows  a  curve  which  is  S- 
shaped.  In  some  plants,  such  as  the  sunflower  and  most  grasses,  height 
is  not  indeterminate  but  is  limited  by  a  terminal  inflorescence,  and  stem 
growth  in  such  cases  is  typically  sigmoid.  Lateral  organs,  such  as  leaves 
and  fruits,  which  do  not  grow  by  localized  meristems  have  still  more 
definite  growth  cycles  and  are  quite  comparable  to  single  animal  indi- 
viduals and  show  similar  growth  curves.  Examples  of  these  are  fruits 
(Fig.  2-1),  leaves  (Wolf,  1947),  and  ovules  and  embryos  (Rietsma  et  al, 


20 


Growth 


1955 ) .  Plants  provide  examples  of  all  types  of  growth  from  that  in  loosely 
organized,  essentially  indeterminate  structures  to  highly  organized  and 
sharply  determinate  ones  and  therefore  are  particularly  good  material 
for  a  study  of  the  mechanism  by  which  growth,  presumably  free  and 
continuous  in  primitive  organisms,  becomes  controlled  and  molded  into 
a  definite  cycle  or  pattern.  Such  cyclical,  controlled  growth  is  one  mani- 
festation of  the  general  phenomenon  of  biological  organization. 

Growth  and  Size.  The  size  that  an  organism  attains  is  often  an  im- 
portant factor  in  determining  the  character  of  its  development,  and  size 
is  intimately  related  to  growth.  Differences  in  ultimate  size  may  be  due 


cm. 

8 

7 

-                                                                                            /     / 

6 

/     / 

5 

- 

4 

/ 

3 

-                                                        /    / 

2 

1 

0 

Fig.  2-6.  Diagram  of  growth  of  stipe  and  pileus  of  the  common  mushroom,  Agaricus 
campestris.  Homologous  points  are  connected  by  lines.  Growth  is  most  active  in  the 
region  intermediate  between  base  and  apex.  (From  Bonner,  Kane,  and  Levey.) 

to  differences  in  rate  or  in  duration  of  growth  or  in  both  of  these.  Little 
is  known  in  plants  as  to  the  relation  between  growth  and  size.  The  in- 
creased size  of  heterozygous  corn  plants  is  apparently  associated  with  a 
higher  growth  rate  (Whaley,  1950),  and  this  may  be  true  rather  gen- 
erally for  size  difference  in  indeterminate  structures.  In  determinate 
ones  such  as  the  fruit,  however,  rate  may  not  be  important.  The  great  size 
differences  between  small-fruited  and  large-fruited  cucurbits  of  the  same 
species  studied  by  Sinnott  (1945b)  are  due  in  almost  every  case  to  differ- 
ences in  duration  of  growth,  for  growth  rate  is  essentially  the  same  in  all 
of  them  ( Fig.  2-4 ) .  This  difference  in  duration  applies  to  all  recognizable 


Growth  in  General  21 

parts  of  the  growth  cycle— from  primordium  to  flowering,  from  flowering 
to  the  end  of  exponential  growth,  and  from  this  point  to  growth  cessation. 

Growth  in  plants  has  usually  been  studied  in  the  higher  forms  because 
of  their  generally  larger  size  and  the  greater  ease  with  which  observations 
can  be  made  upon  them.  Some  lower  plants,  however,  offer  good  oppor- 
tunities for  growth  studies.  Borriss  (1934a)  found  that  growth  is  not 
evenly  distributed  in  the  sporophore  stalk  of  Coprinus  but  is  progressively 
more  rapid  toward  the  apex.  This  has  been  confirmed  by  Bonner,  Kane, 
and  Levey  (1956;  Fig.  2-6),  who  find  that,  after  the  early  stage,  growth  is 
accomplished  chiefly  by  elongation  of  the  cells  of  the  hyphae.  By  dusting 
the  tips  of  young  sporangiophores  of  Phycomyces  with  starch  grains  and 
recording  changes  photographically,  Castle  ( 1958 )  has  analyzed  the 
distribution  of  growth  here,  both  as  to  longitudinal  and  circumferential 
increase.  The  ratio  between  these  two  components  is  not  constant  but 
changes  with  location  on  the  sporangiophore. 

Brown,  Reith,  and  Robinson  ( 1952 )  examined  the  mechanism  of  growth 
in  plant  cells,  both  in  intact  organs  and  by  culture  of  isolated  fragments. 
Lindegren  and  Haddad  (1954)  found  that  in  yeast  cells  growth  rate  is 
constant  and  that  it  begins  and  ends  abruptly,  thus  differing  from  growth 
in  most  higher  organisms. 

Physiology  of  Growth.  The  essential  fact  in  growth  is  the  increase  in 
amount  of  the  various  components  of  the  organism.  This  results  from  the 
self-multiplication  of  its  essential  portions,  the  genes  and  their  basic 
constituents,  the  nucleic  acids.  Everywhere  syntheses  are  involved.  This 
general  field  is  closer  to  physiology  than  to  morphogenesis.  Also  essen- 
tially physiological  are  problems  concerning  the  rate  and  duration  of 
growth.  These  traits  may  be  affected  by  many  factors,  some  in  the  genetic 
constitution  of  the  plant  and  others  coming  from  its  environment,  such 
as  temperature,  light,  water,  and  chemical  substances  of  many  kinds.  To 
consider  these  aspects  of  growth  would  require  much  space  and  is  outside 
the  purpose  of  the  present  volume.  The  physiology  of  plant  growth  has 
been  frequently  discussed,  as  by  Thimann  ( 1954 ) . 

It  is  not  growth  itself  that  is  of  morphogenetic  importance  but  its 
relative  distribution,  for  this  is  what  determines  form.  Richards  and 
Kavanagh  (1945a)  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  a  study  of  growth  by 
geometrical  changes  alone,  as  is  commonly  done,  does  not  tell  the  whole 
story.  Density  (mass  per  unit  volume)  and  volume  may  be  increasing  at 
different  rates  in  different  regions.  The  forces  of  stretching  and  compres- 
sion that  result  may  affect  the  distribution  of  growth.  Under  the  discus- 
sion of  various  factors  in  the  latter  part  of  this  book,  growth  and  its  con- 
trol will  from  time  to  time  be  mentioned,  but  as  part  of  a  larger  problem. 
This  problem  is  the  development  of  a  specifically  formed  and  organized 


22  Growth 

plant  body.  One  of  the  leading  students  of  morphogenesis  has  recently 
expressed  this  well: 

I  think,  after  we  have  surveyed  the  facts,  that  the  whole  subject  of  growth 
will  seem  bigger  than  the  chemistry  of  synthesis,  and  that  it  will  be  more  likely 
that  this  latter  will  seem  a  small  (although  important)  part  of  a  larger  scheme 
in  which  growth  is  used  here  and  there,  sometimes  encouraged,  sometimes  dis- 
couraged, and  in  such  a  way  that  a  consistent,  whole,  individual  organism  is 
created  in  an  orderly  and  masterful  fashion.  (J.  T.  Bonner,  1952a,  p.  61.) 


CHAPTER    3 

The  Cellular  Basis  of  Growth 


One  of  the  great  biological  generalizations  of  the  nineteenth  century  is 
the  cell  theory,  commonly  attributed  to  the  botanist  Schleiden  and  the 
zoologist  Schwann  and  formally  stated  in  1839.  This  was  a  recognition  of 
the  fact  that  all  organisms  are  composed  of  living  units,  the  cells.  The 
theory  provided  a  common  foundation  for  a  study  not  only  of  structure 
but  of  growth  (cell  multiplication)  and  development  (cell  differentia- 
tion ) .  It  has  served  as  a  unifying  concept  for  all  biology,  somewhat  com- 
parable to  the  atomic  theory  in  the  physical  sciences. 

The  implications  of  the  cell  theory  for  morphogenesis  are  important. 
In  the  minds  of  those  who  promulgated  it,  it  meant  that  the  cell  is  the 
true  biological  individual  and  that  an  organism  is  the  result  of  the  ac- 
tivities of  its  constituent  cells.  That  the  cell  is  thus  the  primary  agent  of 
organization  is  the  opinion  of  some  biologists  today.  In  such  a  view  the 
organism  is  looked  on  as  a  sort  of  cellular  state,  built  by  the  cooperative 
efforts  of  its  citizens  among  whom,  as  in  a  human  society,  there  is  a  high 
degree  of  division  of  labor.  In  support  of  this  idea  are  cited  cases  such 
as  that  of  certain  of  the  slime  molds,  where  some  thousands  of  individual 
cells  (myxamoebae),  entirely  independent  in  the  early  stages  of  the  life 
cycle,  become  aggregated  into  a  cellular  mass  and  then  by  their  mutual 
interactions  build  up  a  fruiting  body  of  a  specific  size  and  form  (p.  223). 

Other  biologists,  however,  believe  that  the  true  individual  is  the 
organism,  essentially  a  mass  of  protoplasm  divided  into  cellular  units. 
Such  division  has  the  advantage  that  it  makes  possible  the  differentiation 
of  parts  and  the  segregation  of  various  physiological  activities  within 
particular  cells.  The  organism  may  thus  be  said  to  make  the  cells  rather 
than  the  cells  to  make  the  organism.  In  this  conception  the  multicellular 
plant  body  is  to  be  thought  of  as  having  arisen  not  through  the  aggrega- 
tion of  individual  cells,  originally  separate,  but  by  cellular  multiplica- 
tion. 

That  this  organismal  theory  gives  a  better  picture  of  the  growth  and 
activities  of  plants  and  animals  is  suggested  by  the  high  degree  of  co- 
ordination and  self-regulation  that  exists  in  a  living  thing.  The  produc- 
tion of  individuals  essentially  alike  by  a  variety  of  developmental  routes 

23 


24  Growth 

in  regeneration  is  difficult  to  explain  as  a  result  of  the  interaction  of  essen- 
tially independent  units.  The  cellular  society,  if  it  is  one,  must  have  a 
strong  central  government  which  regulates  the  activities  of  its  individual 
members.  A  certain  amount  of  self-differentiation  undoubtedly  exists,  in 
which  a  given  organ  or  structure,  once  its  development  has  begun, 
proceeds  more  or  less  independently  of  the  rest,  but  the  parts  are  usually 
interdependent.  The  problem  of  organization,  the  central  one  for  biology, 
can  be  attacked  more  hopefully  by  a  study  of  organized  systems  as 
wholes  than  simply  of  the  units  of  which  these  are  composed. 

There  are  obviously  considerable  differences  in  the  degree  and  level  of 
organization.  In  plants  with  indeterminate  growth,  especially  in  some  of 
the  lower  groups,  the  "individual"  is  little  more  than  a  colony  of  cellular 
individuals,  which  are  so  nearly  independent  that  if  isolated  they 
will  produce  new  plants  directly.  Among  higher  forms  it  is  much  more 
closely  organized.  Even  here  one  can  hardly  tell,  in  types  such  as  straw- 
berries and  many  grasses,  for  example,  which  spread  by  stolons  or 
rootstocks,  how  much  should  be  regarded  as  a  single  individual.  In  many 
cases,  however,  growth  is  determinate,  the  number  of  parts  is  relatively 
constant,  and  the  individual  is  a  distinct  and  specific  thing.  In  no  plants 
does  it  reach  the  high  level  of  organization  that  most  animals  display. 

In  support  of  the  concept  that  the  organism  is  the  developmental  unit, 
one  may  point  to  the  many  cases  in  plants  where,  as  in  the  alga  Caulerpa, 
a  very  considerable  degree  of  differentiation  occurs  into  "roots,"  "stems," 
and  "leaves"  but  where  there  are  no  cellular  boundaries  at  all.  The  whole 
plant  is  a  coenocyte,  a  simple  mass  of  cytoplasm  in  which  great  numbers 
of  free  nuclei  are  embedded  or  move  about.  In  other  algae  where  the 
general  character  of  the  plant  body  seems  to  be  similar  to  this,  some 
species  have  uninucleate  cells,  others  multinucleate  ones,  and  others  are 
entirely  coenocytic,  with  no  cell  walls  save  where  reproductive  organs 
are  formed.  In  most  of  the  true  molds,  or  Phycomycetes,  the  hyphae  are 
multinucleate  and  not  divided  into  cells,  and  this  is  true  of  certain  of  the 
higher  fungi  also.  In  some  other  algae  and  fungi  the  partitions  across  the 
filaments  are  incomplete  and  have  a  central  perforation  through  which 
cytoplasm  can  flow,  so  that  there  is  no  true  cellular  structure.  In  the 
developing  endosperm  of  the  higher  plants  there  is  usually  at  first  a 
large  number  of  free  nuclei  in  a  mass  of  cytoplasm,  but  these  gradually 
become  separated  from  each  other  by  the  growth  of  walls. 

The  difference  between  these  two  views  of  the  relation  between  the 
cell  and  the  organism  is  of  much  importance  for  morphogenetic  theory. 
The  individual  cells  are  certainly  significant,  particularly  in  physiol- 
ogy, and  their  presence  makes  possible  much  useful  analysis  of  de- 
velopmental processes,  but  just  how  a  group  of  cells  develops  into  an 
organism  still  remains  the  central  problem. 


The  Cellular  Basis  of  Growth 


25 


CELL  DIVISION 

Growth  of  plants  and  animals,  in  the  last  analysis,  is  an  increase  in 
amount  of  living  stuff  in  them,  but  this  growth  is  almost  always  accom- 
panied by  an  increase  in  the  number  of  their  cells.  This  takes  place  by 
the  process  of  cell  division,  which  thus  assumes  much  significance  for 
problems  of  growth  and  differentiation.  The  precise  method  by  which 
new  cells  are  formed  was  not  understood  for  some  time  after  the  cell 
theory  was  established.  In  the  seventies  of  the  last  century  a  number 
of  botanists  and  zoologists,  Strasburger  prominent  among  them,  made 
clear  the  mechanism  of  mitosis  and  the  leading  part  played  by  the 
nucleus  in  cell  division. 

Division  does  not  take  place  in  all  parts  of  the  plant  individual.  In 
higher  forms  it  is  limited  chiefly  to  apical  and  lateral  meristems  and  to 


1 

§3 

-  J 

1 

-> 

1 

r 


Fig.  3-1.  Division  of  a  vacuolate  cell  showing  the  development  of  the  phragmosome, 
which  precedes  the  cell  plate.  (  From  Sinnott  and  Bloch. ) 

the  growing  regions  of  determinate  organs,  though  there  may  be  cell 
division  under  certain  conditions  in  other  parts  of  the  plant. 

Division  is  usually  studied  in  small-celled  meristematic  regions  where 
the  cells  are  not  vacuolate  or  have  only  small  vacuoles.  In  many  cases, 
however,  particularly  in  the  rib  meristems  of  root  and  shoot  and  below 
wounds,  cells  that  are  relatively  large  and  in  which  a  vacuole  occupies 
the  bulk  of  the  cell  may  continue  to  divide.  In  such  cases  the  nucleus 
moves  from  near  the  wall  to  a  position  in  the  center  of  the  cell,  where  it 
is  held  by  strands  of  cytoplasm.  Here  it  undergoes  mitosis.  The  position 
where  the  cell  plate,  and  later  the  cell  wall,  will  form  is  usually  indi- 
cated early  bv  a  plate  of  cytoplasmic  strands,  the  phragmosome,  which 
extends  across  the  cell  and  in  which  the  nucleus  is  embedded  (Sinnott 
and  Bloch,  1941;  Figs.  3-1,  3-2).  The  cell  plate  itself  is  laid  down  later 
by  the  phragmoplast,  a  group  of  fibers  which  are  a  continuation  of  the 
fiber  system  between  the  nuclei  at  telophase.  This  spreads  across  the  cell, 
following  the  course  of  the  phragmosome  where  the  latter  is  present.  In 


26 


Growth 


side  view,  as  in  the  dividing  cambium  cells  figured  by  Bailey  (1920«), 
the  phragmoplast  appears  in  section  as  two  spindles  at  the  edge  of  the 
developing  cell  plate.  In  face  view  it  looks  like  a  cytoplasmic  "halo."  The 
phragmosome  and  the  phragmoplast,  and  the  function  of  each  in  cell 
division,  have  sometimes  been  confused.  The  difference  is  made  clear  by 
Esau  ( 1953£>,  her  Fig.  3-10 ) .  In  some  dividing  vacuolate  cells,  such  as 
those  of  the  cambium,  the  phragmosome  is  either  absent  or  has  not 
been  observed. 


Fig.  3-2.  Phragmosomes  in  various  cells,  a-c,  normal  tissue;  c,  in  face  view  showing 
anastomosing  strands;  d,  e,  mature  cells  near  wound  face  beginning  to  divide.  (From 
Sinnott  and  Bloch. ) 

The  significance  of  the  cytoplasm  in  cell  division  has  been  emphasized 
by  Muhldorf  ( 1951 ) .  The  general  problems  of  cell  division  in  plants  are 
treated  at  length  in  Tischler's  monumental  book  ( 1951 ) . 

The  factors  that  determine  whether  a  cell  will  divide  or  not  are  various 
and  have  been  much  discussed.  The  size  of  the  cell  itself  is  evidently 
one  of  these  factors.  In  actively  meristematic  regions,  the  dividing  cells 
are  usually  of  about  the  same  size.  This  means  that  each  daughter  cell, 
after  division,  enlarges  until  it  reaches  the  size  at  which  its  mother  cell 
divided,  and  then  itself  divides.  After  division  ceases,  the  cells  usually 
expand  considerably. 

Size  in  dividing  cells  is  by  no  means  always  constant,  however.  Wagner 


The  Cellular  Basis  of  Growth  27 

( 1937),  studying  the  distribution  of  mitoses  in  root  tips,  found  that  these 
occurred  not  only  in  the  small  cells  at  the  apex  but  in  the  progressively 
larger  ones  back  from  this  until  division  ceased.  Incidentally,  he  reported 
that  in  many  cases  dividing  cells  are  not  evenly  distributed  through  the 
meristematic  region  but  tend  to  occur  in  several  waves,  moving  backward 
from  the  tip  (Fig.  3-3). 

In  developing  cucurbit  ovaries  during  the  period  of  cell  division  there  is 
a  progressive  increase  in  the  size  of  the  dividing  cells  in  each  region 
(epidermis  to  placental  region),  and  this  increase  is  greater  in  successive 
tissues  from  the  epidermis  inward  ( Sinnott,  1939;  Fig.  3-4 ) .  The  daughter 
cells  from  a  division  must  therefore  increase  to  a  size  somewhat  greater 
than  that  at  which  their  mother  cell  divided  before  they  themselves  di- 
vide again.  The  largest  cells  to  divide  were  many  times  the  volume  of 
the  smallest  ones. 


Fig.  3-3.  Changes  in  cell  length  in  microns  (lower  line)  and  frequency  of  mitoses 
(upper  line)  at  successive  distances  from  the  root  tip  (at  left)  in  periblem  of  onion 
root.  ( From  Wagner. ) 


Another  factor  in  division,  emphasized  especially  by  zoologists,  is  the 
ratio  of  nucleus  to  cytoplasm  (the  nucleoplasmic  ratio).  R.  Hertwig 
( 1908 )  believed  that,  as  a  cell  grows,  the  cytoplasm  increases  faster  than 
the  nucleus  so  that  a  tension  is  set  up  which  is  finally  relieved  by  the 
division  of  the  cell.  This  restores  the  equilibrium  of  nucleus  and  cyto- 
plasm, since  presumably  the  size  of  the  nucleus  is  at  once  restored.  Popoff 
( 1908 )  was  able  to  remove  some  of  the  cytoplasm  from  certain  cells  by 
micropipette  and  found  that  these  divided  more  slowly  than  their  un- 
treated sister  cells,  as  one  would  expect  on  Hertwig's  theory.  There  is 
little  evidence  from  meristematic  plant  cells  that  a  changing  nucleo- 
plasmic ratio  is  significant  in  cell  division,  though  perhaps  it  may  be.  In 
larger  and  vacuolate  plant  cells  it  is  difficult  to  measure  the  cytoplasm 
since  it  is  distributed  in  a  thin  layer  lining  the  wall.  The  cytonuclear 
ratio  (volume  of  cell  to  volume  of  nucleus),  however,  can  be  de- 
termined. In  vacuolate  cells  of  progressively  larger  size  the  volume  of 


28 


Growth 


the  nucleus  tends  to  keep  pace  with  the  surface  of  the  cell  and  thus 
perhaps  with  the  volume  of  the  cytoplasm  if  the  thickness  of  the  cyto- 
plasmic layer  is  constant  (Trombetta,  1939;  Fig.  3-5).  This  suggests  a 
relationship  which  in  earlier  stages  may  have  a  bearing  on  cell  division. 
An  important  element  in  growth  and  development  is  the  rate  at  which 
cell  division  takes  place.  This  is  essentially  a  physiological  problem  and 


60     80    100 


OVARY       DIAMETER    mm 


OVARY 


20 

DIAMETER  mm 


Fig.  3-4.  Relation  of  cell  diameter  to  fruit  diameter  in  Cucurbita  pepo.  TA,  small- 
fruited  race.  CF,  large  pumpkin.  In  early  development,  cell  size  increases  less  rapidly 
than  fruit  size,  showing  that  division  is  occurring.  Later  growth  is  by  cell  enlargement. 
Solid  circles,  cell  diameter  (in  microns)  at  last  division.  Final  cell  diameter  at  end  of 
each  line.  Lowest  curve,  epidermis;  next  higher,  outer  wall;  next,  middle  wall;  next, 
inner  wall;  uppermost,  placental  region.  (From  Sinnott.) 

involves  various  internal  and  external  factors,  some  of  which  will  later  be 
discussed.  There  are  certain  techniques  by  which  it  can  be  measured, 
however,  which  are  of  importance  for  the  student  of  morphogenesis. 

Root  tips  are  especially  favorable  material  for  this.  Brumfield  (1942) 
recorded  the  rate  of  division  in  the  apical  meristems  of  small  roots  by 
photographing  the  surface  cells  at  measured  intervals  of  time,  and  this 
has  since  been  done  by  others  ( p.  78 ) .  A  method  for  measuring  rate  of  in- 
crease in  cell  number  by  macerating  the  root  meristem  and  counting  the 


The  Cellular  Basis  of  Growth 


29 


,3.Jr 


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TOMATO      HAIRS 

1  -    PLANT      7    DAYS    OLD 

2  -  28 

3-        "  MATURE 


CELL     VOLUME 
Fig.  3-5.  Logarithmic  graph  of  relation  of  nuclear  volume  to  cell  volume  in  cells  of 
stem  hairs  of  tomato.  Nucleus  increases  about  two-thirds  as  fast  as  cell.  ( From  Trom- 
betta. ) 


numbers  of  cells  at  intervals  has  been  developed  by  Brown  and  his  stu- 
dents (p.  41).  Erickson  (1956)  has  analyzed  mathematically  the  rate  of 
division  in  certain  root  tips. 

In  growing  gourd  fruits  Sinnott  (1942)  determined  cell  number  by 
dividing  tissue  volume  by  cell  volume  and  found  that  increase  in  cell 
number  takes  place  at  approximately  the  same  rate  in  epidermis,  outer 
wall,  inner  wall,  and  placental  region,  regardless  of  the  marked  differences 
in  cell  size  in  the  four.  Cell  division  in  the  epidermis  takes  place  at  the 
rate  necessary  to  maintain  a  constant  cell  size,  and  this  tissue  may  thus 
serve  in  a  sense  as  a  pacemaker  for  division  in  the  whole  ovary  primor- 
dium.  Jahn  (1941)  has  made  a  detailed  study  of  the  localization  and 
degree  of  cell  division  and  cell  expansion  in  the  epidermis  of  growing  in- 
ternodes  of  Vicia  faba. 


CELL  SIZE 

The  size  of  plant  cells  is  obviously  an  important  element  in  growth, 
differentiation,  and  other  morphogenetic  problems.  Cells  are  relatively 
small  objects,  presumably  because  the  ratio  of  surface  to  volume,  and  thus 
the  ease  of  exchange  of  material  between  a  cell  and  its  environment,  is 
inversely  proportional  to  its  size.  Cells  with  high  metabolic  rates  tend  to 
be  very  small,  and  large  cells  are  relatively  inactive.  Rapidly  dividing 
cells,  for  example,  are  much  smaller  than  those  of  storage  parenchyma. 
There  is  a  wide  range  in  cell  size  among  various  tissues  of  a  plant.  In  meri- 
stematic  regions  they  are  often  as  small  as  1,000  cu.  microns  or  less  but  in 
pulp  of  watermelon  may  be  almost  a  million  times  this  volume.  Stras- 


30  Growth 

burger  ( 1893 )  believed  that  the  nucleus  has  a  certain  "working  sphere" 
and  that  this  limits  the  size  to  which  a  particular  cell  will  grow. 

Studies  of  comparative  cell  size  have  often  been  made  but  chiefly  on 
mature  cells.  This  problem,  however,  is  one  that  must  be  attacked  devel- 
opmentally.  Two  processes  are  involved  in  it:  the  rate  and  amount  of 
growth  or  increase  in  size  in  a  given  region  and  the  rate  and  duration  of 
cell  division  there.  Cell  size  is  the  result  of  the  relationship  between  these. 
The  faster  the  cells  divide,  in  proportion  to  the  total  amount  of  growth, 
the  smaller  will  they  be,  and  vice  versa. 

At  the  end  of  a  cell  division  each  daughter  cell  is  about  half  the  volume 
of  its  mother  cell.  At  this  time  it  begins  to  enlarge,  and  if  it  is  in  a  meri- 
stematic  region  it  will  soon  divide  again.  Where  division  rate  is  relatively 
rapid,  the  cells  may  divide  before  they  have  time  to  enlarge  to  the  size  of 
their  mother  cells,  and  cell  volume  decreases,  as  in  some  early  embryos. 
Sometimes  the  new  cells  do  not  expand  at  all  and  a  process  of  cleavage 
takes  place,  much  as  in  the  first  stages  of  many  animal  embryos,  where 
the  egg  is  cut  up  into  a  mass  of  smaller  and  smaller  cells.  In  plants  such 
cleavage  may  be  seen  in  endosperm  formation;  in  the  development  of  the 
female  gametophyte  within  a  megaspore;  in  the  renewal  of  meristematic 
activity  in  large,  mature  cells  during  regeneration;  and  elsewhere.  Where 
cell  enlargement  is  relatively  rapid,  the  cells  will  become  larger  than  their 
mother  cells  before  they  divide  again  and  cell  size  in  the  meristematic 
region  will  increase.  Thus  in  growing  gourd  ovaries,  where  the  tissues  are 
still  meristematic  and  the  cells  all  start  from  a  very  small  size,  they  gradu- 
ally enlarge,  though  not  as  fast  as  the  ovary  itself.  In  most  roots,  dividing 
cells  increase  in  size  with  increasing  distance  from  the  root  tip. 

In  their  detailed  analysis  of  the  growth  of  the  oat  coleoptile,  Avery  and 
Burkholder  ( 1936 )  found  that  in  the  outer  epidermis  cell  division  ceased 
after  the  organ  was  first  initiated,  so  that  during  all  later  growth  cells  here 
elongated  greatly,  sometimes  becoming  150  times  as  long  as  at  the  begin- 
ning. The  inner  tissues,  however,  grew  in  part  by  cell  multiplication  until 
the  coleoptile  was  10  to  20  mm.  long.  There  were  progressively  fewer 
divisions  from  the  subepidermis  inward.  Thus  at  maturity  the  longest  cells 
were  in  the  outer  epidermis,  the  shortest  in  the  layer  next  below  it,  and 
the  cells  then  increased  in  length  toward  the  inner  layers  (Fig.  3-6). 

In  some  meristems,  especially  the  vascular  cambium,  the  size  of  divid- 
ing initials  may  undergo  permanent  increase.  Sanio  ( 1873 )  and  others 
since  his  time  have  found  that  xylem  cells  in  trees  have  different  lengths 
at  different  distances  from  the  center  of  the  trunk  or  from  the  ground  and 
that  these  differences  are  mainly  established  in  the  fusiform  initials  in  the 
cambium  from  which  the  mature  cells  develop. 

Most  increase  in  cell  size,  however,  comes  after  the  final  division.  In 
plants,  as  contrasted  with  animals,  this  increase  may  be  very  great.  Usually 


The  Cellular  Basis  of  Growth 


31 


it  is  related  to  the  absorption  of  water  and  increase  in  size  of  the  vacuole. 
Differences  among  tissues  in  mature  cell  size  are  very  considerable  and 
are  one  of  the  most  important  aspects  of  differentiation.  In  tissues  where 
division  persists  relatively  late  there  is  little  time  for  cell  expansion  before 
maturity  is  reached,  and  the  cells  remain  small,  as  is  often  the  case  in  the 
epidermis.  Where  division  ceases  early,  as  in  storage  parenchyma,  the  cells 
grow  to  a  much  greater  size.  In  many  axial  structures  there  is  a  gradient 
from  without  inward,  the  cells  becoming  progressively  larger  toward  the 
center  either  because  of  more  rapid  increase  or  earlier  cessation  of  divi- 


200 
180 
160 
140 


to 

-1    120 


li-    100 
O 


£     80 

2 
D 
z     60 


40 


20  - 


SUBEPIDERMIS 
THIRD  LAYER 
FOURTH    LAYER 

INNER    EPIDERMIS 


-o     OUTER    EPIDERMIS 


10  20  30 

COLEOPTILE    LENGTH  IN    MM. 


40 


50 


Fig.  3-6.  Number  of  cells,  lengthwise,  in  various  cell  layers  of  the  oat  coleoptile  at  six 
stages  in  its  growth.  There  is  evidently  no  division  in  the  outer  epidermis  after  the 
coleoptile  begins  its  development,  and  division  ceases  early  in  the  other  layers,  though 
there  are  differences  among  them  in  the  frequency  of  division.  ( From  Avery  and  Burk- 
holder. ) 

sion.  This  is  not  always  the  case,  for  the  epidermis  may  have  larger  cells 
than  the  other  tissues,  as  Avery  and  Burkholder  found  in  the  Avena 
coleoptile. 

There  is  a  question  as  to  just  where  in  the  cycle  of  cell  division  growth 
actually  occurs.  Abele  (1936)  distinguishes  between  Teilungswachstum, 
growth  during  division  itself,  and  Streckungswacristum,  growth  after  divi- 
sion has  ceased.  There  is  certainly  a  considerable  visible  increase  in  size 
during  prophase  but  not  much  more  until  telophase.  Of  course  the  dura- 
tion of  these  phases  must  be  taken  into  account.  It  is  probable  that  non- 
aqueous material  increases  at  a  constant  rate  throughout  growth.  Sinnott 
( 1945a )  found  that  in  gourds  there  was  no  change  in  rate  of  growth  of  the 


32 


Growth 


ovary,  as  measured  by  gain  in  dry  weight,  at  the  time  when  cell  division 
ceased  and  cell  expansion  began  (Fig.  3-7). 

Cell  Size  and  Organ  Size.  There  are  several  important  implications  of 
the  problem  of  cell  size  for  morphogenesis.  One  is  that  of  the  relation  be- 
tween the  size  of  an  organ  or  body  and  the  size  of  the  cells  that  compose 
it.  Is  a  body  large  because  its  cells  are  large  or  because  they  are  more 
numerous?  This  problem  was  discussed  by  Gregor  Kraus  in  1869  in  con- 
nection with  his  work  on  structural  changes  during  etiolation,  but  Sachs 
(1893)  and  his  student  Amelung  (1893)  seem  to  have  been  the  first  to 
attack  it  directly.  Sachs  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  size  of  a  cell 


Time  in    Days 

Fig.  3-7.  Relation  of  cell  division  and  cell  enlargement  to  growth.  Logarithm  of  ovary 
volume  plotted  against  time  for  three  races  of  Cucurbita  differing  in  fruit  size.  The 
period  between  the  vertical  bars  is  that  during  which  cell  division  ceases.  To  the  left 
of  it,  growth  is  by  cell  division;  to  the  right,  by  cell  enlargement.  Despite  this  change, 
the  rate  of  growth  at  this  period  remains  constant.  ( From  Sinnvtt. ) 


must  be  closely  related  to  its  physiological  activity  and  that  cells  of  a  par- 
ticular tissue  should  thus  be  expected  to  be  of  about  the  same  size.  If  this 
is  so,  size  in  a  plant  would  be  related  to  the  number  rather  than  the  size 
of  its  cells.  His  measurements  supported  this  conclusion.  Amelung  made 
a  much  larger  series  of  measurements  and  found  the  same  general  result, 
although  he  observed  a  good  many  cases  where  cell  sizes  differed  consid- 
erably between  comparable  plants  or  tissues. 

The  problem  is  not  quite  as  simple,  however,  as  these  early  workers 
thought.  It  is  true  that  most  of  the  size  differences  between  plants,  espe- 
cially those  in  the  indeterminate  axial  structures,  result  from  differences 
in  cell  number.  In  determinate  organs,  on  the  other  hand,  notably  in  bulky 


The  Cellular  Basis  of  Growth  33 

structures  such  as  tubers  and  fruits,  the  greater  size  is  due  to  an  increase 
in  both  the  number  and  the  size  of  their  cells.  Lehmann  (1926)  found  a 
positive  correlation  between  the  size  of  a  potato  tuber  and  that  of  its  cells. 
Since  the  increase  in  cell  size  was  by  no  means  proportional  to  that  in 
tuber  size,  it  was  evident  that  large  tubers  have  more  as  well  as  larger 
cells.  The  same  relations  are  found  in  tomatoes  (Houghtaling,  1935).  A 
more  detailed  study  of  this  problem,  in  large-fruited  and  small-fruited 
races  of  gourds,  was  made  by  Sinnott  (1939;  Fig.  3-4).  Here  cell  size  in- 
creases in  the  young  ovary  but  much  less  rapidly  than  organ  size,  showing 
that  cell  division  is  taking  place.  During  this  period  there  is  more  increase 
in  cell  size  in  the  larger  races.  The  size  at  which  the  cells  divide  steadily 
increases.  At  about  the  time  of  flowering,  however,  division  in  most  of  the 
young  fruit  ceases,  first  in  the  central  region  and  then  progressively  out- 
ward, so  that  nearly  all  later  fruit  growth  is  by  cell  expansion.  In  large- 
fruited  races  the  period  of  cell  division  and  that  of  cell  expansion  are  both 
longer  than  in  small-fruited  ones,  so  that  the  greater  size  of  the  former  is 
due  to  both  more  and  larger  cells.  This  general  developmental  pattern 
was  found  by  Riley  and  Morrow  ( 1942)  in  Iris  ovaries  and  fruits,  by  W.  H. 
Smith  (1950)  in  apple  fruits,  by  Ashby  and  Wangermann  in  leaves  (p. 
210),  and  by  others.  In  avocado  fruits,  however,  cell  division  in  the  fruit 
wall  continues  to  some  extent  until  maturity  ( Schroeder,  1953b ) .  In  gen- 
eral, larger  fruit  size  results  from  an  extension,  so  to  speak,  of  all  parts  of 
the  developmental  history. 

In  several  genera  Ullrich  (1953)  studied  the  relation  between  epider- 
mal cell  size  and  leaf  size  in  the  series  of  successive  leaves  up  the  stem. 
He  found  that  the  size  of  the  cells  decreases  steadily  whereas  that  of  the 
leaves  increases  for  several  nodes  and  then  decreases.  Thus  there  is  no 
close  relationship,  at  least  in  this  tissue,  between  cell  size  and  organ  size. 
Under  unfavorable  conditions,  however,  both  tend  to  decrease  together. 
A  somewhat  similar  variation  in  the  correlation  between  cell  and  organ 
size  has  been  reported  in  wheat  (Nilson,  Johnson,  and  Gardner,  1957). 

It  is  noteworthy  that  tissues  differ  considerably  in  the  relation  of  the 
size  of  their  cells  to  that  of  the  organ  of  which  they  are  a  part.  This  rela- 
tion is  usually  closest  in  storage  parenchyma  and  least  in  the  epidermis.  In 
general,  as  Sachs  pointed  out,  cells  that  are  physiologically  important,  like 
most  of  those  in  the  leaf  blade,  are  relatively  constant  in  size  and  show 
little  relation  to  the  size  of  the  organ.  In  mosses,  unlike  higher  plants,  cell 
size  and  leaf  size  are  usually  rather  closely  proportional  to  each  other, 
cell  number  being  much  more  constant. 

Size  relationships  sometimes  extend  below  the  level  of  the  cell.  The 
ratio  of  cell  size  to  nuclear  size  has  already  been  mentioned  here.  Both 
Budde  ( 1923 )  and  Schratz  ( 1927 )  found  a  rather  close  correlation  be- 
tween the  total  surface  area  of  the  plastids  and  the  volume  of  the  cell. 


34  Growth 

Mobius  (1920),  however,  observed  no  relation,  in  215  species,  between 
chloroplast  size  and  that  of  cells  or  organs.  Irmak  (1956)  confirmed  this. 
There  are  other  complications  in  the  problem  of  cell  size,  some  of  which 
are  of  morphogenetic  significance.  One  involves  the  dwarfing  of  plant 
structures.  This  has  been  discussed  in  a  number  of  early  papers,  among 
others  by  Gauchery  (1899),  Sierp  (1913),  Oehm  (1924),  Sinoto  (1925), 
and  Abbe  (1936).  It  is  generally  agreed  that  where  dwarfing  is  the  result 
of  unfavorable  environmental  conditions  cell  size  is  reduced,  though  not 
equally  in  all  structures.  A  scanty  water  supply  chiefly  affects  the  second 
phase  of  cell  enlargement  in  which  considerable  quantities  of  water  nor- 
mally are  absorbed.  The  problem  is  complicated  by  the  fact  that  dwarfing 
is  often  the  result  of  genetic  as  well  as  environmental  influences. 


o    30 


-    20 


_■     10 


38     DAYS 


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,         .•*••  xxx"r  "    "x  .-d*arf 

HjflS't"'*  x  -  tall 


°0  ,0  20  30  40  50  60  70  80  90  100  110  120  130  140 

NUMBER  OF  CELLS  FROM  APEX 

Fig.  3-8.  Relation  of  cell  size  to  plant  height.  Length  of  successive  cells  along  the 
terminal  meristematic  region  of  a  dwarf  race  (above)  and  a  tall  one  (below)  of  to- 
mato. Cells  of  the  dwarf  are  somewhat  longer  because  they  attain  maturity,  and  thus 
stop  dividing,  at  an  earlier  stage.  The  tall  plants  have  many  more  cells.  (From  Bind- 
loss. ) 

Genetic  Factors.  The  relation  of  genetic  factors  to  cell  and  body  size  is 
complex  and  will  be  discussed  more  fully  in  a  later  chapter  (Chap.  19). 
Genetic  analyses  of  size  differences  in  plants  have  been  made  repeatedly 
but  the  histological  effects  of  gene  and  chromosome  differences  are  widely 
various.  Most  genetically  large  plants  are  so  because  of  more  rather  than 
larger  cells.  Thus  in  the  tall  races  of  Lycopersicon  and  Zinnia  studied  by 
Bindloss  (1942)  there  are  many  more  cells,  lengthwise,  than  in  dwarf 
races,  though  the  cells  are  somewhat  shorter  (Fig.  3-8).  In  other  cases, 
however,  cell  size  is  involved.  Thus  the  difference  between  large-leaved 
sugar  beets  and  small-leaved  vegetable  beets  is  due  chiefly  to  the  greater 
cell  size  of  the  former.  What  is  inherited  here  is  evidently  the  amount  of 
postmitotic  expansion,  for  the  meristem  cells  are  the  same  size  in  both. 
Von  Maltzahn  ( 1957 )  found  that  the  difference  in  size  of  vegetative  struc- 
tures between  large  and  small  races  of  Cucurbita  was  related  to  both  cell 
size  and  cell  number. 


The  Cellular  Basis  of  Growth  35 

Some  "giant"  races,  however,  owe  their  large  size  to  larger  cells.  The 
first  instance  of  this  was  reported  by  Keeble  (1912)  in  a  mutant  of 
Primula  sinensis.  Tischler  (1918)  found  a  similar  case  in  the  reed  Phrag- 
mites  communis,  and  here  large  cell  size  was  accompanied  by  larger  than 
normal  chromosome  size,  a  fact  reported  by  others  ( Schwanitz  and  Pirson, 
1955).  Much  more  commonly,  giant  forms  with  large  cells  result  from 
polyploidy  ( p.  436 ) .  The  first  case  of  this  to  be  observed  was  Oenothera 
gigas  of  de  Vries,  which  was  found  to  be  a  tetraploid.  Many  similar  ex- 
amples are  now  known.  Tetraploids  are  not  always  giant  in  character, 
however,  and  many  polyploid  series  in  nature  show  no  difference  in  body 
size  or  cell  size.  Sinnott  and  Franklin  ( 1943 )  found  that  in  young  tetra- 
ploid gourd  fruits  the  gigas  condition,  both  as  to  ovary  and  cells,  is  pres- 
ent until  after  flowering  but  that  later  growth  is  reduced  so  that  at  matu- 
rity there  are  no  great  size  differences  between  diploid  and  tetraploid  (p. 
439).  A  diploid  giant  moss  race  reported  by  von  Wettstein  (p.  437) 
returned  to  normal  size  of  cell  and  organ  after  a  few  years  of  vegetative 
propagation. 

The  increased  cell  size  due  to  polyploidy  is  not  uniform  but  is  consid- 
erably greater  in  some  tissues  than  in  others.  In  the  diploid  moss  races 
produced  by  von  Wettstein  ( 1924 )  the  ratio  of  size  increase  from  the  In 
to  the  2nwas  found  to  be  characteristic  for  each  race  (p.  437).  In  general, 
the  increase  of  organ  size  due  to  polyploidy  is  not  as  great  as  the  increase 
in  cell  size,  since  cell  number  tends  to  be  somewhat  reduced. 

Increased  cell  size  may  also  result  from  increased  number  or  bulk  of 
chromosomes  (p.  445),  quite  apart  from  polyploidy  (Navashin,  1931;  Lor- 
beer,  1930),  and  from  extra  or  accessory  chromosomes  (Randolph,  1941; 
Miintzing  and  Akdik,  1948).  Particular  chromosomes,  when  present  in 
trisomies,  have  different  effects  on  cell  size  (and  on  other  characters), 
presumably  because  of  the  specific  genes  which  they  contain  (p.  447). 
Geitler  ( 1940 )  observed  that  chromosome  volume  was  correlated  with 
nuclear  volume  and  that  in  some  tissues  the  chromosomes  were  more  than 
four  times  as  large  as  in  others.  In  species  of  four  genera,  Mrs.  Sax  ( 1938 ) 
found  that  cell  size  was  correlated  with  the  chromosome  number  of  the 
species  but  that  in  three  others  there  was  no  such  correlation.  Somatic 
polyploidy  or  polysomaty  ( p.  441 )  is  a  factor  of  importance  both  for  cell 
size  and  for  differentiation. 

Cell  size  has  been  found  to  be  inherited  in  a  number  of  lower  plants, 
as  in  yeast  (Townsend  and  Lindegren,  1954). 

Heterosis  is  usually  not  related  to  an  increase  in  cell  size  (Kostoff  and 
Arutiunova,  1936). 

Cell  Size  and  Position.  Many  workers  have  found  a  great  variation  in 
size  among  comparable  cells  in  the  same  plant.  Often  this  is  not  ran- 
dom but  follows  a  certain  pattern.  The  problem  has  been  studied  most 


36 


Growth 


intensively  in  the  size  (chiefly  length)   of  cells  in  the  xylem  of  woody 
plants. 

Sanio  ( 1872,  1873),  working  with  pine,  was  the  first  to  attack  this  prob- 
lem intensively.  He  came  to  several  general  conclusions,  the  more  impor- 
tant of  which  are  the  following: 

1.  Tracheids  increase  in  length  from  the  center  of  the  trunk  or  branch 
toward  the  outside  through  a  number  of  annual  rings  but  finally  reach  a 
constant  size. 


75  - 


r/o 


•  65 


;6o 


£55 


50 


36 

32 
28 

g24 

E 

O 

S  20 

C 


=  16 

c 
c 

<12 


10 


20 


30 

Age  in  years 


40 


50 


925 
900 

875 

i 
850.S 

.c 

825  I5 
o> 

800  5 
775 
750 
725 


Fig.  3-9.  Relation  of  vessel  diameter  and  fiber  length  to  annual  increment  and  age  in 
trunk  of  Acer  pseudoplatanus.  ( From  Desch. ) 

2.  This  final  tracheid  size  increases  from  the  base  of  the  trunk  upward 
to  a  maximum  at  a  specific  height  and  then  decreases  somewhat. 

3.  The  final  size  of  tracheids  in  a  branch  is  less  than  in  the  trunk  but 
depends  to  some  extent  on  the  position  of  the  branch. 

Sanio's  "laws"  have  been  confirmed  by  most  workers  since  his  time 
(Kribs,  1928,  and  others).  Bailey  and  Shepard  (1915),  however,  found 
that,  although  the  length  of  tracheids  increases  from  the  pith  outward  in 


The  Cellular  Basis  of  Growth  37 

a  number  of  conifers,  it  does  not  reach  a  constant  size  but  fluctuates  rather 
widely,  falling  and  rising  in  cycles,  perhaps  climatic  ones.  Laing  (1948), 
Bissett,  Dadswell,  and  Wardrop  (1951),  and  Bannan  (1954)  report  that 
tracheid  length  tends  to  be  less  where  the  growth  of  the  tree  in  diameter 
is  rapid,  presumably  because  of  the  more  frequent  pseudotransverse  divi- 
sions of  the  cambial  initials.  Tracheid  length  is  largely  determined  by 
length  of  the  cambial  initials  ( Bailey,  1920fr ) . 

Dicotyledonous  woods  follow  the  same  general  pattern  as  conifers  but 
the  situation  is  more  complex  because  of  the  greater  variety  of  cell  types 
(Desch,  1932;  Fig.  3-9;  Kaeiser  and  Stewart,  1955).  Fibers  may  increase 
considerably  in  length  over  their  cambial  initials  (Chattaway,  1936)  but 
vessel  segments  do  not  (Chalk  and  Chattaway,  1935).  In  storied  woods 
neither  fibers  nor  parenchyma  cells  show  any  tendency  to  increase  in 
length  from  the  pith  outward  (Chalk,  Marstrand,  and  Walsh,  1955).  In 
all  growth  rings  of  pine,  Echols  (1955)  finds  a  close  correlation  between 
the  fibrillar  angle  in  the  cell  wall  and  tracheid  length.  The  subject  of  fiber 
length  in  woody  plants  has  been  reviewed  by  Spurr  and  Hyvarinen 
(1954b). 

EXPERIMENTAL  STUDIES 

The  division  and  enlargement  of  cells  are  essentially  problems  in  the 
physiology  of  growth,  a  subject  too  extensive  to  discuss  here  in  any  detail. 
Much  experimental  work  has  been  done,  however,  on  certain  aspects  of 
cell  growth  which  are  of  particular  morphogenetic  interest  and  which  it 
will  be  profitable  to  review  briefly. 

The  role  of  growth  substances  (Chap.  18)  is  particularly  important. 
Auxin  was  first  recognized  because  of  its  stimulation  of  cell  enlargement, 
and  in  many  cases  it  also  affects  cell  division.  Other  substances  are  effec- 
tive here.  Jablonski  and  Skoog  ( 1954 )  observed  that  the  cells  of  tobacco 
pith  tissue  in  culture  did  not  divide  even  under  optimum  amounts  of 
auxin  unless  extracts  from  vascular  tissue,  coconut  milk,  or  certain  other 
things  were  added.  This  suggested  that  a  substance  specific  for  cell  divi- 
sion but  different  from  auxin  was  here  operative,  and  such  substances, 
the  kinins,  are  now  recognized.  Gibberellin  especially  influences  cell  size. 
Wound  hormones  induce  division  in  many  mature  cells.  The  presence  of 
vitamin  C  seems  to  be  related  to  cell  expansion  (Reid,  1941).  Lutman 
(1934)  assembled  a  mass  of  data  on  the  effects  of  various  inorganic  sub- 
stances on  cell  size.  The  stimulating  and  inhibiting  influences  of  these  vari- 
ous chemical  factors  are  key  problems  in  the  physiology  of  develop- 
ment. 

Metabolic  factors  are  also  important.  Oxygen  consumption  is  related  to 
cell  division  (Beatty,  1946).  Interesting  observations  here  have  been  re- 


38 


Growth 


ported  by  Transeau  ( 1916 )  for  the  seasonal  distribution  of  various  species 
of  Spirogyra.  These  differ  markedly  in  the  size  of  their  cells,  those  of  the 
largest  being  about  150  times  the  volume  of  the  smallest.  The  small-celled 
forms  are  the  first  to  appear  in  the  spring,  when  temperatures  are  low, 
and  the  larger-celled  ones  come  on  progressively  as  the  season  grows 
warmer.  This  presumably  is  because  of  the  higher  metabolic  rate  of  the 
smaller  cells  which  results  from  their  greater  ratio  of  surface  to  volume. 

Progressive  physiological  changes  (p.  210)  seem  also  to  be  involved.  In 
successively  higher  leaves  on  the  stem  of  Ipomoea,  Ashby  and  Wanger- 
mann  (1950;  Fig.  3-10)  found  that  the  cells  became  smaller  and  suggest 


1000 


s 


_    »o 
.  .2 

*  T. 

ui3 


100  — 


10 


o- o 


__  -to 


1 


0-01 


0-1  1-0 

Leaf  area  (cm.2,  logarithmic  scale) 


10 


100  cm 


Fig.  3-10.  Relation  between  area  of  epidermal  cells  and  of  leaf  lamina  in  developing 
leaves  of  Ipomoea  caerulea,  plotted  logarithmically.  Solid  circles,  second  leaves; 
crosses,  fifth  leaves;  empty  circles,  eighth  leaves.  Early  growth  is  chiefly  by  cell  di- 
vision, since  cell  size  increases  little.  Later  growth  is  by  cell  enlargement  since  cells 
and  lamina  grow  at  the  same  rate.  Compare  with  Fig.  3-4.  Cell  size  becomes  smaller 
in  successive  leaves.  (From  Ashby  and  Wangermann.) 

that  this  is  symptomatic  of  a  process  of  aging  in  the  apical  meristem.  This 
problem  of  possible  senescence  in  plants  has  other  implications  for  cell 
size.  Benedict  ( 1915 )  presented  evidence  that  in  a  number  of  vegetatively 
propagated  plants,  notably  Vitis,  cell  size  tends  progressively  to  decrease 
with  the  age  of  the  clone,  a  fact  interpreted  by  him  as  the  result  of 
senescence.  He  believed  that  the  "running  out"  of  certain  varieties  was 
due  to  this  cause,  but  it  has  now  been  shown  that  in  many  cases  such  a 
change  is  due  to  virus  infection.  Benedict's  results  have  had  some  con- 
firmation, notably  by  Tellefsen  ( 1922)  and  Bergamaschi  ( 1926)  in  studies 
of  cuttings  from  trees  of  different  ages.  Ensign  (1921),  however,  found 


The  Cellular  Basis  of  Growth  39 

no  correlation  between  age  of  plant  and  vein-islet  area  (and  thus  cell 

size). 

Even  growth  habit  may  involve  differences  in  cell  size,  for  H.  B.  Smith 
( 1927 )  reports  that  annual  sweet  clover  has  considerably  larger  cells  than 
does  the  biennial  race. 

Correlation  (p.  95),  a  sufficiently  vague  term  to  describe  certain  phe- 
nomena about  which  we  understand  little,  also  affects  cell  size.  In  various 
growth  compensations,  removal  of  an  organ  results  in  greater  growth  of 
another  one  and  often  in  larger  cells  there.  In  "topped"  tobacco  plants 
(where  the  terminal  flower  cluster  has  been  removed)  Avery  (1934) 
found  that  the  leaves  on  the  upper  third  of  the  stalk  grew  larger  and  that 
much  of  this  extra  growth  was  due  to  increase  in  cell  size  (Fig.  3-11). 
Lindemuth  (1904)  removed  and  rooted  mature  begonia  leaves  and  ob- 


Fig.  3-11.  Effect  of  topping  a  tobacco  plant.  Portion  of  the  vein  network  in  the 
twentieth  leaf  from  the  tip.  At  left,  untopped;  at  right,  topped.  The  leaves  from  topped 
plants  are  larger  and  have  more  space  between  the  veins  because  of  increased  cell 
size.  ( From  Avery. ) 

served  that  they  then  increased  considerably  in  size,  chiefly  because  of 
cell  enlargement.  While  they  were  attached  to  the  plant  this  presumably 
was  prevented  by  "correlative  inhibition."  Similar  results  have  been  re- 
ported by  others.  In  linden  leaves,  however,  which  had  been  induced  to 
grow  much  larger  than  their  normal  size  by  the  removal  of  other  leaves, 
Ewart  ( 1906 )  found  the  increase  to  be  due  chiefly  to  a  larger  number 
of  cells. 

Factors  within  the  cell  itself  are  doubtless  related  to  the  onset  of  its 
division.  Cytoplasmic  viscosity  generally  rises  in  prophase,  falls  in  meta- 
phase,  and  rises  again  in  telophase.  Mole-Bajer  ( 1953 )  has  explored  the 
effect  of  artificially  increased  viscosity  of  cytoplasm  in  slowing  down  the 
rate  of  mitotic  division.  Gustafsson  ( 1939 )  found  that  the  difference 
between  meiotic  and  mitotic  division  was  related  to  the  degree  of  hydra- 


40  Growth 

tion  of  the  nucleus.  The  effect  of  dehydration  in  checking  mitosis  has  also 
been  reported  by  Mole-Bajer  (1951). 

Osmotic  concentration  of  the  cell  sap  was  observed  by  Becker  ( 1931 ) 
to  be  inversely  proportional  to  cell  size  and  to  number  of  chromosome 
sets  in  polyploid  moss  protonemata. 

Various  external  factors  are  important  both  for  the  division  and  the 
enlargement  of  cells.  Light  frequently  tends  to  check  division,  and  ultra- 
violet radiation  may  inhibit  it.  The  hypothetical  mitogenetic  rays  of  Gur- 
witsch  (1926)  and  his  school  were  thought  to  stimulate  mitosis.  The  effect 
of  light  on  cell  size  has  been  emphasized  by  Straub  (1948).  Most  of  the 
elongation  of  etiolated  plants  (p.  309)  is  due  to  increase  in  cell  length. 
Giese  (1947)  has  reviewed  300  papers  dealing  with  the  effects  of  various 
kinds  of  radiation  on  the  induction  of  nuclear  division. 

Temperature,  so  important  in  many  protoplasmic  processes,  has  an 
effect  on  mitosis.  P.  C.  Bailey  (1954)  has  shown  that  in  Trillium  the 
maximum  rate  of  cell  division  takes  place  at  considerably  lower  tempera- 
tures than  does  the  maximum  rate  of  increase  in  root  length.  Burstrom 
(1956)  reports  that  under  higher  temperatures  the  final  cell  length  in 
roots  is  less  because  of  the  shorter  period  of  cell  elongation. 

Wagner  (1936)  found  evidence  that  gravity  influences  mitosis.  In  root 
tips  placed  horizontally  he  observed  that  after  about  an  hour  there  was  a 
marked  increase  of  mitoses  on  the  upper  side,  so  that  the  very  tip  of  the 
root  bent  down.  After  4  hours  mitoses  were  equally  distributed,  and  after 
10  to  12  hours  they  were  more  abundant  on  the  lower  side  and  the  tip 
straightened  out  again.  These  changes  were  quite  independent  of  the  geo- 
tropic  bending  due  to  auxin  and  cell  expansion,  which  was  evident  much 
farther  back  from  the  tip.  When  plants  were  grown  on  a  clinostat.  Brain 
(1939)  observed  in  lupine  seedlings  that  cells  of  the  cortex,  endodermis, 
and  pith  in  the  hypocotyl  were  larger  than  those  of  upright  plants  but 
that  in  the  radicle  they  were  smaller. 

In  some  cases  pressure  stimulates  division,  as  can  be  seen  in  the  cortical 
tissues  through  which  a  lateral  root  pushes  its  way  ( Tschermak-Woess 
and  Dolezal,  1953). 

Water  is  of  marked  influence  in  determining  cell  size.  The  amount  of  it 
available  often  determines  how  much  a  cell  can  expand  (Thimann,  1951). 
Zalenski  and  others  (p.  325)  have  observed  that  at  successively  higher 
levels  on  a  plant  the  cells  of  the  leaves  are  smaller,  presumably  because 
of  their  inability  to  become  fully  turgid  while  they  were  expanding.  Water 
may  have  other  effects.  Funke  (1937-1939)  found  that  if  some  water 
plants  are  put  into  deep  water  their  petioles  elongate  rapidly  by  cell  ex- 
pansion, sometimes  lengthening  tenfold  in  2  days. 

The  role  of  the  wall  in  cell  growth  has  been  much  discussed.  Does  the 
wall  merely  stretch  under  the  pressure  of  an  expanding  vacuole  or  does 


The  Cellular  Basis  of  Growth  41 

it  grow  independently  of  this?  Burstrom  ( 1957  and  earlier  papers )  pre- 
sents evidence  that  cell  elongation  is  not  primarily  a  matter  of  water 
uptake  but  is  due  to  growth  of  the  cell  wall.  He  believes  that  this  occurs 
in  two  steps,  the  first  a  plastic  stretching  of  the  wall  and  the  second  the 
production  and  deposition  of  new  wall  material.  Auxin  promotes  the  first 
but  probably  inhibits  the  second.  Others  believe  that  auxin,  known  to 
stimulate  cell  enlargement,  directly  increases  the  plasticity  of  the  wall  and 
thus  its  extensibility  (Heyn,  1940).  This  view  has  found  recent  support 
(p.  412). 

It  obviously  is  necessary  to  know  just  how  the  wall  grows  and  particu- 
larly whether  this  is  by  apposition  of  new  material  on  its  inner  face  or  by 
intussusception  throughout.  Green  (1958),  using  techniques  for  measur- 
ing radioactivity,  treated  elongating  Nitelh  cells  with  tritium  (HH)  and 
found  by  test  that  the  inner  part  of  the  wall  became  radioactive.  The 
outer  portion,  which  was  not,  grew  thinner  as  the  cell  lengthened,  thus 
suggesting  that  new  cell  wall  material  was  being  laid  down  only  on  the 
inside  and  not  throughout. 

Rate  of  wall  thickening  sometimes  has  a  direct  effect  on  plant  size.  Thus 
in  a  dwarf  mutant  of  Aquilegia  (Anderson  and  Abbe,  1933)  this  trait  was 
found  to  be  due  to  the  precocious  thickening  of  its  cell  walls  (p.  426). 

The  important  problem  of  the  relation  of  deoxyribonucleic  acid  to 
cell  division  has  often  been  investigated.  Grundmann  and  Marquardt 
( 1953)  determined  the  content  of  DNA  in  successive  phases  in  the  mitotic 
cycle  of  the  nuclei  of  periblem  cells  of  the  root  tip  of  Vicia.  This  increases 
steadily  throughout  the  interphase.  It  is  reduced  at  telophase  since  it  is 
roughly  proportional  to  nuclear  volume. 

Brown  and  his  students  have  used  various  modern  techniques  for  a 
study  of  the  problems  of  the  multiplication  and  growth  of  cells.  Brown 
and  Rickless  (1949),  for  example,  cut  off  Cucurbita  root  tips  of  equal 
length  (1.6  mm.)  and  grew  them  in  culture  for  3  days,  taking  samples 
every  12  hours.  These  tips  were  macerated,  and  in  a  haemacytometer  the 
total  number  of  cells  and  the  number  of  nonvacuolate  cells  were  counted. 
From  these  counts,  together  with  a  measurement  of  the  length  of  each 
root  examined,  it  was  possible  to  determine  the  rate  of  cell  division  and 
the  index  of  extension  ( ratio  of  root  length  to  number  of  vacuolate  cells ) . 
This  method  is  subject  to  a  number  of  errors,  particularly  from  the  as- 
sumption that  only  the  nonvacuolate  cells  were  dividing.  However,  it 
gave  consistent  results,  and  these  were  in  general  agreement  with  the 
more  laborious  method  of  measuring  cell  size  and  volume  from  microtome 
sections.  The  authors  found  that  there  was  no  division  in  the  absence  of 
sugar  in  the  culture  medium  and  that  the  rate  of  division  increased  with 
the  addition  of  sugar  and  inorganic  salts  and  even  more  with  the  addi- 
tion of  yeast  extract.  At  15° C  the  rate  of  division  was  higher  than  at  5  or 


42 


Growth 


25°.  The  greatest  increase  in  cell  size  was  with  sugar  and  mineral  salts. 
Yeast  extract  tended  to  decrease  extension. 

Brown  and  Wightman  ( 1952 )  grew  root  tips  of  pea  3.0,  6.0,  and  10.0 
mm.  long  in  sterile  culture  and  found  that  the  peak  rate  of  division  occurs 
later  and  that  its  peak  value  is  greater  the  shorter  the  initial  tip.  They 
conclude  that  cell  division  in  the  meristem  depends  partly  on  synthesis  of 
metabolites  there  and  partly  on  a  supply  of  metabolites  from  more  mature 
regions  of  the  root. 


I  3  5  7  9  II 

DISTANCE  FROM  APEX(MMS) 

Fig.  3-12.  Changes  in  protein  (circles)  and  water  content  (crosses)  of  bean-root  cells 
at  increasing  distances  from  the  root  apex.  ( From  Brown  and  Robinson. ) 

A  basic  problem  in  this  field  is  that  of  protein  synthesis.  Brown  and 
Broadbent  ( 1950)  sliced  a  series  of  root  tips  into  segments  0.2  to  0.8  mm. 
thick  and  in  each  successive  section  determined  the  number  of  cells,  the 
protein  content,  the  dry  weight,  and  the  amount  of  respiration.  During 
development  from  the  meristematic  to  the  fully  extended  state  the  average 
cell  volume  increased  thirtyfold  and  there  was  an  increase  in  protein  con- 
tent and  in  respiration  (Fig.  3-12). 

Genetic  factors  are  concerned  in  cell  activities  in  many  ways.  Beadle 
( 1931 ) ,  for  example,  found  a  gene  for  supernumerary  divisions  in  maize; 


The  Cellular  Basis  of  Growth  43 

Moewus  (1951),  one  for  cell  division  in  Protosiphon  which  is  linked  to 
sex  manifestation;  and  Nickerson  and  Chung  (1954),  one  in  yeast  that 
seems  to  block  the  sulphydryl  mechanism  of  division.  Dorries-Ruger 
(1929)  grew  protonemata  from  the  spores  of  plants  produced  by  various 
combinations  of  genome  and  plasmon  in  mosses,  among  races  developed 
in  Wettstein's  laboratory.  She  cut  off  and  cultured  the  tip  cells  of  these 
protonemata  and  recorded  marked  differences  in  the  rate  of  cell  division 
in  the  filaments  growing  from  them,  thus  comparing  the  effects  of  dif- 
ferent genotypes  under  the  same  environment. 

PLANE  OF  CELL  DIVISION 

Cell  size  and  cell  number  are  important  elements  in  growth  and  differ- 
entiation, but  the  problem  of  form  is  primarily  dependent  not  on  these 
factors  but  on  the  relative  directions  in  which  growth  occurs.  These,  in 
turn,  are  closely  related  to  the  planes  of  cell  division  in  the  developing 
tissues.  Whatever  determines  the  position  of  the  new  cell  wall  between 
two  daughter  cells  will  determine  the  direction  in  which  these  cells  ex- 
pand, since  this  direction  will  normally  be  at  right  angles  to  the  new  wall. 
At  the  time  of  cell  division,  therefore,  the  direction  of  growth  in  this  par- 
ticular region  of  the  meristem  is  determined.  If  plant  cells  could  change 
their  relative  positions,  as  is  possible  in  many  animal  tissues,  the  deciding 
factor  in  the  direction  of  growth  would  often  be  cell  movement  rather 
than  plane  of  cell  division. 

The  position  of  the  cell  plate  at  telophase,  and  thus  of  the  new  cell  wall, 
follows  the  position  which  the  equatorial  plate  of  chromosomes  finally 
assumes  at  metaphase.  The  mitotic  figure  may  roll  around  somewhat  be- 
fore it  settles  down  to  a  permanent  position,  but  there  must  be  something 
that  determines  that  position.  This  raises  the  question  as  to  whether  the 
plane  of  division  is  controlled  by  whatever  decides  the  final  orientation 
of  the  mitotic  figure  or  whether  this,  in  turn,  is  itself  determined  by  other 
factors.  That  the  latter  may  be  the  case  is  suggested  by  the  way  in  which 
vacuolate  cells  divide.  In  such  cells  a  series  of  cytoplasmic  strands  forms 
a  loose  diaphragm,  the  phragmosome,  across  the  cell,  and  in  the  middle 
of  this  the  nucleus  is  supported.  In  tissues  where  the  plane  of  division 
can  be  predicted,  observation  shows  that  the  position  of  this  diaphragm 
is  the  one  which  the  future  cell  wall  will  occupy.  The  diaphragm  is  laid 
down  considerably  before  the  nucleus  enters  metaphase,  and  the  meta- 
phase plate  of  chromosomes  may  not  at  first  lie  parallel  to  the  diaphragm, 
though  it  finally  does.  This  seems  to  indicate  that  the  plane  of  division  is 
determined  early  and  for  the  cell  as  a  whole  rather  than  by  factors  acting 
on  the  mitotic  figure  alone.  There  is  also  evidence  that  the  mother  cell, 
before  division,  begins  to  elongate  at  right  angles  to  the  direction  in 


44  Growth 

which  it  will  divide.  All  this  raises  the  fundamental  question  as  to  whether 
morphogenetic  factors  operate  directly  on  each  dividing  cell  or  whether 
relative  directions  of  growth,  and  thus  form,  are  determined  by  factors 
affecting  the  entire  growing  organ,  the  whole  mass  of  living  stuff,  and  that 
the  degree  and  manner  in  which  this  is  cut  up  into  cells  are  a  secondary 
result.  This  is  simply  another  aspect  of  the  main  problem  raised  by  the 
cell  theory. 

Factors  Determining  the  Plane  of  Cell  Division.  Many  suggestions  have 
been  made  as  to  the  factors  that  determine  the  position  of  a  new  cell  wall. 
Years  ago  Hofmeister  ( 1863 )  stated  the  general  rule  which  bears  his 
name,  that  growth  precedes  division  and  that  the  new  wall  is  at  right 
angles  to  the  long  axis  of  the  mother  cell.  There  are  many  cases,  espe- 
cially in  parenchymatous  tissue,  where  this  rule  holds,  but  frequent  ex- 
ceptions to  it  occur  in  which  the  new  wall  is  parallel  to  the  long  axis.  An 
extreme  example  of  this  is  the  longitudinal  division  of  very  long  cambial 
initials.  Sachs  (1878)  noted  that  in  most  dividing  cells  the  new  wall  meets 
the  old  one  at  an  angle  of  90°,  even  though  this  requires  that  the  new 
wall  be  curved,  and  proposed  this  as  a  rule  for  cell  division. 

About  a  decade  later  a  number  of  biologists  were  impressed  by  the 
close  resemblance  between  many  cell  configurations  and  masses  of  soap 
bubbles.  The  behavior  of  molecules  in  liquids  and  the  principle  of  surface 
tension  were  then  being  worked  out  by  physicists.  One  of  the  implications 
of  surface  tension  is  that,  because  of  molecular  forces  acting  at  their  sur- 
faces, liquids  tend  to  pull  themselves  into  forms  with  the  smallest  possible 
surface  area.  This  is  why  drops  of  liquid,  for  example,  or  soap  bubbles  are 
spherical.  The  principle  of  least  surfaces  was  applied  to  liquid  film  sys- 
tems by  the  physicist  Plateau  (1873),  who  showed  that  in  a  mass  of 
bubbles  the  partition  walls  in  every  case  arrange  themselves  so  that  they 
have  the  least  possible  area.  He  also  observed  that  where  walls  intersect 
there  are  only  three  at  a  given  point  and  that  the  angles  between  them 
tend  to  be  120°,  the  point  at  which  surface  forces  are  in  equilibrium. 

The  biologists  Berthold  (1886)  and  Errera  (1888)  applied  this  prin- 
ciple to  young  cell  walls,  assuming  that  these  walls  in  the  beginning  are 
essentially  weightless  liquid  films.  The  rather  striking  resemblance  often 
observed  between  a  mass  of  cells  and  a  mass  of  bubbles  on  this  assump- 
tion is  easy  to  understand.  Some  interesting  implications  of  the  principle 
of  least  surfaces  for  the  problem  of  cell  division  have  been  developed  by 
D'Arcy  Thompson  (1942). 

Only  a  few  examples  need  be  cited  here.  If,  in  a  cubical  box,  the  sides 
of  which  are  liquid  films,  a  film  partition  extends  across  the  middle,  the 
partition  will  be  flat.  If  it  is  gradually  moved  toward  one  of  the  sides  so 
that  the  two  "cells"  become  more  and  more  unequal  in  size,  it  will  sud- 
denly shift  to  a  position  across  a  corner  of  the  box  and,  as  seen  in  section, 


The  Cellular  Basis  of  Growth 


45 


Fig.  3-13.  Hypothetical  cube  of  film 
with  a  film  partition  moving  from  left 
to  right  across  it.  When  a  position  is 
reached  31.8  per  cent  of  the  distance 
from  the  right-hand  side,  this  partition 
slips  into  the  corner  and  becomes 
curved,  as  shown.  ( From  D'Arcy 
Thompson. ) 


will  now  be  curved  instead  of  straight  as  it  was  before  (Fig.  3-13).  The 
point  where  this  shift  occurs  is  the  point  where  the  wall,  now  ( in  section ) 
a  quarter  of  the  circumference  of  a  circle,  has  the  same  length  that  the 
flat  partition  wall  had,  for  the  wall  will  have  the  least  possible  area  that 
will  enclose  the  volume  of  the  smaller  "cell,"  the  latter  now  being  part 
of  a  cylinder.  If  this  smaller  cell  is  then  made  still  smaller,  the  wall  that 
separates  it  from  the  larger  one  will  continue  to  be  curved  and  to  be  less 
than  any  other  wall  area  that  could  bound  the  volume  of  the  smaller  cell. 
Just  where  the  point  of  shift  from  flat  wall  to  curved  will  occur  can  be 
calculated  by  determining  the  point  at  which  (before  the  shift)  the  length 
of  a  curved  wall  (a  quarter  of  the  circumference  of  a  circle)  across  the 
corner  will  be  the  same  as  that  of  the  flat  partition  wall.  Both  will  enclose 
the  same  area.  If  it  is  assumed  that  each  side  of  the  cube,  and  thus  the 
length  of  the  flat  partition,  equals  1,  then 


2irr 


=  1         %rr  =  4        and        r  =  ^-  =  0.637 

Ait 


The  area  of  a  quarter  circle  with  this  radius  is  tt(  0.637  )2/4  =  0.318.  This 
also  is  the  area  of  the  smaller  rectangular  cell  just  before  the  shift.  Thus 
the  distance  from  the  partition  wall  to  the  side  wall,  when  it  shifts  from 
straight  to  curved,  is  0.318  of  the  diameter  of  the  cube.  Experiments  with 
films  essentially  confirm  this  theoretical  expectation.  In  cases  of  unequal 
division  of  actual  cells,  such  as  the  formation  of  companion  cells  in  sieve 
tubes,  the  new  cell  is  usually  cut  out  of  a  corner  of  the  old  one,  as  this 
theory  of  least  surfaces  requires. 

Many  dividing  cells  in  plants  and  animals  are  spherical,  and  here  the 


46 


Growth 


application  of  the  liquid  film  theory  is  particularly  interesting.  In  the  di- 
vision of  an  egg  into  two  equal  cells,  for  example,  the  position  of  the 
wall  between  the  two  daughter  cells,  if  they  behave  like  soap  bubbles, 
can  be  determined.  This  new  wall  should  form  an  angle  of  120°  with  the 
tangent  to  the  circumference  of  each  daughter  cell  at  the  point  where 
these  meet  the  partition  wall,  since  this  is  the  position  where  the  sur- 
face forces  will  be  in  equilibrium  and  where  the  film  system  thus  is  stable. 
It  is  obvious  geometrically  that  this  wall  is  in  such  a  position  that  the 
distance  between  the  centers  of  the  two  new  cells  is  equal  to  their  radii 
(Fig.  3-14).  When  a  single  spherical  cell,  such  as  an  egg  or  an  algal  cell, 
divides  thus  equally,  the  position  of  the  two  daughter  cells  relative  to 
each  other  is  approximately  what  this  theory  demands. 


Fig.  3-14.  Stable  partition  and  walls  of  minimum  surface  assumed  by  two  equal 
bubbles  which  are  in  contact.  Angles  OPQ  and  OPR  are  120°.  The  distance  between 
the  centers  equals  the  radii.  (  From  D'Arcy  Thompson. ) 

Where  such  a  divided  bubble  divides  again  but  now  by  a  partition  at 
right  angles  to  the  plane  of  the  first  one,  these  two  walls  usually  do  not 
meet  at  an  angle  of  90°  but  there  is  a  readjustment  in  the  film  system  so 
that  they  meet  at  120°,  the  stable  position.  Arrangements  like  that  of 
Fig.  3-15d  may  thus  result,  which  resembles  a  group  of  actual  cells.  Any- 
one familiar  with  cellular  structure  and  who  draws  a  bit  of  it  comes  almost 
instinctively  to  make  the  cell  walls  intersect  at  angles  of  about  120°, 
much  as  they  would  if  they  were  liquid  films. 

Where  a  spherical  bubble  is  divided  unequally,  the  curvature  of  the 
partition  wall  can  be  calculated.  Since  the  pressure  is  inversely  propor- 
tional to  the  radius  of  curvature,  a  small  bubble  pulls  itself  together,  so 
to  speak,  more  strongly  than  a  larger  one.  Thus  P  =  1/R,  where  P  is  the 
pressure  and  R  the  radius.  The  pressure  that  determines  the  radius  of  the 


The  Cellular  Basis  of  Growth  47 

partition  wall  between  unequal  bubbles  is  thus  the  difference  between 
the  pressure  of  the  smaller  bubble  and  that  of  the  larger  one.  If  R  equals 
the  radius  of  the  partition  wall,  /  that  of  the  smaller  bubble,  and  r  that 
of  the  larger  one,  then  1/R  =  1//  —  1/r,  or  R  =  rr7(r  -  r').  In  other 
words,  the  radius  of  the  partition  wall  is  the  product  of  the  two  bubble 
radii  divided  bv  their  difference.  If  two  bubbles  have  radii  of  3  and  5,  for 
example,  that  of  the  partition  wall  will  be  7.5.  In  spherical  cells  of  un- 
equal size  which  are  dividing,  the  new  wall  does  tend  to  have  this  theo- 
retical radius. 

Where  the  dividing  cell  has  a  relatively  firm  wall,  however,  as  in  micro- 
spores within  which  a  small  prothallial  cell  is  cut  off,  the  situation  is 
different,  since  only  the  new  dividing  wall  now  acts  as  a  liquid  film.  It 
will  be  curved  and  will  occupy  a  position  such  that  it  intersects  the  old 
wall  at  the  stable  position  of  90°.  If  the  linear  distance  between  the  two 


Fig.  3-15.  Plate  of  eight  cells  (or 
bubbles)  assuming  a  position  of  equi- 
librium where  cell  surfaces  are  of  mini- 
mum  area.    (From   D'Arcy   Thompson.) 


points  of  intersection  (as  seen  in  section)  and  the  radius  of  the  large 
cell  are  known,  the  radius  of  curvature  of  the  new  wall  can  readily  be 
calculated. 

There  are  other  cases  of  division  walls,  notably  in  "rib"  meristems 
where  the  cells  are  in  parallel  rows  and  growth  is  strongly  polar,  which 
may  also  be  interpreted  on  the  liquid-film  theory  even  though  the  re- 
semblance to  a  bubble  system  is  much  less  close.  In  such  rows  of  cells 
it  can  be  observed  that  the  new  cross  walls,  even  in  the  phragmosome 
stage,  always  tend  to  avoid  a  position  that  would  put  them  opposite  a 
cross  wall  in  an  adjacent  row  ( Fig.  3-16 )  and  would  thus  bring  four  walls 
together,  unstably,  at  a  point.  The  walls  are  always  "staggered,"  like 
bricks  in  a  wall.  This  often  prevents  a  new  wall  taking  its  natural  posi- 
tion, which  would  divide  the  cell  into  two  equal  parts.  The  angles  be- 
tween the  walls  are  larger  than  90°  but  do  not  reach  the  theoretical  120°. 
It  may  be  that  surface  forces  are  operative  in  pulling  the  new  wall  away 


48 


Growth 


from  the  intersection  point  with  an  old  one  and  thus  tending  to  form  an 
angle  of  120°,  even  though  the  longitudinal  walls,  which  are  relatively 
firm,   remain   essentially   straight   and   the   theoretical   angle   cannot   be 

attained. 

The  theory  that  the  position  and  curvature  of  dividing  cells  are  what 
they  would  be  if  the  walls  were  liquid  films  lends  itself  to  some  interest- 
ing geometrical  analyses,  for  which  the  reader  is  referred  to  Thompson's 
book.  Giesenhagen's  work  (1905,  1909)  also  has  a  discussion  of  the 
theory  and  its  applications.  Various  experiments  with  actual  liquid  films 
have  been  reported  by  van  Iterson  and  Meeuse  (1942),  and  Matzke 
(1946)  has  discussed  the  role  of  surface  forces  in  determining  cell  shape. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  the  configurations  of  the  cells  in  an  actively  grow- 
ing mass  often  do  resemble  a  system  of  bubbles,  for  there  are  usually  no 
more  than  three  walls  intersecting  at  a  point  and  the  angles  between  them 
tend  to  approximate  120°.  The  young  walls  are  at  least  semiliquid,  so  that 


-f # 


Fig.  3-16.  Walls  in  dividing  cells  (as  shown  by  position  of  phragmosome)  tend  to  avoid 
continuity  with  adjacent  partition  walls.  ( From  Sinnott  and  Block. ) 


surface  forces  are  doubtless  operative  to  some  extent  in  determining  their 
position.  In  any  morphogenetic  analysis  the  least-surface  theory  therefore 
must  certainly  be  taken  into  account.  It  greatly  oversimplifies  the  prob- 
lem, however,  and  fails  to  explain  some  facts  with  which  the  student  of 
plant  development  is  confronted.  Among  the  chief  objections  to  it  are  the 
following: 

1.  The  theory  in  its  simplest  form  is  applicable  only  to  weightless 
liquid  films,  and  young  cell  walls  obviously  are  not  such,  though  they 
mav  approach  this  condition.  To  account  for  their  position  the  theory 
would  require  correction. 

2.  Many  division  walls  are  formed  in  positions  different  from  those 
which  the  theory  demands.  Often  the  new  walls  are  parallel  to  the  longer 
axis  of  the  cell  instead  of  at  right  angles  to  it.  The  most  extreme  case  of 
this  occurs  in  dividing  fusiform  initials  at  the  cambium  which  are  50  times 
or  more  as  long  as  wide  but  which  nevertheless  divide  lengthwise. 


The  Cellular  Basis  of  Growth  49 

3.  The  early  wall  formed  by  the  cell  plate,  and  certainly  the  phragmo- 
some  which  precedes  it  in  vacuolate  cells,  are  not  at  first  continuous  films 
and  would  thus  not  follow  the  law  of  least  surfaces. 

4.  In  many  cases,  as  often  in  the  unequal  division  that  cuts  off  a 
stomatal  mother  cell,  the  new  wall  is  at  first  straight  instead  of  curved 
and  becomes  curved  only  later,  as  the  turgor  of  the  cell  increases. 

5.  Frequently,  as  in  growing  cork  layers,  the  new  division  wall  is  laid 
down  exactly  opposite  a  partition  wall  in  an  adjacent  cell  so  that  four 
walls  do  come  together  at  a  point  (p.  195).  This  also  happens  in  tissue 
which  is  to  form  aerenchyma  and  in  which  the  cells  are  in  regular  rows 
with  cross  walls  opposite.  Here,  however,  at  the  point  where  the  four 
walls  meet,  a  small  air  space  (which  later  may  enlarge)  is  commonly 
formed  by  the  pulling  apart  of  the  walls  so  that  the  wall  angles  do  tend 
to  reach  the  theoretical  120°. 

6.  In  a  system  of  film  bubbles  increasing  in  number  by  the  formation 
of  new  walls,  the  equilibrium  least-surface  configuration  is  reached  by  a 
shifting  of  the  wall  positions  within  the  film  system.  This  involves  some 
gliding  or  sliding  of  the  bubbles  in  relation  to  each  other.  Such  a  change 
could  happen  in  animal  tissues  where  the  cells  are  free  to  move  about,  at 
least  to  some  degree,  but  would  be  impossible  in  most  plant  tissues,  where 
they  are  cemented  to  one  another. 

For  these  reasons  it  is  clear  that  the  theory  of  surface  forces  alone  is  by 
no  means  sufficient  to  explain  all  the  facts  as  to  the  position  of  new  cell 
walls  and  the  planes  of  cell  division.  Other  physical  factors  are  doubtless 
involved  in  determining  these  events.  Among  them  pressure  is  important. 
Kny  ( 1902 )  found  that  pressure  applied  to  a  dividing  cell  forced  the 
mitotic  figure  into  a  position  in  which  its  long  axis  was  oriented  at  right 
angles  to  the  direction  of  the  pressure,  and  the  new  wall  consequently 
was  parallel  to  this  direction.  This  fact,  incidentally,  makes  an  important 
contribution  to  our  knowledge  of  the  character  of  the  cytoplasm,  at  least 
at  this  time  in  the  history  of  the  cell.  If  the  cytoplasm  were  essentially 
fluid,  pressure  from  without  should  not  change  the  orientation  of  struc- 
tures in  it  but  would  do  so  if  the  cytoplasm  had  a  structural  framework. 
Other  evidence  for  the  conclusion  that  walls  are  formed  parallel  to  pres- 
sure on  the  cell  can  be  found  in  the  cortex  of  the  young  stems  of  many 
woody  plants.  Here  the  cells  tend  to  be  elongated  tangentially,  presum- 
ably because  of  the  pressure  exerted  by  the  expansion  of  the  vascular 
cylinder  below  through  cambial  activity.  If  these  cells  divide  again, 
radial  walls,  parallel  to  the  direction  of  cambium  pressure,  are  often  to  be 
seen.  As  Kny  points  out,  however,  in  cambial  cells,  which  are  presumably 
under  radial  pressure,  division  is  chiefly  periclinal  (at  right  angles  to  the 
pressure)  instead  of  anticlinal.  This  he  attributes  to  "inner  factors."  In  the 


50 


Growth 


case  of  radial  divisions  in  the  phellogen,  Bouygues  (1930)  concludes  that 
pressure  is  not  a  factor. 

The  plane  of  division  is  evidently  related  to  the  polarity  of  the  cell  and 
is  further  discussed  under  this  topic  (p.  131 ).  It  has  been  studied  particu- 
larly in  the  egg  of  Fucus.  Here  centrifugal  force,  light,  electricity,  and 
gradients  in  concentration  of  various  substances  have  been  found  to  affect 
this  plane. 

In  certain  colonial  blue-green  algae  and  flagellates,  in  pollen  mother 
cells,  and  in  some  other  cases  where  division  in  all  the  cells  is  simul- 
taneous and  in  the  same  plane,  the  planes  of  each  successive  division  tend 


o° 


45° 

CL 


90° 


0° 


45° 
103 


90° 


Fig.  3-17.  Distribution  of  angles  between  mitotic  spindles  and  longitudinal  axis  of  the 
ovary  in  an  elongate  type  of  cucurbit  fruit  ( above )  and  an  isodiametric  one  ( below ) . 
There  is  evidently  a  higher  proportion  of  divisions  nearly  at  right  angles  to  the  axis 
(spindles  with  low  angles)  in  the  former.  In  the  latter,  divisions  are  approximately 
equal  at  all  angles.  (From  Sinnott.) 

to  be  at  right  angles  to  each  other  so  that  a  regular  pattern  of  cells  in 
twos,  fours,  eights,  sixteens,  and  so  on,  all  in  one  plane,  is  produced.  Be- 
tween divisions  the  cells  tend  to  grow  but  not  enough  to  make  them 
isodiametric,  so  that  the  next  division  is  at  right  angles  to  the  longer  axis 
of  the  cell,  as  it  would  be  in  a  least-surface  configuration  (Geitler, 
1951).  Division  in  three  planes  sometimes  occurs,  producing  cubical 
colonies. 

In  many  instances  there  is  no  obvious  explanation  for  the  particular 
plane  in  which  a  cell  divides,  and  we  are  forced  to  attribute  this  to  genetic 


The  Cellular  Basis  of  Growth  51 

factors.  Steward  (1958)  finds  that  in  cells  freely  suspended  in  culture  the 
planes  of  division  are  highly  irregular  and  unpredictable,  since  such  cells 
are  not  subject  to  the  organizing  restraints  that  are  operative  in  the  nor- 
mal plant  body. 

The  forms  of  most  plant  structures  are  presumably  related  to  the  planes 
in  which  their  constituent  cells  divide.  In  a  few  cases  this  relationship  has 
been  demonstrated.  Thus  in  ovary  primordia  of  elongate  gourds  such  as 
Trichosanthes  and  the  "club"  variety  of  Lageruiria,  Sinnott  ( 1944 )  meas- 
ured in  the  growing  ovary  the  angles  between  the  mitotic  spindles  and 
the  longitudinal  axis  of  the  primordium  and  found  that  there  were  many 


45° 
Anaphase 


0° 


O. 


45° 
Telophase 


90° 


Fig.  3-18.  Angles  between  mitotic  spindle  and  ovary  axis  in  metaphases,  anaphases, 
and  telophases  in  Trichosanthes,  the  snake  gourd,  where  the  great  preponderance  of 
divisions  are  transverse  and  thus  predictable  as  to  orientation.  The  mitotic  figure  evi- 
dently becomes  more   stabilized   in   direction   as  mitosis   proceeds.    ( From   Sinnott. ) 


52  Growth 

more  of  them  parallel  to  the  primordium  axis,  in  the  direction  of  growth 
in  length,  than  at  right  angles  to  it,  in  the  direction  of  growth  in  width. 
In  isodiametric  ovaries,  however,  spindle  angles  were  almost  equally 
distributed  between  0  and  90°  to  the  axis  (Fig.  3-17). 

The  question  arises  as  to  just  what  determines  the  plane  of  cell  division 
in  cases  like  this.  It  cannot  be  simply  the  orientation  of  the  mitotic  spin- 
dle, for  this  can  be  shown  to  change  during  mitosis.  Thus  in  the  fruit  of 
Trichosanthes,  which  is  very  long  and  narrow,  practically  all  the  divisions 
are  transverse  to  the  long  axis  and  their  orientation  can  thus  be  predicted. 
The  spindles  in  metaphase,  however,  are  by  no  means  all  parallel  to  the 
axis  but  vary  considerably.  In  anaphase  the  variation  is  much  less,  and 
in  telophase  the  cell  plates  are  almost  all  transverse  ( Fig.  3-18 ) .  Evidently 
the  spindle  rolls  about  somewhat  during  mitosis  (as  it  has  been  seen  to 
do  in  living  material  of  other  forms )  but  finally  settles  into  position.  What 
this  position  will  be  seems  to  be  determined  by  the  cytoplasmic  body 
since,  in  vacuolate  cells,  the  phragmosome  is  formed  at  prophase  in  the 
position  of  the  final  cell  wall  (p.  25). 

Something  certainly  controls  not  only  the  plane  of  cell  division  but  the 
distribution  of  divisions  and  the  amount  and  character  of  cell  expansion. 
Whatever  this  may  prove  to  be,  it  is  concerned  with  the  origin  of  organic 
form.  If  one  looks  at  a  section  through  a  young  and  growing  plant  struc- 
ture, such  as  an  ovary  primordium,  he  sees  a  mass  of  cells  of  various 
shapes  and  dividing  in  many  planes.  Here  chaos  seems  to  reign.  When  he 
observes  how  such  a  structure  develops,  however,  and  finds  that  it  is 
growing  in  a  very  precise  fashion,  each  dimension  in  step  with  all  the 
others,  he  comes  to  realize  that  this  is  not  the  seat  of  chaos  but  of  an 
organizing  control  so  orderly  that  a  specific  organic  form  is  produced. 
This  realization  is  one  of  the  most  revealing  experiences  a  biologist  can 
have  and  poses  for  him  the  major  problem  that  his  science  has  to  face. 

CELL  SHAPE 

One  of  the  simplest  manifestations  of  organic  form  is  in  the  shape  of 
individual  cells.  This  obviously  involves  plane  of  cell  division,  cell  size, 
polarity,  microstructure  of  the  wall,  genetic  constitution,  and  other  fac- 
tors. 

Since  the  cell,  at  least  at  first,  is  a  fluid  system,  its  natural  shape,  other 
things  being  equal,  is  that  of  a  sphere,  for  this  has  the  least  surface  in 
proportion  to  its  volume.  Most  cells,  however,  are  parts  of  tissues  and 
thus  are  closely  packed  against  neighboring  cells  on  all  sides.  This  re- 
sults in  a  modification  of  the  basic  spherical  shape  to  that  of  a  polyhedron 
with  flattened  sides,  each  representing  a  plane  of  contact  with  an  adja- 
cent cell.  How  many  faces  should  such  a  cell  have,  and  what  sorts  of 


The  Cellular  Basis  of  Growth  53 

polygons  should  these  faces  be?  At  first  it  was  believed  that  cells  were 
12-sided  figures,  since  when  spheres  are  stacked  together  like  cannon 
balls,  each  touches  12  others.  Lord  Kelvin  (1887,  1894),  approaching  the 
problem  mathematically,  showed  that  when  space  is  divided  into  similar 
units,  each  with  a  minimum  area  of  partition  and  with  stable  angles, 
each  unit  will  be  a  14-faced  figure  or  a  tetrakaidecahedron  and  that  eight 
of  its  faces  will  be  hexagons  and  six  will  be  squares.  This,  he  thought, 
was  what  the  shape  of  a  cell  in  pith  or  similar  tissues  theoretically 
should  be.  F.  T.  Lewis  ( 1923  and  others )  found  that  the  average  number 
of  faces  in  such  cells  was,  indeed,  close  to  14  but  that  only  very  rarely 
did  a  cell  with  this  number  of  faces  show  eight  hexagons  and  six  squares. 

This  problem  has  been  studied  with  particular  care  by  Matzke  and 
his  students  and  reported  in  a  series  of  papers.  The  results  have  been 
briefly  reviewed  by  Matzke  (1950),  who  cites  the  more  important  papers 
from  his  laboratory.  The  general  conclusion  is  that  parenchyma  cells  do 
tend  to  have  14  sides  but  that  "ideal"  ones,  conforming  to  Lord  Kelvin's 
rule,  occur  very  infrequently.  Matzke  points  out  that  many  factors  other 
than  mathematically  ideal  space-filling  are  involved  in  determining  cell 
shape,  among  them  pressure,  surface  forces,  differences  in  cell  size,  direc- 
tion of  cell  division,  unequal  growth,  and  genetic  constitution.  The  prob- 
lem is  being  attacked  developmentally  by  an  analysis  of  cell  shapes  at  the 
meristem  (Matzke  and  Duffy,  1956).  In  dividing  cells,  the  number  of 
faces  here  rises  to  about  17  and  in  daughter  cells  drops  at  first  to  be- 
tween 12  and  13.  The  total  cell  population  has  an  average  number  of 
about  14  faces. 

In  more  specialized  tissues  there  is  a  wide  variety  of  cell  shapes. 
Palisade  cells  are  elongated  at  right  angles  to  the  leaf  surface.  Most  cells 
of  the  vascular  and  conducting  tissues  are  elongated  parallel  to  the  axis. 
Hairs  and  glandular  cells  have  many  forms.  Some  cells  expand  equally 
on  all  sides.  Others,  like  root  hairs,  grow  only  at  one  point.  Still  others, 
such  as  the  more  fantastic  sclereids,  have  many  growing  regions  ( Foster, 
1955,  and  others ) .  Galston,  Baker,  and  King  ( 1953 )  found  that  benzimida- 
zole  promotes  the  transverse  as  opposed  to  the  longitudinal  extension  of 
cortex  cells  in  the  pea  epicotyl.  Doubtless  the  polarity,  or  polarities,  of  the 
cell  and  the  plasticity,  elasticity,  and  microstructure  of  its  walls  are  in- 
volved in  shape  differences. 

Tenopyr  ( 1918 )  found  that  in  leaves  of  different  shapes  the  shapes  and 
sizes  of  cells  were  constant.  Riidiger  ( 1952 ) ,  however,  observed  that  in 
tetraploid  plants  the  subepidermal  cells  of  leaves,  hypocotyls,  and  other 
organs  were  not  only  absolutely  but  relatively  wider  than  in  diploids,  a 
fact  which  he  relates  to  the  greater  relative  width  found  in  most  tetra- 
ploid organs  as  compared  with  diploid  ones. 

Even  in  microorganisms  where  the  cells  are  free  from  contact  with 


54  Growth 

others,  they  often  display  shapes  by  no  means  spherical.  Many  unicellular 
green  algae  and  the  simpler  fungi  are  examples  of  this.  Von  Hofsten  and 
von  Hofsten  (1958)  have  explored  the  effect  of  various  factors  on  cell 
shape  and  thus  on  vegetative  characters  in  the  ascomycete  Ophiostoma. 
In  the  development  of  cell  shape  genetic  factors  are  doubtless  impor- 
tant, and  these  appear  to  control  cytoplasmic  patterns,  wall  differences, 
and  other  factors.  Cell  shape  is  one  aspect  of  the  more  general  problem 
of  differentiation. 

Much  of  morphogenetic  significance  can  be  learned  from  a  study  of 
individual  cells.  A  knowledge  of  their  relations  to  each  other,  and  par- 
ticularly of  the  way  in  which  they  form  cell  aggregates,  is  still  more  im- 
portant. This  involves  the  general  problem  of  meristematic  activity,  the 
subject  of  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER    4 

Meristems 


In  many  of  the  morphogenetic  problems  which  they  present,  plants  and 
animals  are  very  similar.  The  fundamental  physiological  differences  that 
distinguish  these  two  groups  of  living  things,  however,  produce  a  number 
of  developmental  differences  between  them.  Among  these,  that  in  method 
of  growth  is  conspicuous.  Because  of  their  ability  to  synthesize  food  from 
inorganic  substances,  plants  have  developed,  in  all  forms  but  the  smallest 
and  simplest,  a  body  which  is  nonmotile  and  anchored  to  the  soil  or  other 
substratum.  This  doubtless  resulted,  during  the  course  of  evolution,  from 
the  fact  that  motility  in  a  plant  is  not  necessary  for  obtaining  food,  as  it  is 
in  animals. 

The  motility  of  animals  requires  that  their  skeletons  be  jointed  and 
the  rest  of  their  bodies  relatively  soft  and  plastic.  Plants,  however,  gain 
the  necessary  rigidity  not  by  a  specially  differentiated  skeleton  but  by  a 
thickening  of  the  walls  of  most  of  the  cells.  This  is  especially  conspicuous 
in  the  fibrovascular  system  of  higher  plants  but  it  occurs  in  other  tissues. 
The  plant  cell  wall,  because  cellulose  is  characteristically  deposited  in  it, 
is  a  much  firmer  structure  than  the  rather  tenuous  membrane  which  sur- 
rounds typical  animal  cells.  As  a  result,  plant  tissues  themselves  are  also 
firmer,  save  in  exceptional  cases  such  as  certain  short-lived  floral  parts. 
As  a  consequence  of  this  distinctive  character,  most  plant  cells,  as  soon 
as  their  final  size  is  reached,  become  locked  up,  so  to  speak,  in  a  firm  box 
of  cellulose.  Such  a  cell  ordinarily  does  not  divide  further,  or  if  it  does 
its  daughter  cells  cannot  expand,  so  that  mature  plant  tissue  usually  grows 
no  more.  In  almost  every  part  of  the  soft-celled  animal  body,  on  the 
contrary,  growth  occurs  not  only  during  development  but  in  the  restora- 
tion and  repair  of  tissues  throughout  the  life  of  the  individual.  It  should 
be  remembered,  however,  that  under  certain  conditions  a  plant  cell  or  a 
group  of  cells  may  become  embryonic  again  and  begin  to  divide  (p.  232), 
setting  up  a  new  growing  region.  There  is  no  doubt  that  most  cells— per- 
haps all— are  potentially  able  to  do  this.  What  prevents  it  is  not  simply 
mechanical  confinement  by  the  wall  but  so-called  correlative  factors  that 
limit  each  cell  to  the  development  appropriate  for  its  particular  place  in 
the  organism. 

55 


56  Growth 

If  a  plant  is  to  grow,  this  must  be  accomplished  by  allowing  some  of 
its  cells  to  escape  the  general  fate  and  remain  capable  of  division,  pro- 
gressively forming  new  tissues  but  preserving  a  remnant  that  persists  in 
a  perpetually  embryonic  condition.  The  plant  body  grows  in  size  by  the 
activity  of  such  localized  growing  points  or  regions,  the  meristems,  which 
are  centers  of  cell  division  and  cell  expansion. 

The  axis  of  the  plant  grows  in  length  by  a  meristem  at  the  apex  of  stem 
and  root,  and  in  width  by  a  sheath  of  lateral  meristem,  or  cambium.  De- 
terminate organs  such  as  leaves,  however,  rarely  have  sharply  localized 
meristems  but  enlarge  throughout  much  of  their  extent,  as  an  animal  body 
does,  until  growth  ceases.  Meristems  are  obviously  of  much  interest  to 
the  student  of  plant  morphogenesis.  They  provide,  in  a  sense,  a  con- 
tinuous embryology  for  the  plant  and  offer  an  important  point  of  attack 
on  the  problems  of  plant  development. 

APICAL  MERISTEMS 

In  the  simplest  plants,  the  lower  algae  and  fungi,  growth  is  hardly 
localized  at  all.  Cells  capable  of  division  are  either  present  throughout 
the  plant  body  or  in  considerable  portions  of  it,  and  nothing  which  might 
be  called  a  meristem  is  to  be  found.  In  Spirogyra,  for  example,  growth 
in  length  of  the  filament  is  produced  by  cell  division  almost  anywhere  in 
it.  In  such  a  membranous  type  as  Ulva,  growth  results  from  divisions  at 
right  angles  to  the  surface  throughout  most  of  its  area.  In  coenocytic 
forms,  the  whole  thallus  enlarges,  and  growth  is  not  related  to  cell  di- 
vision at  all. 

In  some  of  the  simpler  filamentous  brown  algae,  however,  growth  in 
length  is  limited  to  the  tip  of  the  filament,  which  is  occupied  by  a  single 
large  cell.  This  divides  transversely,  and  a  series  of  daughter  cells  is  thus 
produced  from  its  basal  face.  They  and  their  daughter  cells  divide  a  few 
more  times,  but  division  finally  ceases.  The  only  permanently  embryonic 
cell  is  the  apical  one,  which  thus  dominates  the  development  of  the  plant 
body.  Branches  originate  by  the  lengthwise  division  of  this  apical  cell 
(Fig.  4-1). 

In  types  like  Fucus,  with  larger  and  more  complex  plant  bodies,  growth 
still  originates  by  the  activity  of  an  apical  cell,  which  occupies  the  base 
of  a  terminal  notch  in  the  thallus.  This  cell  cuts  off  daughter  cells  from 
its  two  lateral  faces.  From  these  and  their  descendants  are  formed  the  i 
various  tissues  of  the  thallus.  A  fern  prothallium  grows  in  much  the  same 
way,  developing  under  the  control  of  the  meristematic  region  in  the 
notch.  This  control  may  be  relaxed,  however,  and  almost  any  cell  in  the 
structure  may  begin  to  divide.  Many  prothallia  never  form  the  typical 
heart-shaped  structure. 


Meristems 


57 


Fig.  4-1.  Terminal  portion  of  the  alga  Sphacelaria, 
showing  how  thallus  is  produced  by  activity  of  the 
apical  cell  and  its  descendants  and  how  a  branch 
originates.  (  From  Haberlandt. ) 


Throughout  the  bryophytes,  the  ferns,  the  horsetails,  and  many  of  the 
lycopods,  growth  of  the  plant  body  is  governed  by  the  activity  of  apical 
cells,  one  at  the  apex  of  the  shoot  and  the  other  at  the  apex  of  the  root. 
These  cells  are  usually  pyramidal  with  the  base  of  the  pyramid  outward, 
and  division  takes  place  parallel  to  the  three  inner  sides  of  the  pyramid. 
Most  growth  of  tissues  results  from  the  later  division  of  these  daughter 
cells  and  their  descendants,  but  growth  seems  to  be  initiated  and  domi- 
nated by  the  apical  cell  (Figs.  4-2,  4-3).  It  is  not  clear,  however,  just 
what  the  function  of  the  apical  cell  is.  Wetmore  ( communication  to  the 
author )  states  that  he  has  very  rarely  seen  an  apical  cell  dividing  and  he 
suggests  that  these  cells  may  function  as  do  the  groups  of  large  cells  just 
below  the  apex  of  root  and  shoot  in  angiosperms,  which  are  thought  to 
be  centers  of  metabolic  activity.  Most  of  the  actual  cell  division  in  the 
meristems  of  these  lower  vascular  plants  takes  place  in  the  cells  just  be- 


Fig.  4-2.  Longitudinal  section  through  apex  of  a  fern  root,  showing  origin  of  tissues 
from  the  apical  cell.  ( From  Sacfis. ) 


58 


Growth 


side  or  below  the  apical  cell.  In  ferns,  lycopods,  and  horsetails  this  con- 
siderable body  of  embryonic  cells  at  the  apex  of  the  axis  somewhat  re- 
sembles the  terminal  meristems  of  higher  plants. 

Among  bryophytes,  the  origin  and  arrangement  of  the  leaves  and  the 
structure  of  the  various  tissues  can  usually  be  traced  back  to  precise 
divisions  of  the  apical  cell  and  its  daughter  cells  so  that  there  is  a  very 
definite  pattern  of  cell  lineage  in  the  plant  body.  This  is  especially 
diagrammatic  in  such  a  form  as  Sphagnum,  where  the  two  markedly 
different  types  of  cells  in  the  leaves  can  be  seen  to  originate  in  differen- 
tial cell  divisions.  Such  a  precise  cell  lineage  is  less  conspicuous  in  higher 


Fig.  4-3.  Longitudinal  section  of  shoot  apex  Fig.  4-4.  Selaginella  wildenovii.  Me- 
of  Equisetum,  showing  apical  cell  and  its  dian  longitudinal  section  of  young 
derivatives.  ( From  Golub  and  Wetmore. )  shoot,  showing  apical  cell  and  its  de- 

rivatives. ( From  Barclay. ) 

forms  but  often  can  still  be  traced  even  there.  In  one  species  of 
Selaginella  (Barclay,  1931),  for  example,  the  derivation  of  the  epidermis, 
cortex,  pericycle,  endodermis,  and  vascular  cylinder  can  be  traced  back 
to  direct  descendants  of  the  apical  cell  (Fig.  4-4). 

Although  the  distribution  of  the  leaves  and  the  general  organization 
of  the  shoot  are  determined  in  many  of  the  lower  forms  by  the  activity 
of  the  apical  cell  and  the  arrangement  of  its  derivatives,  Golub  and 
Wetmore  (1948)  found  that  in  Equisetum  there  is  no  relation  be- 
tween the  cellular  pattern  of  the  apex  and  that  of  the  mature  axis  derived 
from  it. 


Meristems  59 

In  a  few  of  the  lower  vascular  plants,  notably  Lycopodium,  no  single 
apical  cell  can  be  distinguished,  and  the  same  is  true  of  most  gymno- 
sperms  and  angiosperms.  Instead,  the  meristem  at  the  tip  of  both  root 
and  shoot  consists  of  a  considerable  group  of  embryonic  cells.  Many  of 
these  divide  actively  during  the  growth  of  the  plant,  and  they  produce 
all  the  tissues  of  the  axis  (save  those  formed  by  later  cambial  growth) 
as  well  as  the  leaves  and  branches. 

Much  attention  has  been  paid  in  recent  years  to  the  structure,  organiza- 
tion, and  activity  of  apical  meristems,  particularly  in  the  ferns  and  seed 
plants.  These  regions  of  persistent  embryonic  character  have  often  been 
compared  to  animal  embryos.  Botanists  have  tried  to  find  a  correspond- 
ence between  their  structure  and  that  of  the  parts  that  grow  from  them 
so  that  the  developing  plant  might  be  analyzed  in  terms  of  embryonic 
regions,  as  zoologists  have  been  able  to  do  by  using  the  germ  layers 
established  in  the  animal  embryo.  A  wide  variety  of  plant  meristems 
have  been  studied  and  compared,  but  differentiation  into  layers  as  pre- 
cise in  their  fate  as  ectoderm,  mesoderm,  and  entoderm  seems  rarely  to 
occur.  Some  botanists,  however,  do  regard  meristematic  layers  as  true 
germ  layers  (Satina,  Blakeslee,  and  Avery,  1940). 

Although  these  apical  meristems  do  not  provide  a  precise  classification 
of  plant  tissues,  much  information  of  importance  for  morphogenesis  may 
be  derived  from  them.  Observation  of  the  way  in  which  meristems  have 
produced  the  various  tissues  and  organs  of  plants  has  been  of  service  in 
the  solution  of  problems  in  growth,  differentiation,  and  phyllotaxy.  Plant 
meristems  offer  the  great  advantage  that  a  single  plant  may  produce 
many  of  these  embryonic  regions,  which  are  thus  genetically  identical. 
Though  small,  meristems  are  open  to  direct  experimental  investigation, 
and  this  has  already  provided  results  of  much  morphogenetic  significance. 

The  apical  meristems  of  shoot  and  root,  though  alike  in  many  respects, 
show  certain  characteristic  differences,  and  further  consideration  of  their 
structure  and  activity  will  be  more  profitable  if  each  is  considered  by 
itself. 

THE  SHOOT  APEX 

The  length  of  the  growing  region  in  the  shoot  is  considerably  greater 
than  in  the  root  and  may  often  extend  over  a  region  of  several  centi- 
meters. Cell  division  persists  longer  in  some  tissues  than  in  others  and 
usually  stops  first  in  the  pith.  No  very  sharp  line  is  to  be  found  between 
the  developing  region  and  the  mature  portion  behind  it.  The  strictly 
meristematic  zone,  however,  where  cell  division  chiefly  occurs,  is  usually 
limited  to  a  few  millimeters  or  less,  and  most  growth  of  the  stem  in  length 
results  from  cell  elongation  back  of  this. 


60 


Growth 


The  tip  of  the  meristem  in  seed  plants  is  usually  a  rounded,  dome- 
shaped  mass  of  cells  around  the  base  of  which  the  leaf  primordia  appear 
in  succession  (Fig.  4-5).  Some  earlier  investigators  reported  the  presence 
of  apical  cells  here  but  later  work  did  not  confirm  this.  Newman  (1956), 
however,  finds  dividing  cells  in  the  very  center  of  the  apical  dome  in 
Tropaeolum  and  Coleus  and  believes  that  they  are  to  be  regarded  as 
true  apical  cells.  A  similar  situation  has  been  reported  in  certain  roots. 


\<-l 


b  4"'"  •'■  ?w    W>.  "•  • 

;  ■  ' 

-„     <%~  -      -\V<  r-  -  -     r    t    ■"..:'    ••■..     v; 


fc 


"••V  f 


Fig.  4-5.  Longitudinal  section  through  shoot  apex  of  Coleus,  showing  meristem,  leaf 
primordia,  and  two  bud  meristems.   (Courtesy  Triarch  Botanical  Products.) 

Much  attention  has  been  paid  to  the  structure  of  the  dome  itself. 
Hanstein  (1868)  was  the  first  to  give  careful  study  to  the  shoot  meri- 
stem. He  noted  the  presence  in  it  of  well-marked  layers  of  cells  and 
distinguished  three  regions,  or  histogens,  each  of  which,  he  believed, 
gave  rise  to  a  particular  tissue  or  tissues  of  the  stem.  The  outermost, 
or  dermatogen,  is  a  single  layer  and  produces  the  epidermis.  Under  this, 
several  layers  thick,  is  the  periblem,  giving  rise  to  the  cortex.  The  inner- 
most core,  or  plerome,  without  well-marked  layers,  forms  the  vascular 
cylinder  and  pith  ( Fig.  4-6 ) . 

This  hypothesis  would  have  important  implications  for  morphogenesis 


Meristems 


61 


Fig.  4-6.  Diagram  of  shoot  apex  according  to  Hanstein's  interpretation.  D,  dermatogen; 
Pe,  periblem;  PI,  plerome.  (After  Buvat.) 

if  it  could  be  supported.  There  is  now  much  evidence,  however,  that  no 
constant  relation  exists,  valid  for  all  plants,  between  these  "histogens" 
and  the  structures  formed  by  them.  Some  of  this  evidence  comes  from 
direct  observation,  as  in  Schoute's  (1902)  studies  on  the  origin  of  the 
vascular  cylinder.  Some  is  derived  from  the  structure  of  periclinal  chi- 
meras (p.  268)  in  which  the  layer  or  layers  derived  from  one  graft  com- 
ponent can  be  distinguished  by  the  size  of  their  cells  from  those  coming 
from  the  other,  a  distinction  that  persists  in  the  mature  structures  and  is  a 


Fig.  4-7.  Vinca  minor.  Longitudinal  section  through  shoot  apex,  showing  three-layered 
tunica  and  unlayered  corpus  beneath  it.  ( From  Schmidt. ) 


62  Growth 

useful  means  of  determining  their  particular  meristematic  origin.  Evidence 
from  these  sources  shows  that  a  particular  tissue  may  come  from  one 
meristematic  layer  in  one  plant  and  from  another  in  another  plant. 

Hanstein's  histogen  theory  has  largely  been  superseded  by  another, 
first  proposed  by  Schmidt  (1924;  Fig.  4-7).  This  recognizes  an  outer  zone 
of  layered  cells,  usually  from  one  to  four  cells  thick,  the  tunica,  covering 
a  core  of  unlayered  cells,  the  corpus.  The  tunica-corpus  theory  does  not 
maintain  that  either  of  these  regions  produces  specific  organs  or  tissues 
but  describes  the  common  type  of  organization  of  the  shoot  apex  (see 
Reeve,  1948). 

The  significance  of  layering  in  the  meristem  has  often  been  overem- 
phasized. Whether  or  not  a  layer  is  formed  depends  on  the  plane  of  di- 
vision of  the  meristematic  cells.  When  the  apical  initials  always  divide 


Fig.  4-8.  Longitudinal  section  of  shoot  apex  of  Torreya  californica,  showing  almost 
complete  absence  of  layering.  ( From  Johnson. ) 

anticlinally  they  obviously  will  produce  a  layer,  and  its  growth  will  be 
entirely  growth  in  surface.  Where  divisions  occur  in  other  planes  or  ir- 
regularly, layers  are  not  produced.  Specific  factors  such  as  mechanical 
pressure  (p.  49)  which  influence  plane  of  division  may  thus  determine  the 
presence  and  number  of  layers.  If  the  central  region  of  the  meristem 
is  growing  faster  than  the  surface,  the  latter  will  be  subjected  to  pres- 
sure, its  cells  will  tend  to  divide  parallel  to  the  direction  of  that  pressure, 
and  a  layer  will  be  formed.  Perhaps  this  is  the  only  real  significance  of 
the  layered  structure.  It  is  noteworthy  that  the  shoot  meristems  of  many 
gymnosperms  (Korody,  1938,  and  others;  Fig.  4-8)  show  little  or  no 
layering  but  that  they  produce  structures  in  a  perfectly  normal  fashion. 
Layering  as  such,  in  the  sense  of  marking  out  particular  regions  of  the 
meristem  that  are  significant  morphogenetically,  seems  to  be  of  much 
less  importance  than  many  workers  have  regarded  it. 


Meristems 


63 


Fig.  4-9.  At  left,  shoot  apex  of  Abies  pectinata,  semidiagrammatic.  At  right,  diagram 
of  confocal  parabolas  as  postulated  by  Sachs  from  such  an  apex  as  that  of  Abies. 
( From  Sachs. ) 

Even  though  layering  may  not  be  of  primary  significance,  the  general 
pattern  formed  by  the  planes  of  cell  division  in  the  meristem  is  of  in- 
terest. Reinke  (1880)  and  Sachs  (1878)  many  years  ago  called  attention 
to  the  fact  that  the  divisions  approximately  at  right  angles  to  the  surface 
of  the  meristem  and  axis  and  those  parallel  to  it  tend,  if  extended,  to 
form  two  sets  of  essentially  parabolic  curves  with  a  common  focus 
just  below  the  apex  of  the  meristem  ( Fig.  4-9 ) .  This  somewhat  diagram- 
matic interpretation  of  the  situation  has  largely  been  neglected  by 
recent  writers.  Such  a  pattern  can  be  found  both  in  shoots  and  roots, 
however,  though  it  is  often  inconspicuous  in  small  meristems.  Foster 
( 1943 )  called  attention  to  the  observations  of  these  early  workers  in  his 
study  of  the  broad  apices  of  certain  cycads;  and  Schuepp,  both  in  his 
volume  on  meristems  ( 1926 )  and  in  a  later  paper  ( 1952 ) ,  has  emphasized 
it.  The  pattern  made  by  these  two  series  of  curves  is  modified  as  they 


V^2 


Fig.  4-10.  Diagram  of  longitudinal  section  of  broad  apical  shoot  meristem  of  Micro- 
cycas.  1,  initiation  zone;  2,  central  mother-cell  zone;  3,  peripheral  zone;  4,  zone  of  rib 
meristem.  Arrows  represent  lines  of  convergence  of  cells.  (From  Foster.) 


64 


Growth 


suffer  displacement,  transversely  and  longitudinally,  if  growth  is  more 
rapid  in  some  regions  and  directions  than  in  others.  In  such  broad 
apices  as  those  of  Microcycas,  the  normal  pattern  has  been  greatly 
modified  and  the  tip  flares  out  in  a  fan-like  fashion  (Fig.  4-10).  What 
these  facts  mean  morphogenetically  we  do  not  know,  but  they  show  that 
the  growing  apex  has  a  pattern  of  organization  which  develops  in  a  pre- 
cise fashion. 

The  shoot  meristem  is  by  no  means  homogeneous  or  structureless  in 
other  particulars.  In  recent  years  many  students  have  come  to  recognize 
a  rather  uniform  series  of  zones  within  it,  distinguished  not  primarily  by 
layers  or  planes  of  cell  division  but  by  differences  in  the  character  of 
their  cells.  A  general  survey  of  zonation  in  vascular  plants  has  been 
made  by  Popham  ( 1951 ) ,  who,  from  his  own  work  and  a  long  series  of 
published  descriptions  of  meristems,  has  grouped  them  into  seven  classes. 


Fig.  4-11.  Diagram  of  zonation  in  the  shoot  apex  of  Chrysanthemum  morifolium.  1, 
mantle  layer;  2,  central  mother-cell  zone;  3,  zone  of  cambium-like  cells;  4,  rib  meri- 
stem; 5,  peripheral  zone.  (From  Popham  and  Chun.) 

In  the  vascular  cryptogams  there  are  one  or  more  apical  cells  or  a  sur- 
face meristem,  with  tissues  below  sometimes  differentiating  into  a  cen- 
tral and  a  peripheral  meristem.  Among  seed  plants,  four  or  five  zones 
can  be  seen  (Fig.  4-11).  These  are  a  surface  zone,  or  mantle,  including 
two  to  several  cell  layers  and  corresponding  roughly  to  the  tunica;  a 
zone  of  subapical  mother  cells,  irregular  in  shape,  often  rather  highly 
vacuolate  and  dividing  less  rapidly  than  the  surrounding  ones;  a  central 
zone  giving  rise  to  the  rib  meristem  and  pith;  and  a  peripheral  zone  just 
outside  this,  producing  cortex  and  procambial  tissue.  In  some  plants, 
just  below  the  mother-cell  zone  there  is  a  somewhat  cup-shaped  arc  of 
cells  stretching  across  the  axis,  the  cambium-like  zone.  Popham  and 
Chan  ( 1950 )  and  Popham  ( 1958 )  have  described  a  typical  case  of  this 
last  type.  The  particular  functions  of  these  zones  are  not  well  understood 


Meristems  65 

but  they  doubtless  differ  physiologically.  The  subapical  mother-cell  zone 
is  perhaps  comparable  to  a  somewhat  similar  region  in  the  root  (p.  78) 
where  the  rate  of  protein  synthesis  is  lower  than  in  surrounding  cells. 

An  attempt  to  follow  cellular  changes  at  the  surface  of  living  shoot 
apices  has  been  made  by  Newman  ( 1956),  using  Tropaeolum  and  Coleus. 
By  an  ingenious  technique  he  was  able  to  follow  and  draw,  for  as  long 
as  9  days,  the  divisions  of  individual  surface  cells.  At  the  very  tip  of  the 
meristem  he  observed  that  divisions  were  frequent  and  believes  that  in 
this  region  there  is  a  small  group  of  cells  that  may  be  regarded  as  apical 
cells.  His  results  fail  to  confirm  those  of  Lance  (1952),  who  reported 
that  divisions  were  infrequent  at  the  very  apex,  as  Plantefol's  theory 
(p.  156)  assumes. 

There  is  a  considerable  literature  dealing  with  the  structure  of  the  shoot 
meristem  in  particular  plants  and  under  different  conditions.  Much  of 
this  has  morphogenetic  interest.  Cutter  (1955),  for  example,  finds  that 
the  organization  of  shoot  apices  in  eight  saprophytic  and  parasitic  species 
of  angiosperms  is  essentially  like  that  in  plants  with  normal  nutrition. 
Boke  in  a  series  of  papers  (1955  and  earlier)  described  the  stem  apices 
and  shoot  histogenesis  in  a  series  of  xerophytes,  especially  Cactaceae. 
Stant  ( 1954 )  compared  the  shape  of  the  shoot  meristem  in  five  species 
of  monocotyledons  and  found  a  relationship  between  this  character  and 
the  growth  habit  of  the  plant.  In  general,  where  the  meristem  is  long 
and  narrow,  as  in  Elodea,  the  plant  has  well-developed  internodes.  Where 
it  is  relatively  short  and  wide,  as  in  Narcissus,  the  stem  is  much  reduced 
and  the  internodes  very  short.  The  size  of  the  apical  dome  is  essentially 
the  same  in  cucurbits  with  large  fruits  as  in  those  with  small  fruits,  and 
differences  in  organ  size  do  not  appear  until  a  short  distance  below  the 
tip  of  the  meristem  (von  Maltzahn,  1957).  The  difference  between  the  sin- 
gle-gene maize  mutant  "corn  grass"  and  normal  corn  arises  in  the 
meristem,  the  mutant  having  a  relatively  larger  meristem  and  a  more 
rapid  production  of  leaf  primordia  (Whaley  and  Leech,  1950).  Bouffa 
and  Gunckel  (1951)  examined  54  species  of  Bosaceae  but  found  no  sig- 
nificant relation  between  the  number  of  tunica  layers  and  the  taxonomic 
position  of  the  plant.  The  development  of  the  shoot  meristem  from  its 
early  appearance  in  the  embryo  has  been  studied  by  various  workers 
(Beeve,  1948;  Spurr,  1949;  and  others). 

The  implications  of  results  from  the  study  of  the  shoot  apex  for 
morphological  problems,  especially  the  nature  of  the  leaf,  have  been 
considered  by  various  observers.  Philipson  (1949)  believes  that  the  evi- 
dence from  this  source  supports  the  idea  that  the  leaf  is  an  enation  and 
not  a  consolidated  branch  system. 

Leaf  primordia  are  formed  in  regular  sequence  below  the  dome  of  the 
shoot  apex,  and  it  is  here  that  many  of  the  structural  characters  of  the 


66 


Growth 


plant  seem  to  be  determined.  The  period  between  the  initiation  of  two 
primordia  (or  two  pairs,  if  the  leaves  are  opposite)  is  termed  a  plasto- 
chron  (Askenasy,  1880;  Schmidt,  1924).  These  periodic  changes  in  the 
meristem  can  be  seen  best  in  opposite-leaved  forms.  As  the  two  primordia 
begin  to  appear,  the  apical  dome  between  them  becomes  relatively  flat. 
When  they  have  developed  further  but  before  another  pair  appears,  the 
dome  bulges  upward  again  and  reaches  its  maximal  surface  area.  In  the 
lower  vascular  plants  the  primordium  arises  from  one  or  more  of  the 
surface  cells  of  the  meristem  but  in  the  higher  ones  it  develops  as  a 
swelling  on  the  side  of  the  apex  at  the  base  of  the  dome,  generally  as 
the  result  of  periclinal  divisions  in  one  or  more  layers  below  the  surface 
one.  The  term  plastochron  index,  for  the  interval  between  corresponding 
stages  of  successive  leaves,  has  been  proposed  (Erickson  and  Michelini, 


Shoot    Tip   during     Rutmg      Prion 


Shoot    Tip    during    Second    Growth    Phatt 


Fig.  4-12.  Diagram  of  shoot  tip  of  Abies  concolor.  At  left,  during  resting  phase.  At 
right,  during  second  growth  phase.  That  portion  of  the  shoot  apex  above  plane  abed, 
which  marks  the  level  of  the  youngest  leaf  primordium,  has  a  very  different  zonal 
topography  in  the  two  stages.  1,  zone  of  apical  initials;  2,  mother-cell  zone;  3, 
peripheral  zone;  4,  zone  of  central  tissue.  (  From  Parke. ) 

1957 )  as  a  better  measure  of  the  stage  of  development  of  a  growing  shoot 
than  is  its  chronological  age.  In  many  plants  the  shape  and  structure  of 
the  meristem  change  somewhat  with  the  season  (Parke,  1959;  Fig.  4-12). 

The  phyllotaxy  of  a  shoot  is  determined  by  the  arrangement  of  the 
leaf  primordia  around  the  axis.  This  phyllotactic  pattern  has  been  studied 
developmentally  in  the  meristem,  both  through  observation  and  experi- 
ment, by  a  number  of  workers  (Chap.  7).  The  regularity  and  precision 
with  which  the  leaf  primordia  arise  at  the  shoot  apex  are  evidence  that 
this  region  has  a  high  degree  of  organization. 

Branches  are  formed  from  meristems  arising  in  the  axils  of  the  leaf 
primordia.  They  are  at  first  much  smaller  than  the  main  apical  meristem 
but  do  not  differ  essentially  from  it.  Whether  the  potentially  meristematic 
tissue  here  will  grow  into  buds  and  whether  these  buds  will  produce 
branches  are  dependent  in  most  cases  on  the  stimulatory  or  inhibitory 


Meristems 


67 


influence  of  auxin  or  other  growth  substances  (p.  386).  The  development 
of  axillary  buds  has  been  discussed  by  Sharman  (1945)  and  by  Garrison 
(1955),  who  finds  that  they  originate  from  a  region  of  residual  meristem. 
After  the  organization  of  an  apical  meristem  in  the  bud,  the  procambial 
strands  develop  acropetally  into  the  leaf  primordia,  as  does  the  phloem. 
Xylem  forms  at  several  loci  and  develops  in  both  acropetal  and  basipetal 

directions  (p.  204). 

When  the  shoot  is  producing  leaves,  the  meristematic  dome  is  relatively 
low  and  rounded  but  when  flower  buds  begin  to  be  formed  it  becomes 
steeper  and  more  elongate.  Flowers  arise  as  modified  branches,  and  the 
floral  parts  develop  from  a  series  of  primordia  (Fig.  4-13).  In  the  forma- 


<2 


Fig.  4-13.  Longitudinal  section  through  young  inflorescence,  showing  stages  in  de- 
velopment of  floral  primordia.  i,  bract;  t,  trace  to  primordium;  v,  procambial  strand. 
Most  active  meristematic  areas  are  stippled.  (From  Philipson.) 

tion  of  more  complex  inflorescences,  however,  the  meristem  changes 
markedly.  Since  growth  in  length  usually  ceases  at  this  time,  what  is 
formed  is  essentially  a  determinate  structure  rather  than  an  indeterminate 
one  like  that  of  the  vegetative  shoot.  What  its  character  will  be  is  de- 
cided by  the  size  and  number  of  the  flowers  and  the  character  of  the 
inflorescence.  Various  factors,  notably  the  carbohydrate-nitrogen  ratio 
and  the  photoperiod,  determine  whether  the  meristem  forms  vegetative 
or  reproductive  structures  (p.  184).  For  accounts  of  the  development  of 
the  reproductive  apex,  see  papers  by  Gregoire  (1938),  Philipson  (1948), 
Gifford  and  Wetmore  (1957),  and  others. 

The  shoot  meristem  is  not  constant  in  size  but  changes  during  de- 
velopment. In  the  young  embryo  it  is  very  small,  and  it  enlarges  as  the 


68  Growth 

plant  grows.  At  the  onset  of  reproductive  maturity  or  at  the  end  of  the 
life  cycle  it  often  becomes  reduced  again  in  size.  In  maize,  a  plant 
essentially  determinate  in  its  growth,  Abbe  and  his  colleagues  (1951a, 
1951b,  1954)  have  studied  the  size  of  the  apical  shoot  meristem  (above 
the  first  leaf  primordia)  and  the  size  and  number  of  its  cells  as  these 
change  with  time.  In  plastochrons  7  to  14  (the  seedling  stage  until  just 
before  flowering)  the  apex  increases  by  a  constant  amount  in  each 
plastochron  but  the  duration  of  the  plastochron  decreases  exponentially, 
from  a  length  of  4.7  days  to  one  of  0.5  day.  Cell  size  is  essentially  con- 
stant throughout,  so  that  all  growth  is  by  cell  multiplication.  The  growth 
rate  per  plastochron  accelerates  exponentially.  In  the  five  or  six  plasto- 
chrons during  early  embryogeny,  on  the  contrary,  the  duration  of  suc- 
cessive plastochrons  increases  and  the  growth  rate  of  the  apex  decreases. 

Sunderland  and  Brown  (1956)  have  determined  the  cell  number  and 
average  cell  volume  in  the  meristematic  dome  and  the  first  seven 
primordia  and  internodes,  back  from  the  apex,  in  the  shoot  of  Lupinus. 
The  primordia  increase  exponentially  in  successive  plastochrons  but  there 
is  little  increase  in  cell  volume  in  the  internodes. 

Cell  shape  in  the  shoot  apex  of  Anacharis  (Elodea)  has  been  studied 
by  Matzke  and  Duffy  (1955)  with  particular  reference  to  the  number 
of  faces.  These  range  from  9  to  21  and  are  in  general  agreement  with 
the  shape  of  cells  in  other  undifferentiated  tissues. 

For  a  statement  of  conditions  in  the  apical  meristem  of  the  shoot  in 
ferns  the  reader  is  referred  to  Wardlaw  (1945).  This  author  has  also 
published  an  extensive  series  of  papers  on  experimental  and  analytical 
studies  of  pteridophytes,  many  of  which  are  cited  in  his  books  (1952«, 
1952&)  and  in  later  papers  by  himself  and  his  colleagues.  The  shoot 
meristems  of  gymnosperms  are  described  by  Camefort  (1956)  and  John- 
son ( 1951 ) .  General  accounts  of  this  region  in  the  angiosperms,  with  re- 
views of  the  literature,  have  been  written  by  Foster  ( 1939,  1949 ) ,  Sif ton 
(1944),  Philipson  (1949,  1954),  Popham  (1951),  Buvat  (1952),  and 
Gifford  (1954). 

The  ontogeny  of  a  typical  shoot  apex  (Xanthium)  has  been  described 
in  detail  by  Millington  and  Fisk  (1956). 

EXPERIMENTAL  STUDIES  ON  THE  SHOOT  APEX 

Early  work  on  the  shoot  apex  was  primarily  descriptive,  and  much  of 
this  still  continues.  It  has  been  concerned  with  apical  cells,  planes  of 
division,  cell  lineages,  layering,  zonation,  and  the  relations  of  the  meri- 
stem to  differentiation  and  organ  formation.  This  work  has  been  of  great 
value  morphogenetically  for  it  has  provided  a  fund  of  information  as  to 
the  structure  and   developmental  activity  of  this   determinative  region 


Meristems  69 

of  the  plant,  but  it  has  yielded  little  knowledge  of  the  meristem  as  a 
living  and  functioning  center  of  morphogenetic  activity. 

In  recent  years,  however,  an  increasing  number  of  workers  have  used 
experimental  methods  to  attack  the  problems  of  the  meristem  with 
techniques  like  those  which  have  proved  so  fruitful  in  the  experimental 
embryology  of  animals  (Wetmore  and  Wardlaw,  1951).  This  part  of  the 
plant  is  a  perpetually  embryonic  region  and  thus  offers  many  advantages 
for  work  of  this  sort.  Most  shoot  meristems  are  minute,  however,  and  so 
enfolded  by  protective  structures  that  experimental  work  upon  them  has 
had  to  await  the  development  of  specialized  techniques.  Means  for  direct 
operative  attack  on  the  meristem  have  now  been  developed  and  have 
begun  to  yield  valuable  results.  In  this  work  the  Snows,  Wardlaw,  Ball, 
Wetmore,  and  their  colleagues  have  been  particularly  active.  The  methods 
of  tissue  culture  have  recently  added  a  wealth  of  information.  Biochemi- 
cal analysis  by  means  of  experiments  with  growth  substances,  chromato- 
graphic techniques,  and  other  methods  is  yielding  further  knowledge 
of  meristem  physiology.  This  experimental  work  has  powerfully  supple- 
mented earlier  descriptive  studies. 

Direct  operations  on  the  meristem  involve  procedures  of  much  delicacy 
and  are  performed  under  a  lens  by  tiny  scalpels.  Pilkington  ( 1929 )  seems 
to  have  been  the  first  to  do  such  work.  She  split  the  meristem  of  Lupinus 
down  the  middle  and  found  that  each  half  regenerated  a  normal  meri- 
stem so  that  the  original  axis  was  now  divided  into  two  branches.  Ball 
( 1948 ) ,  also  using  Lupinus,  divided  the  meristem  into  four  parts 
longitudinally  and  each  of  the  four,  by  regenerative  development,  was 
able  to  produce  a  normal  shoot.  Later  ( 1952a )  he  went  still  further  and 
split  the  meristem  into  six  strips.  Each  of  these,  unless  it  was  below  a 
minimum  size,  regenerated  a  new  meristem  and  shoot,  though  leaf  for- 
mation was  somewhat  delayed  and  vascular  tissue  was  poorly  differen- 
tiated until  leaves  had  developed. 

A  major  problem  here  is  to  find  to  what  extent  the  meristematic  tip  is 
autonomous  and  thus  independent  from  the  tissues  below  it  in  develop- 
ment. In  a  fern,  Dryopteris,  Wardlaw  (1947  and  other  papers)  isolated 
the  apical  meristem  from  the  adjacent  leaf  primordia  by  four  longi- 
tudinal incisions  (Fig.  4-14).  It  was  thus  continuous  with  the  rest  of  the 
plant  only  by  the  parenchyma  of  the  pith  below  it,  all  the  vascular  tissue 
having  been  severed.  Despite  this  isolation,  the  meristem  continued  to 
grow  and  to  produce  leaf  primordia  and  leaves.  Whatever  material  en- 
tered it  came  through  undifferentiated  parenchyma.  Provascular  tissue 
was  developed  below  the  tip  but  this  did  not  make  connection  with  the 
vascular  bundles  in  the  stem  below. 

Ball  ( 1948 )  did  much  the  same  thing  in  Lupinus,  isolating  the  central 
axis  of  the  meristem  by  four  deep  incisions.  In  this  axis,  however  (unlike 


70 


Growth 


all  cases  studied  in  the  ferns),  vascular  bundles  were  regenerated  in  the 
former  pith  tissue  and  became  connected  basipetally  with  the  vascular 
system  of  the  axis  below.  A  normal  shoot  was  thus  restored.  Similar 
results  were  obtained  by  Wardlaw  (1950)  with  Primula.  Furthermore, 
Ball  ( 1946 )  succeeded  in  growing  complete  plants  from  isolated  apices 
in  sterile  culture,  and  this  has  now  been  done  repeatedly  in  other  cases, 
both  with  ferns  and  seed  plants  ( see  Wetmore,  1954 ) . 

As  a  result  of  such  experiments  it  is  now  generally  agreed  that  the 
shoot  apex  is  totipotent  and  independent  of  the  rest  of  the  plant.  This  is 
hardly  surprising  since  many— perhaps  all— cells  are  totipotent  under 
favorable  conditions.  The  subjacent  tissue  must  have  some  influence  on 
the  apex,  however,  since  from  below  there  come  into  it  not  only  water 


Fig.  4-14.  Longitudinal  median  section  through  the  stem  apex  of  Dryopteris,  show- 
ing how  the  region  around  the  apical  cell  ( a )  has  been  isolated  by  deep  cuts  extend- 
ing through  the  vascular  tissue  (v.t. ).  (From  Wardlaw.) 

and  nutrient  materials  but  specific  substances  of  morphogenetic  im- 
portance. The  induction  of  flower  buds  at  the  meristem,  for  example, 
results  from  a  hormone  brought  thither  from  the  leaves.  There  evidently 
must  be  a  reciprocal  relation  between  the  shoot  meristem  and  the  axis 
below  it  for  both  are  parts  of  the  same  integrated  organic  system. 

The  shoot  apex  has  a  morphogenetic  role  which  goes  beyond  regenera- 
tion, however,  for  it  exerts  a  strong  influence  on  the  differentiation  of 
tissues  and  organs  in  the  region  adjacent  to  it.  By  a  long  series  of  ex- 
periments reported  in  many  papers  (see  Wardlaw,  1952a,  1952/7,  and 
Cutter,  1958)  Wardlaw  and  his  colleagues  have  made  important  con- 
tributions to  a  knowledge  of  this  differentiation.  Much  of  the  work  was 
done  on  the  apical  meristems  of  ferns.  In  Dryopteris,  Wardlaw  (1949&) 
determined   the   region   where   the   next   leaf  primordium    would   arise 


Meristems  71 

(through  its  place  in  the  phyllotactic  series)  and  then  isolated  it  from 
the  apical  cell  by  a  deep  tangential  cut.  Under  these  conditions  a  bud 
rather  than  a  leaf  primordium  developed.  Evidently  some  influence  com- 
ing from  the  apex  determines  whether  a  new  lateral  outgrowth  will  form 
the  dorsiventral  primordium  of  a  leaf  or  the  radially  symmetrical,  po- 
tentially indeterminate  one  of  a  bud,  a  discovery  of  much  importance 
not  only  morphogenetically  but  morphologically.  Cutter  (1956)  has 
found  that  the  three  youngest  primordia  respond  in  the  same  way  but 
that  older  ones  do  not.  These  same  young  primordial  areas  (in  Osmunda) 
if  excised  and  grown  in  culture  will  form  buds  and  finally  mature 
plants,  whereas  the  older  areas,  if  cultured,  will  grow  into  typical  leaves 
(Steeves  and  Sussex,  1957).  There  is  evidently  a  point  before  which  the 
lateral  structure  has  the  potentiality  to  form  either  a  bud  or  a  leaf,  but 
after  a  certain  early  stage  has  been  reached  its  fate  is  determined. 

Wardlaw  has  extended  these  studies  further  (1956a,  b).  When  in- 
cisions between  apex  and  primordium  were  so  shallow  that  the  pre- 
vascular  strands  were  not  cut,  a  leaf  primordium  still  developed,  sug- 
gesting that  this  incipient  vascular  tissue  is  a  pathway  for  morphogenetic 
stimuli.  When  deep  cuts  were  made  on  the  radial  and  obaxial  sides  of  a 
primordium  site,  thus  without  isolating  it  from  the  apex,  a  leaf  grew  from 
it,  but  this  usually  showed  abnormally  rapid  growth. 

In  flowering  plants  results  like  these  were  not  obtained,  for  isolated 
primordia  do  not  develop  into  buds  but  into  dorsiventral  leaves  or 
radially  symmetrical  leaf-like  structures  (Sussex,  1955).  However,  Cutter 
(1958)  found  that  in  Nymphaea  and  Nuphar  (favorable  material  be- 
cause of  their  large  meristems),  although  tangential  cuts  separating  a 
primordium  from  the  apex  did  not  change  it  to  a  bud,  buds  under  these 
conditions  were  formed  more  often  and  very  close  to  the  primordium. 
The  critical  time  for  the  determination  of  the  fate  of  a  primordium  thus 
seems  to  be  earlier  in  flowering  plants  than  in  ferns. 

The  problem  of  phyllotaxy  is  closely  related  to  conditions  at  the  meri- 
stem,  for  the  arrangement  of  the  leaves  is  presumably  determined  by 
the  distribution  of  their  primordia.  This  subject  will  be  discussed  more 
fully  in  the  chapter  on  Symmetry,  but  it  should  be  mentioned  here  that 
the  experimental  work  of  the  Snows  and  of  Wardlaw  on  the  factors  that 
determine  where  a  given  primordium  shall  arise  has  yielded  much  in- 
formation. It  is  evident  that  the  apex  has  an  important  influence  on  the 
differentiation  of  primordia,  but  whether  the  exact  determination  of  the 
position  of  these  structures  results  from  chemical,  mechanical,  or  geomet- 
rical factors  is  still  not  clear.  Experimental  manipulation  of  the  meristem 
is  a  hopeful  way  of  approaching  this  problem  directly. 

The  differentiation  of  vascular  tissue  seems  to  depend  on  a  stimulus, 
probably  a  growth  substance,  passing  basipetally  from  the  apex.   The 


72  Growth 

influence  of  buds  on  the  production  of  vascular  tissue  below  them  is 
well  known.  When  growth  of  an  adventitious  bud  is  induced  in  the  epi- 
dermis, for  example,  a  vascular  strand  usually  differentiates  in  the  paren- 
chymatous tissue  below  it  which  establishes  connection  with  the  vascular 
tissue  of  the  leaf  or  stem  (p.  245).  More  direct  experimental  evidence  on 
this  problem  is  available  from  other  sources.  When  Camus  (1944,  1949) 
grafted  a  bud  of  endive  into  root  callus  in  culture,  provascular  strands 
were  formed  below  it.  Camus  attributes  this  to  the  effect  of  auxin  (and 
possibly  other  substances)  produced  by  the  bud.  Wetmore  and  Sorokin 
(1955)  and  Wetmore  (1956)  have  shown  much  the  same  effects  from 
lilac  buds  grafted  into  lilac  callus  in  culture.  Here  the  amount  of 
provascular  tissue  induced  in  the  callus  below  was  much  increased  if 
auxin  was  also  added. 

Wardlaw  ( 1952c )  has  called  attention  to  the  important  effects  on  stelar 
structure  which  are  related  to  the  strength  of  the  meristematic  stimulus 
in  the  development  of  vascular  structures.  When  leaf  primordia  in  ferns 
are  removed,  gaps  in  the  vascular  ring  below  are  much  reduced.  In  this 
way  it  was  possible  to  transform  the  axis  of  the  normally  dictyostelic 
Dryopteris  into  a  solenostelic  form  with  a  continuous  ring.  By  further 
reducing  the  size  of  the  meristem  through  isolating  it  on  a  small  piece  of 
tissue,  even  a  protostelic  condition  was  produced.  The  basis  for  such  im- 
portant morphological  differences  thus  seems  to  be  in  the  degree  of  de- 
velopment of  the  meristem. 

In  recent  years  the  physiology  of  these  tiny  shoot  apices  has  also  begun 
to  be  investigated.  Growth  substances  are  evidently  synthesized  there, 
but  just  what  these  are  and  how  they  act  are  still  not  known.  Ball  ( 1944 ) 
found  that  when  auxin  in  paste  was  applied  to  the  meristem  apex  of 
Tropaeolum  no  changes  were  produced  in  it,  presumably  because  of  the 
large  amount  of  native  auxin  present;  but  below  the  tip  hypertrophied 
tissues,  multiple  leaves,  and  abnormal  development  of  vascular  tissue 
appeared.  The  role  of  growth  substances  at  the  meristem  involves  many 
important  problems  in  plant  physiology  and  morphogenesis  (Chap. 
18). 

By  use  of  the  techniques  of  paper  chromatography,  information  is 
being  gained  as  to  the  biochemistry  and  particularly  the  nitrogenous 
components  of  apical  meristems.  Some  of  the  pioneer  work  here  is  de- 
scribed by  Steward  and  others  (1954,  1955)  and  by  Wetmore  (1954). 
The  meristematic  region  is  well  supplied  with  free  amino  acids.  The 
basic  ones,  arginine  and  lysine,  are  more  abundant  in  the  tip  of  the 
meristem  than  in  tissues  farther  back,  in  the  primordia,  leaves,  and 
stem.  A  substantial  beginning  has  been  made  toward  a  knowledge  of 
the  distribution  of  these  substances  and  similar  ones,  as  well  as  of  DNA 
and  various  enzymes,  throughout  the  meristematic  region  and  at   dif- 


Meristems  73 

ferent  stages  in  its  development.  Something  is  thus  being  learned  about 
the  chemical  as  well  as  the  histological  organization  of  the  shoot  apex. 

The  techniques  of  tissue  culture  have  also  proved  to  be  very  useful  for 
a  knowledge  of  meristem  physiology.  It  has  been  found  (Wetmore, 
1954),  for  example,  that  the  shoot  apex  of  vascular  cryptogams,  when  cul- 
tured with  only  inorganic  substances  and  sucrose,  will  produce  entire 
plants  but  that  they  will  grow  better  if  supplied  with  auxin  and  some 
nitrogen  source  other  than  nitrates.  Angiosperm  apices  (Syringa),  how- 
ever, will  not  grow  in  this  simple  medium,  but  if  coconut  milk  and  casein 
hydrolysate  are  added,  the  tips  root,  and  growth  is  much  better.  When  in 
the  culture  medium  the  same  amino  acids  and  amides  are  provided,  and 
in  the  same  proportions,  as  are  found  in  meristem  tissue,  growth  is  still 
very  slow  and  far  from  normal.  Evidently  something  more  is  necessary. 

Wetmore's  demonstration  (1954)  that  when  apices  of  sporeling  ferns 
are  cultured  with  successively  higher  concentrations  of  sucrose  the  leaves 
that  they  produce  correspond  to  those  formed  in  progressive  stages  of 
normal  ontogeny  (p.  222)  shows  the  important  morphogenetic  and  mor- 
phological implications  of  nutritional  factors. 

The  rates  of  metabolic  processes  in  the  shoot  apex  have  also  been  in- 
vestigated. Ball  and  Boell  (1944),  using  the  Cartesian-diver  technique 
by  which  it  is  possible  to  measure  the  rate  of  respiration  in  tiny  bits  of 
living  tissue,  compared  this  rate  in  the  apical  dome  of  cells,  the  region 
just  below  this  where  the  first  primordia  are  appearing,  and  a  third  region 
below  this  (Fig.  4-15).  In  Lupinus,  respiration  was  most  active  at  the  tip 
and  progressively  less  so  below.  In  Tropoeolum,  however,  there  was  less 
respiration  in  the  extreme  tip  than  in  the  region  below  it.  The  occurrence 
of  a  descending  metabolic  gradient  in  the  plant  apex  thus  seems  not  to 
be  universal. 

These  various  experimental  studies  on  the  shoot  meristem  have  directed 
attention  even  more  strongly  to  this  embryonic  region.  Many  believe  that 
it  is  of  primary  importance  for  development  and  that  in  it  the  major 
problems  of  morphogenesis,  at  least  as  far  as  the  shoot  system  of  vascular 
plants  is  concerned,  come  sharply  to  focus.  This  conclusion  is  supported 
by  the  facts  that  the  apex  is  autonomous,  a  small  portion  of  the  tip  of  it 
being  able  to  produce  an  entire  plant;  and  that  if  it  is  removed,  the 
development  of  the  tissues  below  it  finally  stops.  It  is  recognized,  how- 
ever, that  certain  structures,  such  as  leaf  primordia  beyond  a  certain 
stage,  are  partially  removed  from  its  control  since  they  will  develop  in- 
dependently in  culture  and  are  thus  self-differentiating. 

Ball  has  compared  the  shoot  apex  to  an  organizer  such  as  has  been 
postulated  in  animal  embryology.  Such,  in  a  sense,  it  is,  but  the  com- 
parison is  not  very  exact  since  the  organizer  is  a  part  of  the  embryo 
which  controls   the  development  of  the  rest,   wheeras   the   shoot   apex 


74 


Growth 


corresponds  to  the  whole  embryo  itself  and  thus  to  the  organism  in  minia- 
ture. Recent  work  shows  more  and  more  clearly  that  the  apex  is  an 
organized  system  ( Wardlaw,  1953b,  1957a )  with  a  structure  that  is  not 
only  histologically  but  biochemically  integrated.  Before  this  structure 
can  control  development  it  must  itself  develop.  Growth  of  the  meristem 


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o 


HOURS 


Fig.  4-15.  Lupinus  alhus,  left,  and  Tropaeolum  majus,  right.  Below,  location  of  A,  B, 
and  C  pieces  in  the  two  shoot  apices.  Above,  oxygen  consumption  of  these  three 
pieces  in  milliliters  of  02,  at  successive  hours  in  the  apparatus.  In  Lupinus  there  is  a 
gradient  from  A  to  C  but  in  Tropaeolum  the  oxygen  consumption  is  greater  in  B  than 
in  A.  ( From  Ball  and  Boell. ) 


precedes  that  from  the  meristem.  The  initiation  of  a  meristem  may  take 
place  in  various  ways— from  the  tip  of  a  young  embryo,  from  adventitious 
buds  by  regeneration,  or  from  groups  of  cells  or  even  single  cells— but  in 
every  case  from  simple  and  undifferentiated  tissue. 

A  study  of  the  origin  of  meristematic  centers  within  masses  of  tissue 


Meristems  75 

in  culture  promises  to  be  enlightening.  Here  Steward  and  his  collabora- 
tors (1958)  have  done  some  significant  work.  They  were  able  to  grow 
in  culture  dissociated  phloem  cells  from  the  root  of  carrot.  Some  of  these 
produced  multicellular  masses.  When  a  mass  reached  a  certain  size  there 
formed  in  it  a  sheath  of  cambium-like  cells  enclosing  a  nest  of  lignified 
elements  such  as  often  is  found  in  tissue  cultures.  In  this  spherical 
nodule  there  developed  a  root  meristem  and  then  a  shoot  initial  opposite 
it.  Thus  an  embryo-like  structure  was  formed  which  was  able  to  grow 
into  an  entire  normal  carrot  plant.  Steward  emphasizes  the  fact  that  the 
change  from  random  cell  multiplication  to  organized  development  and 
the  formation  of  meristems  comes  only  after  the  group  of  inner  cells  has 
become  enclosed  by  a  wall  of  outer  ones  which  cuts  it  off  from  direct 
access  to  the  coconut-milk  medium  outside  and  subjects  these  inner  cells 
to  physical  and  presumably  physiological  restraints.  Before  this  happens 
they  multiply  irregularly  and  form  simply  an  unorganized  callus-like 
mass.  Such  studies  open  up  an  important  line  of  attack  on  the  problem 
of  the  origin  of  organized  meristems.  It  will  not  be  possible  to  understand 
the  role  of  meristems  in  development  until  we  learn  through  experiments 
like  these  how  such  an  organized  apical  system  comes  into  being. 

THE  ROOT  APEX 

The  apical  meristem  of  the  root  differs  in  several  respects  from  that  of 
the  shoot.  It  is  relatively  short,  the  elongating  region  of  the  root  rarely 
exceeding  a  millimeter  in  length.  No  lateral  organs  have  their  origin  at 
the  apex,  and  thus  there  are  no  rhythmic  changes  here  as  in  the  shoot. 
The  lateral  roots  arise  farther  back,  in  the  pericycle,  and  push  out 
through  the  cortex.  The  apical  meristem  produces  not  only  the  structures 
of  the  root  itself  but,  from  its  outer  surface,  the  root  cap,  or  calyptra. 
Root  meristems  received  much  attention  in  the  early  work  of  Eriksson 
(1878),  Flahault  (1878),  Holle  (1876),  Janczewski  (1874),  and  van 
Tieghem  and  Douliot  (1888). 

In  those  lower  vascular  plants  where  shoot  growth  is  centered  in  an 
apical  cell,  the  root  grows  in  the  same  way  (Fig.  4-2).  In  the  higher 
plants,  however,  although  there  is  a  meristem  which  is  in  many  respects 
like  that  of  the  shoot,  there  is  less  uniformity  in  its  organization.  In 
most  roots  there  are  seen  well-marked  layers  and  to  these  some  workers 
have  applied  Hanstein's  terminology.  The  direct  origin  of  particular  tis- 
sues from  particular  layers  is  not  uniform,  and  the  same  objections  to 
regarding  the  layers  as  histogenetic  ones  may  be  made  as  for  the  shoot. 
The  presence  of  the  root  cap  prevents  smooth  and  continuous  layering 
over  the  root  apex,  and  this  is  probably  the  reason  why  periclinal  chi- 
meras are  not  found  in  roots. 


76 


Growth 


In  many  forms  growth  seems  to  be  centered  in  a  small  group  of  cells. 
Brumfield  (1943)  produced  specific  chromosomal  changes  in  root-tip 
cells  of  Crepis  and  Vicia  by  X  radiation  which  could  be  recognized  in 
the  descendants  of  these  cells  farther  back  along  the  root.  They  were 
found  to  form  wedge-shaped  sectors  of  the  entire  root,  including  parts 
of  the  root  cap,  epidermis,  cortex,  and  vascular  cylinder  (p.  268).  Such  a 
sector  usually  occupied  about  a  third  of  the  area  of  the  root  cross  section, 
and  Brumfield  concluded  that  there  were  about  three  cells  at  the  tip  from 


Fig.  4-16.  Longitudinal  diagram  of  root  development  as  observed  by  Williams.  The 
tissues  all  arise  from  a  small  group  of  cells  at  the  very  tip.  1,  epidermis;  2,  hypo- 
dermis;  3,  endodermis;  4,  pericycle;  5,  mitotic  figure;  6,  young  cortical  cells;  7,  stelar 
initials;  8,  dermatogen;  9,  metaxylem  initial.  B,  C,  D,  transverse  diagrams  showing 
origin  of  cortical  cells  from  a  single  cell  of  the  endodermis.  ( From  B.  C.  Williams. ) 

which  all  the  tissues  of  the  root  were  derived,  though  these  cells  could 
not  be  recognized  in  sections  of  the  root  apex.  Von  Guttenberg  ( 1947 ) 
later  presented  evidence  from  a  considerable  variety  of  dicotyledonous 
plants  that  there  is  a  single  apical  cell  that  gives  rise  to  the  whole  root 
and  which  thus  is  comparable  to  the  apical  cell  of  lower  vascular  plants, 
but  this  has  received  little  confirmation. 

Popham  (  1955a  )  found  in  Pisum  sativum  a  transverse  row  of  meri- 
stematic  initials  across  the  root  apex  that  gives  rise  to  all  the  tissues  of 
the  root  and  the  cap,  and  Clowes  (1954)  observed  a  somewhat  similar 


Meristems 


77 


condition  in  Zea.  Both  these  workers  believe  that  Brumfield's  results  can 
better  be  explained  on  the  assumption  of  such  a  small  meristematic  cen- 
ter than  of  a  group  of  apical  cells,  thus  far  unobserved.  Clowes  ( 1950 ) 
found  meristematic  layers  in  the  root  tip  of  Fagus  that  seemed  discrete 
enough  to  be  called  histogens. 

Williams  (1947)  observed  in  many  roots  of  vascular  plants  a  rather 
simple  pattern  of  development.  The  epidermis,  hypodermis,  and  endo- 
dermis  could  all  be  traced  back  to  a  small  group  of  cells  at  the  very  tip  of 
the  plerome.  The  endodermal  row,  coming  from  this,  gives  rise  by  re- 


Fig.  4-17.  Phleum  root  tip.  Graph  showing  rate  of  root  elongation  (A),  average 
length  of  epidermal  cells  (B),  and  new  transverse  cell  walls  (C),  at  various  distances 
from  the  root  tip.  ( From  Goodwin  and  Stepka. ) 

peated  tangential  divisions  to  the  cortex.  This  accounts  for  the  fact  that 
the  cortex,  particularly  in  its  inner  layers,  is  often  made  up  of  radial  rows 
of  cells  (Fig.  4-16).  A  second  small  group  of  cells,  just  below  the  plerome 
tip,  produces  all  the  stelar  tissues.  The  progress  of  cell  division,  par- 
ticularly in  the  surface  layer  and  the  cortex,  was  followed  by  Wagner 
( 1937 )  by  means  of  tracing  cell  groups,  or  "complexes,"  each  of  which 
had  descended  from  a  single  meristematic  cell.  Sinnott  and  Bloch  (1939) 
studied  cell  division  in  living  root  tips  of  small-seeded  grasses  by  camera- 
lucida  drawings.  Brumfield   (1942)   continued  this  work  by  the  use  of 


78  Growth 

photography,  and  the  situation  was  analyzed  more  fully  by  Goodwin  and 
Stepka  (1945;  Fig.  4-17)  and  Goodwin  and  Avers  (1956).  Erickson  and 
Goddard  (1951)  used  still  more  refined  photographic  methods.  The  lo- 
cation and  rate  of  cell  division  in  the  root  offer  problems  of  considerable 
complexity. 

There  are  a  number  of  developmental  patterns  in  the  root  apices  of 
seed  plants.  They  have  been  classified  into  various  "types"  by  Janczewski 
(1874),  Kroll  (1912),  and  Schuepp  (1926).  These  are  well  described 
in  Esau  ( 1953&,  p.  116).  In  the  structure  of  the  root  apex  there  is  ob- 
viously less  uniformity  than  in  that  of  the  shoot. 

The  development  of  the  apical  meristems  in  both  root  and  shoot  from 
their  first  appearance  in  the  early  embryo  has  been  studied  by  a  number 
of  workers.  A  typical  example  is  described  in  Pseudotsuga  by  G.  S.  Allen 
(1947). 

Root  tips,  with  the  regions  just  behind  them,  were  among  the  first 
materials  to  be  used  for  plant-tissue  culture  (p.  296)  and  much  has  been 
learned  through  this  technique  as  to  the  physiology  of  the  root.  In  many 
plants,  for  example,  the  root  cannot  synthesize  thiamin  but  depends  for 
this  vitamin  on  a  supply  produced  in  the  shoot. 

Mention  has  already  been  made  (p.  41 )  of  the  work  on  the  physiology 
of  the  root  meristem  by  Brown  and  his  colleagues,  who  determined  the 
changes  that  take  place  in  the  activity  of  the  apical  cells  in  various  re- 
gions, particularly  as  to  growth  rate,  respiration  rate,  and  protein  syn- 
thesis. In  a  general  discussion  of  this  work,  Brown,  Reith,  and  Robinson 
(1952)  show  that  there  is  a  considerable  difference  in  the  composition 
of  the  proteins  at  different  distances  from  the  apex.  Jensen  (1955)  has 
also  made  a  biochemical  analysis  of  the  cells  near  the  root  tip  in  Vicia 
faba. 

Clowes  (1956,  1958)  discovered  between  the  active  meristematic  re- 
gion and  the  root  cap  a  cup-shaped  group  of  cells,  the  quiescent  center 
(Fig  4-18),  which  from  their  appearance  divide  rarely.  He  reports  that 
these  cells  synthesize  DNA  more  slowly  than  do  the  surrounding  ones. 
They  presumably  have  some  specific  metabolic  function.  Jensen  and 
Kavaljian  ( 1958 )  have  made  a  census  or  cell  divisions  in  the  root  tip  of 
Allium  cepa.  They  found  a  definite  apical  initial  region  where  there  are 
few  divisions  and  agree  with  Clowes  that  these  have  a  low  DNA  content. 
Cell  division  is  slower  to  start  in  the  axial  than  in  the  peripheral  region  of 
the  tip.  They  report  a  very  definite  daily  periodicity  in  division,  with  a 
maximum  about  noon. 

The  growth-substance  relations  of  growing  roots  have  received  much 
attention  (p.  391).  Auxin  and  various  synthetic  substances  stimulate  the 
initiation  of  root  primordia  but  usually  check  the  later  growth  of  the 
root.  Auxin  tends  to  be  basipetal  in  its  flow,  a  fact  that  helps  to  account 


Meristems 


79 


Fig.  4-18.  Median  section  of  root  tip  of  Zea,  showing  the  quiescent  center  (stippled). 
Its  cells  are  physiologically  different  from  the  surrounding  ones  and  seem  rarely  to 
divide  or  grow.  ( From  Clowes. ) 


for  the  normal  preponderance  of  roots  at  the  base  of  the  plant  axis.  A 
high  carbon-nitrogen  ratio  (p.  366)  also  favors  root  growth.  Torrey  ( 1950) 
presents  evidence  that  a  growth  substance,  not  auxin,  is  produced  in  the 
root  and  moves  toward  the  apex,  stimulating  the  formation  of  lateral 
roots. 

Intercalary  Meristems.  Growth  of  an  axis  in  length  may  sometimes  take 
place  at  other  points  than  its  tip,  by  the  activity  of  an  intercalary  meristem. 
Thus  in  many  monocotyledons  cell  division  persists  in  the  base  of  an 
internode  when  it  has  ceased  elsewhere,  and  the  stem  elongates  all  along 
its  course,  somewhat  like  an  extending  telescope  (Prat,  1935).  The  gyno- 
phore  of  the  peanut,  which  carries  the  young  fruit  down  and  into  the 
ground,  grows  in  a  somewhat  similar  way,  as  has  been  described  by 
Jacobs  (1947).  Such  material  is  excellent  for  a  study  of  the  relations  of 
cell  division  and  cell  elongation  to  growth. 


LATERAL  MERISTEMS 


The  Vascular  Cambium.  Apical  meristems  govern  growth  in  length  and 
produce  those  tissues  commonly  called  primary.  Their  cells  tend  to  be 
arranged  in  longitudinal  rows,  each  row  being  the  descendants  of  a  single 


80  Growth 

meristematic  cell.  In  woody  plants,  the  root  and  stem  axes  continue  to 
grow  not  only  in  length  but  in  diameter.  This  is  accomplished  chiefly  by 
the  activity  of  another  meristem,  quite  different  in  character,  the  vascu- 
lar   cambium.    The    tissues    that    such    meristems    produce    are    termed 

secondary. 

The  vascular  cambium  is  a  sheath  of  embryonic  cells  extending  from 
the  beginning  of  secondary  growth  in  the  shoot  tip  to  a  corresponding 
position  in  the  root.  It  arises  between  the  xylem  and  the  phloem  of  the 
primary  vascular  bundles  and  forms  xylem  on  its  inner  face  and  phloem 
on  its  outer  one.  Each  cambium  cell  produces  a  radial  row  of  daughter 
cells  on  either  side.  The  tissues  thus  formed  can  usually  be  recognized 
by  this  cell  pattern,  though  it  may  sometimes  be  altered  by  the  marked 
increase  in  diameter  of  certain  cells,  notably  the  vessels  and  sieve  tubes. 
Cells  of  the  apical  meristem  are  relatively  uniform,  varied  though  their 
products  may  be.  Cambium  cells,  on  the  other  hand,  from  the  beginning 
are  differentiated  into  two  quite  dissimilar  types  of  cells,  corresponding 
to  the  longitudinal  and  transverse  cellular  systems  in  vascular  tissue. 
Those  cambium  cells  that  produce  tracheids,  fibers,  sieve  cells,  and  other 
elements  of  the  longitudinal  system  are  termed  fusiform  initials  and  are 
usually  much  elongated  in  the  dimension  parallel  to  the  axis.  The  ray 
initials  are  much  smaller  and  essentially  isodiametric  and  produce  the 
rays  in  wood  and  phloem. 

The  fusiform  initials,  especially  those  destined  to  form  tracheids  and 
fibers,  may  be  from  50  to  100  times  as  long  as  wide.  Often  they  do  not 
differ  greatly  in  length  from  the  mature  cells  that  they  produce,  though 
in  some  cases  the  fibers  of  the  summer  wood  may  become  much 
longer  than  their  initials  (Bosshatd,  1951).  Most  of  the  divisions  of  these 
initials  must  be  longitudinal  and  tangential  since  only  in  this  way  can 
additions  be  made  to  the  width  of  the  axis.  The  division  of  such  an 
elongate  cell  violates  Hofmeister's  law.  It  is  a  remarkable  process  and 
was  first  clearly  described  by  I.  W.  Bailey  (1920a  and  b;  Fig.  4-19). 
The  nucleus,  usually  in  the  center  of  the  cell,  divides  mitotically.  Be- 
tween the  two  daughter  nuclei  the  cell  plate  is  then  laid  down  by  the 
phragmoplast,  an  extension  of  the  system  of  fibers  at  telophase.  This  ap- 
pears in  longitudinal  section  as  two  sets  of  fibers  (sometimes  called 
kinoplasmosomes)  connected  by  the  cell  plate,  one  moving  upward  and 
one  downward  until  the  basis  of  the  new  division  wall  has  been  com- 
pleted. An  account  of  division  in  cambial  cells  was  also  given  by 
Kleinmann  ( 1923 )  in  a  paper  written  during  the  war  and  without  a 
knowledge  of  Bailey's  work. 

Since  the  circumference  of  the  axis  continually  increases,  it  is  necessary, 
if  the  cambium  cells  are  not  to  enlarge  in  tangential  diameter,  that  they 
increase  in  number  by  occasional   radial  divisions.   In   storied   cambia, 


Meristems 


81 


where  the  initials  are  in  tiers,  this  is  done  by  radial  divisions  much  like 
the  tangential  ones.  More  commonly,  however,  the  initial  cell  divides  by 
an  obliquely  radial  (pseudotransverse)  wall,  and  the  daughter  cells  move 
past  one  another  until  the  two  initials  reach  normal  length  and  lie  side 
by  side  tangentially.  The  number  of  such  divisions  is  usually  more  than 
enough  to  make  the  number  of  initials  conform  to  the  enlarging  circum- 
ference of  the  cambium  (Bannan,  1953).  In  many  cases  the  daughter 
cells  fail  to  maintain  themselves,  and  the  rows  of  cells  coming  from 
them  are  pinched  out  and  gradually  disappear  (Bannan  and  Bayly, 
1956).  This  process  is  so  regulated,  however,  that  the  normal  tangential 
diameter  of  the  mature  cells  is  essentially  maintained.  The  length  of  the 
vascular  elements  originating  from  the  cambium  is  also  regulated  to  an 
approximately  constant  size. 


Fig.  4-19.  Early  stages  in  the  division  of  a  cam- 
bial  cell,  near  the  middle  of  a  long  initial.  The 
nucleus  has  divided,  and  the  cell  plate  is  being 
formed  by  the  fibers  of  the  kinoplasmosome 
(fc).  (From  I.  W.  Bailey.) 


The  change  in  relative  position  of  these  enlarging  cambial  daughter 
cells  involves  a  problem  in  cellular  readjustments  that  is  of  importance 
morphogenetically.  In  1886  Krabbe  published  a  monograph  on  what  he 
termed  "sliding  growth,"  presenting  evidence  that  during  the  differentia- 
tion of  tissues  there  was  a  good  deal  of  change  in  intercellular  position 
brought  about  by  the  slipping  or  gliding  of  one  cell  past  another.  This 
is  common  in  animal  embryology,  where  cells  are  more  plastic  and 
often  migrate  for  some  distance,  and  is  responsible  for  many  of  the 
changes  that  take  place  in  the  development  of  these  organisms.  Its  oc- 
currence in  plants  might  therefore  be  expected  and  was  generally  ac- 
cepted as  true  for  some  time.  Krabbe  was  supported  in  his  position  by 
some  other  botanists,  notably  Neeff  ( 1914 )  and  Grossenbacher   ( 1914 ) . 

Priestley  ( 1930 )  criticized  Krabbe's  conclusion  and  believed  that  all 
intercellular   changes   were   brought   about   by   what   he   termed    "sym- 


82 


Growth 


plastic"  growth,  a  rather  vague  concept  that  there  is  a  readjustment 
of  all  the  cell  walls  operating  in  one  "common  framework"  and  with 
no  slipping  between  adjacent  ones.  Sinnott  and  Bloch  ( 1939,  1941 )  studied 
living  and  growing  tissues  of  young  roots  where  the  gliding  of  one 
cell  past  another  would  be  recognized,  if  it  occurred,  by  alterations  in 
relative  wall  positions  and  found  no  evidence  for  it.   They  suggested 


Xylem 


o 


Cambium 


330u 


3IOii 


365ii 


Fig.  4-20.  Origin  of  ray  initials  in  gym- 
nosperms.  Radial  sections  from  Thuja, 
showing  progressive  subdivisions  of  fusi- 
form initials  and  the  consequent  origin 
of  several  ray  initials.  (From  Barman.) 


that  changes  in  intercellular  relationships  come  about  by  intrusive  growth 
limited  to  a  particular  region  (such  as  the  tips  of  cambial  cells),  so 
that  the  cell  may  grow  in  between  its  neighbors  without  requiring  that 
it  slide  past  them.  Bannan  and  Whalley  (1950)  have  shown  how  this 
is  accomplished  in  elongating  fusiform  initials.  Schoch-Bodner  and  Huber 
( 1951 )  present  evidence  that  the  phloem  fibers  of  flax,  which  become  very 


Meristems 


83 


long,  grow  not  only  by  cell  stretching  as  the  internode  elongates  but 
also  by  localized  growth  at  both  tips,  as  a  result  of  which  the  fibers  push 
in  between  adjacent  ones.  In  the  readjustments  thus  made  necessary 
it  is  essential  that  where  pits  are  present  the  pit  fields  in  adjacent  cells 
develop  opposite  each  other,  since  there  must  be  a  corresponding  opening 
in  each  wall.  This  evidently  takes  place  after  the  relative  position  of  the 
walls  has  become  fixed.  The  problem  of  "sliding  growth"  has  been  dis- 
cussed at  length  bv  Meeuse  (1942). 

The  increasing  circumference  of  the  axis  also  requires  that  the  number 
of  rays  be  continually  increased  if  the  proportion  between  rays  and  verti- 


¥ 


Fig.  4-21.  Radial  section  of  wood  of  Chamaecyparis,  showing  transitional  cell  types 
associated  with  the  origin  of  a  ray  from  a  fusiform  cell.  ( From  Bannan. ) 

cal  elements  is  to  be  maintained.  The  origin  of  new  rays  has  been  de- 
scribed for  gymnosperms  by  Bannan  ( 1934  and  Figs.  4-20  and  4-21 )  and 
by  Barghoorn  (1940a  and  Fig.  4-22)  and  for  certain  angiosperms  by 
Barghoorn  (1940b  and  Fig.  4-23).  A  new  ray  arises  from  a  short  cell  cut 
out  of  the  radial  face  of  a  fusiform  initial,  the  nucleus  first  migrating  to 
the  particular  place  where  the  new  daughter  cell  is  to  be  produced.  The 
height  of  the  ray  is  then  increased  by  transverse  divisions  of  this  cell  and 
its  products,  and  its  width  by  radial  divisions.  High  rays  may  break  up 
into  shorter  ones.  The  rays  as  seen  in  tangential  section  maintain  an  al- 
most constant  distance  from  one  another.  How  this  is  accomplished  is 
described  by  Bannan   (1951). 


84 


Growth 


The  cambial  region  is  obviously  a  much  more  active  and  plastic  one 
than  early  workers  regarded  it.  New  initials  are  being  produced  and 
others  are  disappearing.  Rays  are  being  formed,  fusing  and  dividing. 
Changes  and  rearrangements  are  continually  taking  place  among  the 
initials.  The  two  sides  of  the  cambium  are  forming  quite  different  types 
of  cells,  and  further  differentiation  within  the  xylem  and  the  phloem  is 
beginning.  All  these  changes,  however,  are  so  well  coordinated  and  regu- 
lated that  a  specific  pattern  of  structure,  constant  enough  for  taxonomic 
purposes,  is  produced  and  maintained.  There  are  few  places  in  the  plant 
where  histological  differentiation  can  be  so  well  studied  as  in  the  prod- 
ucts of  the  vascular  cambium. 

ii  i 

I 


Fig.  4-22.  Radial  sections  of  wood  of  Ginkgo  (A)  and  Amentotaxus  (B  and  C),- show- 
ing relation  of  young  ray  to  ends  of  wood  cells.  ( From  Barghoorn. ) 

The  cambium  proper  consists  of  a  single  row  of  cells,  though  on  the 
xylem  side  there  are  usually  several  rows  of  mother  cells,  developed  from 
it,  which  by  their  division  produce  the  xylem.  Relative  activity  in  xylem 
and  phloem  production  differs  considerably  in  different  forms.  In  Thuja, 
Bannan  (1955)  found  that  phloem  began  to  develop  later  than  xylem  but 
then  continued  at  a  steady  rate.  In  larch,  however,  Knudson  ( 1913 )  had 
reported  that  phloem  development  preceded  that  of  xylem,  though  the 
most  rapid  growth  of  each  took  place  at  the  same  time.  In  Acer,  Cocker- 
ham  (1930)  and  Elliott  (1935)  observed  that  the  first  cambial  divisions 
formed  the  spring  type  of  sieve  tubes.  This  was  followed  by  xylem 
growth,  during  which  no  new  phloem  was  formed.  As  xylem  production 
ceased,  a  second  phase  of  phloem  development  occurred  in  which  the 


Meristems 


85 


smaller  summer  sieve  tubes  were  formed.  The  various  steps  in  the  develop- 
ment of  xylem  from  cambium  to  heartwood,  with  particular  reference  to 
changes  in  the  cell  wall,  have  been  described  by  Bailey  (1952).  Lade- 
f oged  ( 1952 )  has  published  a  detailed  study  of  cambial  activity  and  wood 
formation  in  six  conifers  and  13  hardwoods  in  Denmark,  based  on  obser- 
vations from  March  to  November. 

The  character  of  cambial  products,  particularly  on  the  xylem  side,  as 
to  the  number  and  size  of  the  cells  and  the  thickness  of  their  walls,  is 
influenced  by  various  factors  though  the  precise  effect  of  these  has  had 


Fig.  4-23.  Origin  of  ray  initial  in  an  angiosperm.  Serial  tangential  sections  of  wood  of 
Trochodendron,  showing  origin  of  ray  initial  (stippled)  from  the  end  of  a  fusiform 
initial.   (From  Barghoorn.) 

little  experimental  study.  In  temperate  climates,  during  the  cold  weather 
of  much  of  the  year  cambial  activity  ceases.  The  contrast  between  the  last 
formed  wood  of  one  season  and  the  first  of  the  next  makes  it  possible  to 
identify  boundaries  of  the  annual  rings  formed  in  each  season.  These  are 
absent  in  regions  where  growth  is  continuous.  The  relations  between 
climatic  factors,  particularly  annual  rainfall,  and  the  width  of  these  rings 
has  been  studied  ( Glock,  1955,  and  others ) .  Lines  of  denser  wood  within 
an  annual  ring  may  be  related  to  rainfall  differences  in  a  single  season 
(Dobbs,  1953).  Injuries  from  frost,  fire,  and  insect  attack  can  also  be 
recognized  by  their  effects  on  the  growth  ring.  These  changes  in  the 


86  Growth 

products  of  the  cambium,  through  the  permanent  record  they  leave  in  the 
tree,  are  of  importance  in  the  study  of  past  climatic  changes  and  in 
the  dating  of  ancient  timbers,  and  have  been  actively  studied  especially 
by  Schulman  ( 1956)  and  others  in  the  Laboratory  of  Tree  Ring  Research. 
The  course  of  cambial  activity  differs  among  various  plants.  In  herba- 
ceous ones  it  is  associated  with  vegetative  growth  and  generally  ceases  at 
flowering  (Wilton  and  Roberts,  1936).  In  most  woody  plants,  growth  of 
the  new  shoots  in  length  is  complete  or  nearly  so  before  there  is  much 
cambial  activity.  The  age  of  the  tree  may  make  a  difference  in  woody 
plants,  for  Messeri  (1948)  observed  that  in  old  trees  cambial  divisions 
began  a  month  earlier  in  the  twigs  than  in  the  main  stem  whereas  in 
young  ones  they  started  simultaneously  throughout.  In  most  conifers  and 
in  ring-porous  angiosperms,  cambial  growth  begins  at  about  the  same  time 
throughout  the  stem  (Wareing,  1951).  In  diffuse-porous  angiosperms, 
however,  division  starts  just  below  the  buds  at  about  the  time  they  open 
and  proceeds  downward  into  the  branches  and  then  the  trunk  (Cocker- 
ham,  1930;  Priestley,  Scott,  and  Malins,  1933).  This  is  apparently  related 
to  the  production  of  auxin  in  the  buds,  for  there  is  a  close  relation  be- 
tween the  appearance  of  auxin  there  and  the  onset  of  cambial  activity 
(Avery  and  others,  1937b). 

The  relation  of  auxin  to  cambial  growth  has  also  been  studied  by  Brown 
and  Cormack  (1937),  Soding  (1940),  Kiinning  (1950),  and  others. 
Chowdhury  and  Tandan  (1950),  working  with  both  evergreen  and  de- 
ciduous trees  in  India,  report  that  buds  burst  in  February  or  March  and 
that  growth  in  length  continues  until  May.  Not  until  the  new  leaves  are 
fully  expanded  and  length  growth  has  ceased  does  cambial  activity  begin. 
It  starts  at  the  tip  of  the  last  year's  shoot  and  proceeds  down  the  tree  and 
up  into  the  new  shoot.  Growth  in  length  begins  again  in  the  summer 
and  is  accompanied  by  cambial  activity  until  both  cease  in  the  fall.  The 
authors  suggest  that  there  are  two  types  of  substances  operating  here, 
one  concerned  with  apical  growth  and  one  with  cambial.  Aspects  of  cam- 
bium physiology  were  discussed  by  Priestley  in  a  series  of  papers  ( 1930 
and  others). 

A  continuous  cambium,  laying  down  a  solid  ring  of  vascular  tissue,  is 
found  in  all  woody  gymnosperms  and  angiosperms  and  in  many  herba- 
ceous forms.  In  other  herbaceous  stems  the  cambium  ring  is  discontinu- 
ous and  produces  distinct  vascular  bundles.  These  may  be  separated  by 
undifferentiated  fundamental  tissue.  Across  these  gaps  and  connecting  the 
cambium  of  one  bundle  with  that  of  the  next  there  is  often  an  inter- 
fascicular cambium,  probably  a  vestigial  structure  persisting  from  the 
time  when  the  cylinder  was  continuous  and  the  stem  was  woody.  In  many 
cases  it  consists  of  a  row  of  cells  with  only  a  few  tangential  divisions. 
Under  suitable  conditions,  as  in  the  base  of  a  stout  herbaceous  stem,  the 


Meristems  87 

interfascicular  cambium  may  become  active  and  produce  typical  xylem 
and   phloem.    Its   development   offers    some   interesting   morphogenetic 

problems. 

The  distribution  of  cambial  activity  over  the  axis  in  woody  plants  also 
deserves  further  investigation.  The  amount  of  wood  produced  by  the  two 
branches  at  a  given  fork  of  a  stem,  for  example,  bears  a  rather  close  ratio 
to  the  amount  in  the  main  axis  below  them,  but  this  ratio  will  depend  on 
the  relative  size  of  the  two  branches,  the  angle  between  them,  and  the 
orientation  of  the  main  axis  itself  ( p.  108 ) . 

Another  relatively  unexplored  field  but  one  which  may  become  of  much 
interest  for  morphogenesis  is  that  of  anomalous  secondary  growth.  In 
certain  families  the  normal  situation  of  a  continuous  cambial  sheath  is 
altered  (Mullenders,  1947).  An  additional  cambium  may  arise  outside  the 
phloem  and  start  another  vascular  cylinder  or  series  of  bundles.  There 
may  be  more  than  one  of  these.  Such  anomalous  bundles  may  also  appear 
in  the  pith.  In  other  cases  the  surface  of  the  cambium,  instead  of  being 
circular  in  cross  section,  may  be  irregular  so  that  radial  lobes  of  secondary 
tissue  are  formed.  In  more  extreme  cases  the  cambium  may  become  quite 
atypical  and  patches  of  secondary  xylem  and  phloem  may  be  intermingled 
in  the  vascular  cylinder.  Anomalous  growth  is  often  found  in  stems  such 
as  those  of  lianas  or  rhizomes  which  have  other  functions  than  support 
or  conduction.  It  is  frequently  present  in  fleshy  roots.  One  sometimes  has 
difficulty  in  drawing  a  line  between  anomalous  growth  of  this  sort, 
which  is  really  normal  for  a  particular  plant,  and  truly  abnormal,  or  tera- 
tological,  structures  (Chap.  11). 

The  vascular  cambium  has  been  little  explored  from  a  morphogenetic 
viewpoint.  Although  it  is  much  more  difficult  to  study  directly  than  are 
the  apical  meristems,  its  products,  especially  wood,  are  so  firm  and  meas- 
urable that  they  offer  attractive  material  for  a  quantitative  study  of  many 
problems  in  growth  relationships. 

The  Cork  Cambium.  The  vascular  cambium  and  the  root  and  shoot 
apices  are  not  the  only  localized  embryonic  regions  in  the  plant.  Increas- 
ing diameter  of  the  axis  necessarily  results  in  the  rupture  of  its  outer 
layers,  notably  the  cortex  and  the  outer  phloem.  Infection  and  water  loss 
would  take  place  through  these  breaks  in  the  tissue  were  it  not  for  the 
formation  of  layers  of  suberized  cells,  the  cork,  or  phellem.  This  is  sec- 
ondary tissue  formed  by  a  cork  cambium,  or  phellogen.  It  has  its  origin  in 
a  row  of  cells,  tangentially  adjacent  to  each  other,  which  divide  peri- 
clinally  and  link  up  into  a  meristematic  layer  that  produces  a  series  of 
daughter  cells  on  its  outer  side.  There  may  be  from  one  or  two  to  many 
of  these  and  their  walls  become  suberized  and  impervious  to  water.  On 
the  inside  are  formed  one  or  a  few  layers  of  daughter  cells,  the  phello- 
derm,  presumably  vestigial  in  character. 


88  Growth 

The  first  phellogen  usually  arises  just  under  the  epidermis,  but  as  axis 
diameter  increases  and  outer  tissues  are  ruptured,  new  phellogens  appear 
in  the  deeper  layers.  Sometimes  these  form  a  single  continuous  layer  of 
cork  which  may  be  peeled  off.  In  other  cases  the  phellogen  arises  as  a 
localized,  often  slightly  concave  sheet  which  isolates  a  scale-like  patch  of 
tissue.  In  older  stems  these  phellogens  appear  in  the  earlier  and  more  or 
less  crushed  and  functionless  phloem.  The  phellogen  cells  obviously  are 
alive  and  must  originate  in  still  living  cells  of  this  outer  tissue.  In  many 
cases,  corky  cells  arise  beneath  wounds  in  various  regions.  In  the  abscis- 
sion of  leaves  and  fruits  a  layer  of  cork  is  formed  at  the  region  of  separa- 
tion. In  both  these  cases,  growth  substances  (wound  hormones  or  auxin) 
have  been  shown  to  be  related  to  the  origin  of  the  cork  cambium.  Corky 
layers  often  show  an  unusual  histological  trait  in  having  the  new  division 
walls  in  tangentially  neighboring  cells  laid  down  directly  opposite  each 
other  instead  of  being  staggered,  thus  forming  a  characteristic  stratified 
structure  unlike  that  of  most  plant  tissues  (p.  195). 

From  a  morphogenetic  point  of  view  the  most  interesting  thing  about 
cork-forming  cambia  is  the  way  in  which  a  continuous  layer  of  such  cells 
may  suddenly  arise  in  a  mass  of  old  and  partially  collapsed  tissue.  A  host 
of  dormant  cells  become  embryonic  again,  link  themselves  up  with  neigh- 
boring cells,  and  form  a  cambial  layer.  In  the  typical  rhytidome  form  of 
bark,  this  may  be  somewhat  irregular  in  outline  and  often  is  not  closely 
parallel  to  the  surface  of  the  organ  or  to  the  vascular  cambium  below. 
Where  cork  forms  under  a  wound  or  just  below  the  epidermis,  its  position 
may  be  explained  by  its  location  at  a  particular  point  in  a  physiological 
gradient,  but  in  these  more  complex  cases  such  an  explanation  is  less 
satisfactory.  Their  origin  resembles  the  way  in  which  a  pattern  of  wall 
thickenings  or  a  net  of  fibers  (p.  197),  which  transcends  cellular  bound- 
aries, may  become  differentiated  in  a  mass  of  tissue.  The  origin  of  such 
phellogen  layers  is  a  problem  in  differentiation  which  deserves  more 
attention. 

MERISTEMS  IN  DETERMINATE  GROWTH 

Potentially,  the  plant  axis  can  grow  indefinitely  in  length  through  the 
activity  of  its  apical  meristems  and  in  width  through  the  activity  of  the 
vascular  cambium.  Actually,  of  course,  growth  finally  ceases  for  various 
reasons,  but  these  axial  meristems  are  essentially  indeterminate  in  their 
activity. 

The  organs  of  the  plant  other  than  stem  and  root,  however— the  leaves, 
floral  parts,  and  fruits— are  structures  of  limited,  or  determinate,  growth. 
They  finally  reach  maturity  and  cease  to  enlarge.  In  this  respect,  one  of 
them  is  much  like  an  animal  individual  with  a  definite  life  cycle  of  its 


Meristems  89 

own.  Such  organs  provide  an  opportunity  for  a  study  of  plant  develop- 
ment which  has  been  somewhat  neglected  in  favor  of  the  more  sharply 
limited  meristems  in  apex  and  cambium.  Because  of  the  more  diffuse 
character  of  their  growth,  a  study  of  these  determinate  organs  will  prob- 
ably throw  more  light  on  the  development  of  form  than  can  be  gained 
from  those  of  indeterminate  growth. 

How,  we  may  ask,  does  a  determinate  organ  grow?  Is  it  through  the 
activity  of  localized  groups  of  dividing  cells,  as  in  the  axes,  or  by  un- 
realized, interstitial  growth,  as  in  most  animals?  The  fact  is  that  both 
methods  are  usually  employed. 

The  determinate  organ  which  has  been  most  extensively  studied  is  the 
leaf.  The  first  step  in  its  development  is  the  appearance  of  a  small  swell- 
ing just  below  the  dome  of  the  shoot  meristem.  This  grows  into  a  leaf 
primordium  and  finally,  through  a  series  of  developmental  steps,  into  a 
mature  leaf  (p.  187).  As  to  just  how  much  of  the  meristematic  tissue 
actually  takes  part  in  forming  a  leaf  primordium,  there  seems  to  be  con- 
siderable variability  among  different  groups  of  plants.  Rosier  (1928) 
reports  that  in  wheat  only  the  outermost  layer  (dermatogen)  is  con- 
cerned. This  pushes  out  and  then  pulls  together  from  all  sides  to  meet  in 
the  center,  like  a  collapsing  glove  finger,  so  that  the  whole  leaf  grows 
from  this  one  layer.  Schwarz  (1927),  on  the  contrary,  found  that  in 
Plectranthus  and  Ligustrum  the  first  two  layers  produced  the  entire  leaf, 
and  this  part  of  the  meristem  he  termed  the  phyllogen.  Most  other 
workers  ( see  Foster,  1936 )  have  found  that  tissue  below  the  second  layer 
also  contributes  often  to  the  formation  of  the  young  leaf,  particularly  the 
veins.  Whether  this  is  simply  tunica  or  both  tunica  and  corpus  depends 
on  the  extent  of  layering  and  seems  not  to  be  important. 

Critical  evidence  in  this  problem  is  provided  by  a  study  of  leaf  pri- 
mordia  formed  by  periclinal  chimeras  (p.  268).  Here  one  or  two  of  the 
outer  layers  come  from  one  of  the  graft  partners  and  the  rest  from  the 
other.  In  chimeras  between  nightshade  and  tomato  the  tissues  from  each 
can  be  distinguished  by  the  fact  that  in  nightshade  the  cells  are  much 
larger.  Here  Lange  ( 1927 )  was  able  to  show  that  although  a  leaf  primor- 
dium in  this  chimera  was  formed  chiefly  from  the  two  outer  layers  the 
third  layer  also  contributed  to  it.  In  periclinal  chimeras  between  forms  of 
Datura  stramonium  differing  in  number  of  chromosome  sets  (and  thus  in 
cell  size)  Satina,  Blakeslee,  and  Avery  (1940)  observed  the  same  thing, 
as  did  Dermen  ( 1947« )  in  cranberry.  In  all  these  cases  the  third  layer 
gave  rise  to  the  vascular  tissue  of  the  leaf. 

The  way  in  which  the  primordium  develops  into  the  leaf  also  differs 
considerably  in  different  forms.  In  fern  leaves,  growth  of  the  lamina  is 
largely  determined  by  an  apical  cell  resembling  that  in  the  shoot  and 
root  (p.  58).  In  many  higher  plants  the  early  growth  of  the  primordium 


90 


Growth 


in  length  is  chiefly  apical  and  seems  to  be  governed  by  a  group  of  cells 
at  the  tip,  just  under  the  epidermis-essentially  a  meristem.  This  produces 
the  central  tissues  of  the  young  primordial  axis,  or  midrib,  and  growth  of 
the  epidermis  keeps  step  with  it.  Such  apical  growth  soon  ceases,  how- 
ever, and  later  growth  is  diffuse. 

The  development  of  the  tobacco  leaf  studied  by  Avery  ( 1933 )  may  be 
taken  as  a  typical  example  of  the  growth  of  a  determinate  organ  (Fig. 
4-24 ) .  After  the  axis  is  about  1  mm.  long  and  while  still  it  is  very  narrow, 
growth  of  the  lamina  begins  on  both  sides  of  this  axis,  pushing  out  like  a 
wave  of  developing  tissue.  It  increases  faster  in  the  middle  than  at  either 


d2^> 


A, 


^b=^4=^s 


Fig.  4-24.  Early  developmental  stages  of  a  tobacco  leaf,  from  a  young  primordium 
(upper  left)  to  later  ones  where  lamina  and  veins  are  being  formed.  (From  G.  S. 
Avery. ) 

end,  and  this  produces  the  characteristic  leaf  shape.  The  rate  of  growth, 
as  a  result  both  of  the  division  of  the  cells  and  of  their  increase  in  size, 
is  greater  in  certain  dimensions  than  in  others.  Avery  contrasts  the  growth 
differences  resulting  from  such  polarized  growth,  primarily  due  to  differ- 
ences in  plane  of  cell  division,  with  localized  differences  in  rate  of  divi- 
sion. Differences  in  cell  shape  due  to  differential  cell  expansion  have  little 
share  in  over-all  shape  changes  in  the  organ  as  a  whole.  In  most  leaves, 
growth  in  the  various  dimensions  of  the  blade,  whatever  its  cellular  basis, 
is  unequal,  so  that  blade  form  changes  somewhat  during  development. 
These  changes  are  under  morphogenetic  control,  however,  and  show  close 


Meristems  91 

allometric  relationships  ( p.  105 ) .  The  development  of  a  few  similar  organs 
of  determinate  growth  has  been  studied,  such  as  the  thorn  shoots  of 
Gleditsia  (Blaser,  1956). 

In  leaves  which  do  not  show  the  usual  dorsiventral  character  but  vari- 
ous, more  complex  shapes,  such  as  pitcher-like  or  peltate  blades,  the 
origin  of  these  structures  is  by  a  system  of  localized  meristems  (Roth, 
1957).  These  have  not  been  studied  extensively  and  present  some  impor- 
tant developmental  problems. 

The  growth  of  other  organs,  such  as  perianth  parts,  ovaries,  and  fruits, 
resembles  that  of  leaves  in  showing  certain  localized  differences  in  rate 
and  direction  of  growth,  but  growth  is  mainly  diffuse  and  nothing  com- 
parable to  a  true  localized  meristem  is  operative  save  in  exceptional  cases. 
Not  only  are  the  different  dimensions  of  such  an  organ  clearly  correlated 
in  a  progressively  changing  pattern  but  different  parts  of  the  organ,  such 
as  blade  and  petiole,  and  fruit  and  pedicel  although  often  growing  at 
different  rates,  also  keep  in  step  with  each  other.  Growth  of  cer- 
tain structures,  notably  the  fruit  stalk,  involves  some  cambial  activity. 

Whatever  type  of  growth  a  plant  organ  may  show,  whether  by  apical 
meristems,  cambium,  or  diffusely  distributed  embryonic  activity,  it  is 
under  strict  developmental  control.  The  problem  of  this  control  is  some- 
what more  complex  in  a  plant,  where  both  diffuse  and  localized  growth 
occur,  than  in  an  animal,  where  the  latter  is  generally  absent.  The  pres- 
ence in  a  plant  of  these  two  somewhat  different  methods  of  growth  offers 
certain  advantages  because  of  the  possibility  of  studying  in  the  same  in- 
dividual two  different  types  of  morphogenetic  control.  However  growth 
occurs,  its  activities  are  correlated  and  not  isolated  events. 


PART  TWO 


The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 


CHAPTER    5 

Correlation 


The  most  significant  fact  about  organic  growth,  as  described  in  the  pre- 
ceding chapters,  is  that  it  is  a  process  under  definite  control  and  thus  leads 
to  the  development  of  bodies  of  definite  form  and  size.  This  control  is 
shown  in  the  character  of  the  growth  cycle  itself  which,  as  we  have  seen, 
marches  forward  in  an  orderly  fashion  to  the  attainment  of  a  specific  size. 
It  is  shown  even  better  in  the  distribution  of  this  growth  during  develop- 
ment. If  growth  were  equal  in  all  parts  and  directions,  organisms  would 
be  spherical.  The  remarkable  variety  of  forms  that  living  things  display 
and  that  constitutes  one  of  their  important  differences  from  most  lifeless 
objects  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  amount  of  growth  in  one  region  is  dif- 
ferent from  that  in  another  and  that  its  rate  in  the  various  dimensions  of 
a  structure  is  unequal.  These  differences  are  not  random  ones,  for  if  they 
were,  a  jumble  of  fantastic  forms  would  result;  they  arise  in  an  orderly 
sequence  and  progress  in  a  regular  fashion  until  a  specific  organic  struc- 
ture is  developed.  Something  evidently  guides  the  growth  and  differenti- 
ation of  the  organic  mechanism.  Occasionally  this  control  is  seriously 
disturbed  and  in  such  cases  abnormal  growths  and  monstrosities  of  various 
kinds  appear  (p.  275),  but  in  the  great  majority  of  cases  orderly  develop- 
ment and  the  production  of  specifically  formed  structures  take  place.  It  is 
clear  that  in  some  fashion  the  parts  of  an  organism  are  so  related  to  each 
other  that  a  change  in  one  affects  the  rest  and  that  the  whole  is  thus  inte- 
grated into  an  organized  system. 

All  the  phenomena  of  development  which  are  to  be  discussed— polarity, 
symmetry,  differentiation,  regeneration,  and  the  rest— are  simply  different 
aspects  of  this  developmental  relatedness,  and  the  various  factors  con- 
cerned are  those  which  have  been  found  to  affect  it  in  one  way  or  another. 
The  fundamental  causes  of  this  integrated  development  are  yet  unknown. 
They  are  often  attributed  to  correlation,  a  term  which,  because  it  is  in 
most  cases  merely  a  name  for  our  ignorance,  has  with  many  students  of 
morphogenesis  fallen  into  disrepute.  Nevertheless  correlation  is  a  fact, 
explain  it  how  we  will,  and  no  one  can  approach  a  study  of  the  phe- 
nomena of  morphogenesis  without  recognizing  this.  Therefore  at  the  be- 

95 


96  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

ginning  of  a  discussion  of  these  problems  it  will  be  useful  to  consider 
some  typical  examples  of  the  ways  in  which  growth  of  one  part  or  dimen- 
sion is  related  to  growth  elsewhere  or  to  the  plant's  various  activities. 
These  will  illustrate  how  plant  forms  arise  and  an  integrated  organism  is 
produced  and  will  serve  as  an  introduction  to  the  fundamental  problem 
of  morphogenesis,  approached  from  many  directions  throughout  this  book 
—the  problem  of  biological  organization. 

There  have  been  many  discussions  of  correlation  in  the  literature  of 
plant  development,  and  for  some  of  them  the  reader  is  referred  to  the 
works  of  East  (1908),  Harris  (1909-1918),  Love  and  Leighty  (1914), 
Murneek  (1926),  Goebel  (1928),  Thimann  (1954b),  and  others. 

Correlations  have  been  classified  in  many  ways,  as  environmental, 
physical,  morphological,  physiological,  genetic,  compensatory,  or  meristic, 
depending  on  the  characters  and  factors  involved.  For  purposes  of  con- 
venience in  the  present  treatment,  there  will  be  grouped  together,  as 
physiological,  those  correlations  for  which  a  physiological  mechanism- 
metabolic,  hormonal,  or  other— seems  to  be  operative  and  as  genetic,  those 
which  seem  to  depend  primarily  upon  the  genetic  constitution  of  the 
individual  and  its  formative  relationships  and  are  thus  produced  by 
mechanisms  more  deeply  seated  and  obscure  than  the  ordinary  physio- 
logical ones. 

PHYSIOLOGICAL  CORRELATIONS 

Physiological  relationships  are  of  particular  morphogenetic  interest 
since  through  an  analysis  of  them  the  mechanisms  for  other  types  of  cor- 
relation may  be  discovered.  The  various  factors  concerned  will  be  treated 
in  later  chapters.  The  particularly  important  role  of  growth  substances  in 
plant  correlation  has  been  discussed  by  Thimann  ( 1954fo ) . 

It  will  be  useful  here  to  mention  a  few  typical  examples  of  physiological 
correlation  and  to  formulate  some  of  the  problems  that  they  present. 

Nutritional  Correlations.  The  simplest  type  of  correlation  is  one  which 
depends  on  nutrition.  A  region  that  does  not  produce  or  contain  food  must 
depend  for  its  growth  on  one  that  does.  Correlation  of  this  sort  between 
root  and  shoot  must  obviously  occur.  The  root-shoot  ratio  is  a  favorable 
one  in  which  to  study  correlation  and  the  factors  that  modify  it,  and  con- 
siderable attention  has  been  given  to  the  problem.  Kny  (1894)  cut  off 
part  of  the  roots  from  growing  seedlings  and  part  of  the  shoot  from  others. 
When  a  considerable  amount  of  reserve  food  was  still  available  in  the 
seed,  loss  of  one  part  did  not  greatly  affect  the  growth  of  the  other. 
Pearsall  (1923),  Keeble,  Nelson,  and  Snow  (1930),  and  others  found 
that  removal  of  the  seedling  shoot  sometimes  actually  stimulated  growth 
of  the  root,  presumably  because  of  reduced  competition  for  food  stored 


Correlation  97 

in  the  seed.  More  commonly,  however,  in  older  plants  and  in  cuttings,  a 
rather  close  balance  becomes  established  between  root  and  shoot  and  is 
restored  if  altered  experimentally. 

This  ratio  is  subject  to  change  during  development,  for  in  most  plants 
the  shoot  grows  consistently  faster  than  the  root.  Other  factors  also  affect 
it.  In  poorly  nourished  plants  the  root  is  relatively  large  and  in  etiolated 
ones,  relatively  small.  Crist  and  Stout  (1929)  found  that  in  some  plants 
it  was  affected  by  soil  acidity,  soil  fertility,  and  day-length.  Roberts  and 
Struckmeyer  (1946)  observed  that  temperature  and  photoperiod  modified 
the  ratio  but  not  in  the  same  way  in  all  plants.  The  top-root  ratio  was 
studied  by  Shank  (1945)  in  maize  inbreds  with  low  and  with  high  ratios, 
and  in  their  hybrids,  under  different  amounts  of  phosphorus,  nitrogen,  and 
water  in  the  soil.  Increase  in  each  of  these  substances  tended  to  increase 
this  ratio.  Richardson  ( 1953 )  measured  root  growth  microscopically  in 
small  maple  seedlings  growing  in  glass  tubes  under  controlled  conditions. 
Any  change  in  the  environment  of  the  shoot  which  modified  photosyn- 
thetic  activity  had  a  commensurate  effect  on  rate  of  root  growth.  Correla- 
tions depending  on  nutrition  are  evidently  rather  susceptible  to  change 
by  environmental  factors. 

The  influence  of  shoot  on  root  is  not  always  nutritional  but  may  result 
from  the  action  of  auxin,  vitamins,  or  other  growth-regulating  substances. 
The  nutritional  influence  of  root  on  shoot  is  well  shown  by  the  horticul- 
tural practice  of  producing  dwarf  trees  by  grafting  scions  from  normal- 
sized  varieties  on  roots  of  genetically  dwarf  types  in  which  the  root  system 
is  too  small  to  supply  the  growth  requirements  of  a  large  tree. 

Among  other  correlations  which  have  their  basis  in  nutritional  factors 
are  those  between  the  size  of  a  fruit  and  the  amount  of  leaf  area  avail- 
able for  the  support  of  its  growth  (Haller  and  Magness,  1925).  There  is 
also  a  close  relation  between  the  amount  of  foliage  on  a  tree  (the  size 
of  its  crown )  and  the  amount  of  stem  growth.  Young  and  Kramer  ( 1952 ) 
and  Labyak  and  Schumacher  (1954)  have  studied  this  problem  by  re- 
ducing experimentally  the  size  of  the  crown  in  pine  through  pruning  and 
observing  the  effect  on  trunk  growth.  In  apples,  Murneek  (1954)  found  a 
relationship  between  fruit  size  and  leaf  area  (presumably  nutritive)  and 
also  between  fruit  size  and  seed  number  per  fruit  (presumably  stimu- 
latory ) . 

Because  of  its  practical  importance,  many  studies  have  been  made  of 
the  relation  between  the  size  of  seed  planted  and  the  size  of  the  plant 
growing  from  it.  If  a  positive  correlation  existed  between  these  characters 
it  would  pay  to  use  only  large  seeds  in  many  agricultural  operations. 
Agronomists  have  sought  all  such  characters  in  fruit  and  seed  that  might 
be  correlated  with  high  yield  but  have  had  little  success.  Where  such  a 
relation  has  been  found,  in  most  cases  it  is  simply  between  seed  size  and 


98  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

early  plant  size.  Passmore  (1934),  working  with  reciprocal  hybrids  be- 
tween large-seeded  and  small-seeded  cucurbits,  and  Oexemann  (1942), 
with  several  vegetables,  observed  that  plants  from  large  seeds  have  an 
initial  advantage  in  size  because  of  the  larger  amount  of  food  stored  in 
the  seed  but  that  this  usually  disappears  after  a  time. 

Similarly,  in  vegetative  propagation  the  size  of  a  "seed"  piece  in  pota- 
toes, though  it  may  influence  early  sprout  growth,  has  no  effect  on  yield 
(Wakanker,  1944),  though  if  the  bigger  pieces  have  more  buds  on  them, 
sprout  number  will  be  larger  and  yield  somewhat  increased. 

A  positive  correlation  between  the  size  of  a  fruit  and  of  the  seeds  in  it 
has  often  been  found,  as  by  Schander  (1952)  in  apple  and  pear  and  by 
Simak  ( 1953 )  for  seed  size  and  cone  size  in  pine.  In  fruits  and  cones  of 
the  same  size,  however,  seed  size  was  inversely  proportional  to  seed  num- 
ber. Both  nutritional  and  compensatory  correlations  are  probably  in- 
volved here. 

Ashby  (1930)  suggested  that  the  larger  plant  size  resulting  from 
heterosis  was  due  to  greater  size  of  the  embryos  that  produce  the  heterotic 
plants,  thus  giving  them  an  initial  advantage  which  was  maintained 
throughout  growth.  Present  evidence,  however,  does  not  support  this  idea. 

Compensatory  Correlations.  The  nutritional  factor  in  the  relation  be- 
tween two  parts  of  a  plant  may  be  evident  in  other  ways  than  by  transfer 
of  food  from  one  to  another.  Each  growing  part  or  organ  constitutes  what 
Goebel  called  an  "attraction  center"  which  under  normal  conditions  draws 
to  itself  a  specific  amount  of  building  material.  This  may  be  small  or  large, 
depending  on  its  genetic  constitution.  In  one  of  the  higher  plants, 
which  has  many  similar  growing  parts  such  as  leaves,  flowers,  and  fruits, 
the  number  of  these  parts  may  be  reduced  by  accident  or  experiment.  In 
such  cases  there  is  often  a  compensatory  increase  in  the  growth  of  the 
remaining  structures,  so  that  a  negative  correlation  results  between  the 
size  and  the  number  of  parts  (Lilleland  and  Brown,  1939).  Thinning  of 
fruits  by  mechanical  or  chemical  means  is  sometimes  practiced  so  that 
the  remaining  fruits  will  grow  larger.  In  the  same  way,  the  removal  of  all 
buds  but  one  in  a  certain  type  of  chrysanthemum  results  in  the  develop- 
ment of  this  single  flower  head,  through  compensatory  growth,  to  a  size 
very  much  larger  than  normal. 

The  reverse  of  this  relationship  also  may  occur,  for  if  many  fruit  are 
set,  they  will  be  small.  In  such  cases,  some  may  drop  off.  Thus  in  apples 
there  usually  occurs  a  "June  drop"  in  which  many  of  the  young  fruit, 
unable  to  attract  to  themselves  a  sufficient  supply  of  food  or  auxin,  stop 
growing  and  are  cut  off  by  abscission  layers.  In  a  somewhat  similar  way, 
the  more  seed  developing  in  a  tomato  fruit  and  the  more  fruits  in  a 
cluster,  the  smaller  will  be  the  weight  of  each  seed  (Luckwill,  1939; 
Schander,  1952;  and  Simak,  1953). 


Correlation  99 

Where  flowering  and  fruiting  are  continuous,  as  in  squashes,  if  a  certain 
number  of  fruit  are  set,  related  to  the  food-producing  capacity  of  the 
plant,  the  development  of  more  flowers  ceases  and  will  not  be  resumed 
unless  the  growing  fruits  are  removed.  There  is  thus  a  continuous  compen- 
satory balance  between  the  development  of  multiple  plant  organs  and 
the  amount  of  material  or  hormone  available  for  their  growth. 

A  balance  also  occurs  between  the  vegetative  and  the  reproductive 
phases  of  a  plant  ( Murneek,  1926 ) .  Tomatoes  in  which  fruits  are  allowed 
to  form  abundantly  will  soon  cease  vegetative  growth,  but  if  flowers  and 
young  fruits  are  continually  removed,  the  plants  will  grow  to  a  much 
greater  size.  A  potato  plant  in  which  tuber  formation  is  prevented  will 
often  bear  a  large  crop  of  fruits,  structures  which  normally  fail  to  develop 
presumably  because  of  the  diversion  of  food  to  the  tubers.  Mirskaja 
( 1926 )  removed  all  flower  buds  from  plants  of  a  number  of  species  and 
found  that  this  stimulated  formation  of  lateral  shoots  and  increased  the 
size  of  leaf  blades,  tubers,  and  pith  cells  and  the  amount  of  lignified 
tissue. 

Removing  the  axillary  buds  from  Coleus  plants  was  found  by  Jacobs 
and  Bullwinkel  (1953)  to  induce  longer  stems,  larger  leaves,  and  more 
rapid  growth  of  the  main  shoot  ( Fig.  5-1 ) .  The  ancient  art  of  topiary  is 
simply  a  manipulation  of  these  compensatory  correlations.  The  removal 
of  certain  buds  stimulates  the  growth  of  others  which  would  have  re- 
mained dormant,  and  by  this  means  the  form  of  the  plant  can  be 
altered. 

Such  correlations  may  perhaps  be  called  competitive  rather  than  com- 
pensatory. In  certain  hybrid  cherries,  for  example,  the  embryos  start  their 
development  but  when  partly  grown  they  shrivel  and  die.  Tukey  (1933) 
and  others  were  able  to  bring  such  embryos  to  normal  maturity  by  re- 
moving them  from  the  seed  and  growing  them  in  culture.  In  normal  plants 
the  embryo  may  be  thought  of  as  competing  successfully  with  maternal 
tissues  for  food  during  development,  but  in  these  unusual  cases  most  of 
the  food  is  drawn  instead  to  maternal  tissues,  and  the  embryo  dies.  Re- 
lease from  such  maternal  competition  allows  it  to  grow. 

Compensatory  correlations  are  also  to  be  observed  in  the  development 
of  individual  organs.  MacDougal  (1903k),  who  has  reviewed  the  early 
literature,  described  many  examples  of  this,  as  did  Goebel  and  others.  In 
some  plants,  for  example,  if  the  blade  is  removed  from  the  young  and 
growing  leaf,  the  stipules  will  become  much  enlarged.  The  building  ma- 
terial available  to  the  leaf  is  employed  in  its  growth  but  the  distribution 
of  this  material  is  not  the  usual  one. 

A  good  instance  of  compensation  is  reported  by  Johnston  ( 1937 )  be- 
tween the  coleoptile  and  the  first  internode  of  Avena.  Light  stimulates 
the  growth  of  the  former  but  depresses  the  latter.  Regardless  of  light,  the 


100  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

total  growth  is  much  the  same,  reduction  in  one  structure  being  compen- 
sated by  increase  in  the  other. 

Stimulatory  Correlations.  Many  correlations,  however,  do  not  depend 
upon  the  distribution  of  building  materials  but  upon  the  operation  of 
other  factors  which  affect  development,  particularly  the  stimulatory  and 
inhibitory  action  of  auxin  and  other  growth  substances. 

The  stimulatory  effect  is  well  shown  in  the  control  of  root  growth. 
Van  der  Lek  (1925)  and  others  have  found  that  in  many  cases  cuttings 


160  - 


140  - 


E 
E 


00 

c 

01 


TO 


A  I  2 

Leaf  Position 


Fig.  5-1.  Compensatory  correlation  in  Coleus.  Increase  in  leaf  length  in  27  days  after 
removal  of  axillary  buds  and  branches,  as  compared  with  controls.  Leaves  at  left  of 
vertical  line  had  not  unfolded  from  apical  bud.  ( From  Jacobs  and  Bullwinkel. ) 

on  which  buds  are  present  will  root  much  better  than  those  without  buds. 
This  evidently  is  due  to  a  root-stimulating  substance  produced  by  buds 
which  passes  down  to  the  base  of  the  cutting.  The  character  of  the  buds 
may  also  be  important,  for  O'Rourke  (1942)  has  shown  that  blueberry 
cuttings  root  better  if  the  buds  on  them  are  leaf  buds  than  if  they  are 
flower  buds. 

The  relation  between  a  leaf  and  the  development  of  a  bud  in  its  axil 
is  a  complex  one.  Felber  (1948)   observed  that  in  apple  the  size  of  a 


Correlation  101 

vegetative  bud  at  maturity  is  proportional  to  the  size  of  its  subtending 
leaf,  suggesting  a  nutritional  relation.  Champagnat  (1955  and  other 
papers)  presents  evidence  that  there  are  several  distinct  stimulating  or 
inhibiting  influences  that  the  leaf  exerts  on  its  bud.  Snow  and  Snow 
(1942),  on  the  basis  of  experiments  at  the  meristem,  believe  that  an  axil- 
lary bud  is  determined  by  the  primordium  of  the  leaf  that  subtends  it, 
particularly  the  basal  part.  If  the  primordium  is  partially  isolated  from 
the  stem  apex,  its  bud  grows  larger  than  it  otherwise  would. 

Related  structures  often  affect  each  other.  The  cotton  boll  and  its  seeds 
will  not  reach  normal  size  if  the  involucre  of  the  flower  is  removed 
(Kearney,  1929).  Knapp  (1930)  reports  that  the  perianth  of  a  liverwort 
grows  only  if  the  archegonium  that  it  covers  is  fertilized.  The  ovary  in 
most  plants  will  not  grow  into  a  fruit  unless  at  least  a  number  of  ovules 
are  forming  seeds.  These  developing  parts  produce  substances,  appar- 
ently, that  stimulate  the  ovary  wall  to  grow.  This  stimulation  can  be 
imitated  by  the  use  of  certain  synthetic  growth  substances  to  produce 
parthenocarpic  fruits  (p.  378).  In  case  of  metaxenia  (p.  407),  where  the 
male  parent  has  a  direct  effect  on  the  character  of  the  fruits,  this  pre- 
sumably results  from  something  introduced  through  the  pollen  tube. 

Inhibitory  Correlations.  There  are  many  developmental  relationships 
which  are  just  the  reverse  of  stimulatory  and  in  which  one  part  inhibits 
the  growth  of  another  by  some  other  means  than  competition  for  food. 
These  relations,  like  those  of  stimulation,  commonly  involve  the  action 
of  auxin  and  related  substances. 

The  best  known  case  of  such  inhibition  is  the  dominance  by  a  terminal 
bud  which  prevents  the  growth  of  lateral  buds  below  it  (p.  386).  Simi- 
larly, the  epicotyl  and  its  bud,  in  seedlings  like  those  of  beans,  inhibit  the 
growth  of  buds  in  the  axils  of  the  cotyledons.  Often  a  leaf  can  be  shown 
to  inhibit  the  growth  of  the  bud  that  it  subtends,  for  if  the  inhibiting 
organ  is  removed,  the  bud  will  then  grow.  Sometimes  physiological  iso- 
lation has  the  same  effect  as  removal.  Child  ( 1919,  1921 )  chilled  a  portion 
of  a  bean  epicotyl  and  found  that  the  cotyledonary  buds  then  began  to 
grow.  Shading  a  leaf  sometimes  results  in  removing  its  inhibiting  in- 
fluence. 

Preventing  the  growth  of  the  apical  bud  by  encasing  it  in  plaster  some- 
times has  the  same  effect  as  removing  it.  Many  of  the  early  studies  in 
growth  correlation  involved  this  plaster  technique  (see  Hering,  1896). 
For  example,  if  the  portion  of  pea  epicotyl  between  the  terminal  bud  and 
the  cotyledons  is  so  encased  that  it  cannot  grow  in  width,  growth  in 
length  is  much  reduced  as  compared  with  the  control. 

Nutritional  factors  may  have  something  to  do  with  the  inhibition  of 
cotyledonary  buds,  for  Moreland  ( 1934 )  observed  that  in  bean  seedlings 
the  growing  foliage  leaves  have  a  greater  inhibiting  effect  on  these  buds 


102  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

than  does  the  epicotyledonary  bud  itself  and  believes  that  this  is  owing 
to  the  removal  by  these  leaves  of  some  food  material  necessary  for  bud 

growth. 

Other  structures  may  be  inhibited.  If  root  nodules  and  root  tips  are  re- 
moved from  roots  of  red  clover  inoculated  with  an  effective  strain  of 
nodule  bacteria,  the  number  of  nodules  subsequently  formed  will  be  in- 
creased (Nutman,  1952).  This  is  thought  to  be  owing  to  the  removal  of 
inhibitory  activity  centered  in  the  meristems  of  nodules  and  root. 

Inhibition  by  terminal  buds  has  various  practical  implications.  Reed 
( 1921 )  found  that  heavily  pruned  young  pear  trees  have  a  greater  growth 
of  new  shoots  than  do  unpruned  or  lightly  pruned  ones  and  suggests  that 
this  results  from  the  removal  from  them  of  much  growth-inhibiting  sub- 
stance present  in  the  buds  near  the  tips  of  the  branches. 

Correlations  of  Position.  Many  parts  of  the  plant  can  be  shown  to  have 
the  capacity  for  much  more  extensive  growth  than  they  normally  display. 
If  a  leaf  is  removed  and  treated  as  a  cutting,  it  will  frequently  grow  to  a 
greater  size  and  live  much  longer  than  if  it  had  remained  a  part  of  the 
plant  (Mer,  1886;  Riehm,  1905;  Winkler,  1907;  and  others).  Single  cells, 
under  suitable  conditions  of  isolation  and  stimulation,  will  sometimes  de- 
velop into  whole  plants.  All  parts  of  the  plant  tend  thus  to  be  totipotent. 
Why  these  potentialities  are  not  realized  when  the  part  is  a  member  of 
an  organic  whole  is  a  problem.  Not  only  is  each  part  of  this  whole  limited 
in  its  growth,  but  the  particular  way  in  which  it  develops  depends  on 
where  it  is.  Driesch's  famous  dictum  emphasizes  the  fact  that  an  or- 
ganism is  an  organic  pattern  in  which  every  part  develops  in  a  specific 
relation  to  the  rest.  The  correlations  that  these  parts  display  with  one  an- 
other are  simply  manifestations  of  the  control  that  this  pattern  exercises 
in  development. 

Experimental  change  of  the  position  of  a  part  in  this  pattern  often 
effects  marked  alteration.  Ward  and  Wetmore  (1954)  partially  released 
young  fern  embryos  from  their  contact  with  the  prothallus  and  found 
their  growth  to  be  slower  and  somewhat  abnormal.  Wetmore  asks  the  sig- 
nificant question  as  to  why  a  spore  and  an  egg  should  grow  so  differently. 
Each  is  a  haploid  cell  and  they  presumably  are  identical  genetically,  but 
the  surroundings  under  which  they  develop  are  very  different.  He  sug- 
gests that  perhaps  the  difference  between  sporophyte  and  gametophyte 
in  ferns  may  be  the  result  of  this  positional  correlation. 

Mason  (1922)  reports  that  the  terminal  bud  from  a  cotton  shoot  that 
has  stopped  growing  will  grow  vigorously  if  it  is  budded  on  a  young  plant. 
A  flower  bud  inserted  on  a  vegetative  shoot  where  it  would  not  normally 
occur  often  changes  in  its  development  and  may  produce  a  flower  cluster 
which  is  gigantic  or  otherwise  abnormal. 

The  operation  of  such  a  constantly  regulated  balance  among  activities 


Correlation  103 

is  well  shown  in  the  formation  of  reaction  wood  (p.  356).  This  wood  (in 
conifers)  elongates  faster  than  normal  wood  and  thus  tends  to  bend  a 
branch  away  from  the  side  on  which  it  occurs.  The  branches  have  a  spe- 
cific angle  of  orientation  to  the  main  axis,  or  to  gravity,  which  is  main- 
tained by  the  development  of  reaction  wood  on  one  side  of  the  branch. 
If  this  normal  orientation  is  experimentally  altered,  reaction  wood  will 
appear  at  the  precise  place  and  in  the  precise  amount  elsewhere  which 
will  tend  to  restore  the  normal  branch  pattern.  The  origin  and  character 
of  this  pattern  are  the  essential  problem.  What  happens  to  any  com- 
ponent of  it  depends  on  the  place  that  this  occupies. 

There  are  many  other  examples  of  the  operation  of  such  developmental 
patterns  in  the  plant  body.  Among  these  are  the  studies  of  Dormer  ( 1950) 
on  the  development  of  xylem  in  different  internodes  of  the  young  plant  of 
Vicia;  of  Friesner  and  Jones  ( 1952 )  on  the  relation  of  primary  and  sec- 
ondary branches  in  length  growth;  and  of  various  workers  on  the  struc- 
ture of  leaves  borne  at  different  levels  on  the  stalk.  Ashby  and  his 
colleagues  (1948)  have  emphasized  the  structural  and  physiological  dif- 
ferences among  successive  leaves  along  the  axis  and  have  related  this  to 
the  problem  of  aging.  Instances  of  positional  differences  shown  in  topo- 
physis  (p.  212)  are  particularly  clear  and  may  become  irreversible. 

The  control  that  the  organized  whole  exercises  over  its  parts  is  some- 
times termed  "correlative  inhibition."  This  term  explains  nothing  but  it 
emphasizes  the  fact  that  inhibitory  action  is  certainly  involved.  In  the 
physiology  of  development  both  inhibition  and  stimulation  are  important. 
A  number  of  workers,  among  them  Libbert  (1954,  1955),  have  discussed 
the  various  interactions  between  substances  which  promote  and  those 
which  check  the  growth  of  buds.  Thimann  (1956)  has  called  attention  to 
the  fact  that  in  most  physiological  processes  there  is  a  balance  between 
reactions  tending  to  promote  the  process  and  others  tending  to  inhibit  it. 
No  single  factor  is  solely  responsible,  but  physiological  activities,  includ- 
ing those  of  development,  are  often  under  multiple  control.  Furthermore, 
certain  factors  such  as  auxin  may  stimulate  under  certain  conditions  and 
inhibit  under  others. 

Some  students  of  development  are  therefore  inclined  to  look  on  the 
growing  organism  as  the  seat  of  constant  competition  between  different 
and  distinct  processes,  a  state  of  equilibrium  between  opposing  forces. 
This  resembles  the  concept  of  the  organism  as  a  balance  between  distinct 
cellular  individuals  each  with  specific  tendencies  of  its  own.  It  also  calls 
to  mind  the  older  idea  of  the  "battle  between  the  parts"  as  the  basic  fact 
in  development.  Analysis  of  the  structures  and  the  activities  that  go  to 
make  up  an  organism  gives  some  support  to  this  interpretation  of  devel- 
opment. The  close  correlations  that  are  everywhere  present  in  develop- 
ment, however,  and  particularly  the  persistent  tendency  toward  regula- 


104  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

tory  action  by  which  a  specific  norm  or  pattern  of  form  and  function  is 
restored  if  disturbed,  are  difficult  to  explain  on  the  basis  of  independent 
action  by  many  variables.  The  organism  more  closely  resembles  an  or- 
ganized army  under  disciplined  control  than  it  does  a  mob  where  each 
individual  acts  competitively  for  himself. 

The  balance  between  stimulation  and  inhibition,  however,  is  worth 
careful  study  by  students  of  morphogenesis.  In  a  few  cases  it  has  been 
investigated  in  the  lower  plants.  In  the  coenocytic  alga  Caulerpa,  for  ex- 
ample, the  "assimilators"  (leaves)  produce  strong  growth  inhibition  but 
the  rhizoids  have  the  opposite  tendency  (Dostal,  1945).  The  balance 
between  the  influences  of  these  two  sets  of  organs  has  an  important  effect 
on  the  character  of  the  plant  as  a  whole. 

More  favorable  material  for  a  study  of  this  aspect  of  correlation  is 
found  in  the  over-all  form  of  the  plant  body,  especially  in  such  higher 
plants  as  trees.  A  tree  is  a  rather  loose  aggregation  of  axes  which  usually 
does  not  show  as  precise  a  form  as  does  an  individual  organ  such  as  a 
leaf  or  a  flower  but  which,  nevertheless,  is  characteristic  and  recognizable. 
This  has  been  found  to  result  from  an  interaction  of  factors  in  the  ter- 
minal buds  and  in  the  growing  tips  of  the  branches.  Some  of  these  factors 
tend  to  push  the  branches  down,  in  relation  to  the  main  axis,  and  others 
tend  to  lift  them  up.  The  relative  length  of  branches  and  main  axis  is  also 
similarly  controlled,  evidently  by  domination  of  the  terminal  bud  over 
those  of  the  lateral  branches.  Munch  (1938)  has  discussed  the  diverse 
tendencies  that  govern  such  tree  form  in  conifers  and  interprets  these  in 
terms  of  hormonal  action,  but  he  emphasizes  the  harmony  and  balance 
that  exist  among  them.  Others  (Snow,  1945)  have  considered  the  problem. 
It  is  a  basic  one  for  morphogenesis  since  the  form  of  the  plant  body  as  a 
whole,  although  relatively  variable,  is  nevertheless  a  true  organic  one. 
Presumably  the  factors  that  govern  it  resemble  those  that  bring  about  the 
much  more  constant  and  specific  forms  of  the  separate  organs.  The  body 
is  an  aggregation  of  these  parts,  less  tightly  organized  than  are  its  indi- 
vidual organs,  but  clearly  showing  organization.  The  beginnings  of  organ- 
ization and  of  the  emergence  of  those  correlations  that  determine  form 
may  profitably  be  studied  in  these  plant  bodies,  which  in  a  sense  are  in- 
termediate between  colonies  of  semi-independent  parts  and  true  organic 
individuals. 

GENETIC  CORRELATIONS 

Organized  bodily  patterns,  with  their  localized  differences  and  specific 
characters,  are  examples  of  physiological  correlation  though  the  mecha- 
nisms involved  are  obscure.  They  doubtless  have  some  genetic  basis.  Many 
other  growth  correlations,  including  those  concerned  in  the  form  of  plant 


Correlation  105 

parts,  are  more  precise  but  are  even  further  from  a  satisfactory  biological 
explanation.  They  are  inherited,  but  the  genetic  mechanisms  involved 
have  hardly  begun  to  be  explored.  At  present  we  can  simply  describe  and 
classify  these  correlations. 

The  various  structures  in  a  growing  organic  system  tend  to  increase 
together  and  thus  to  be  correlated  in  size.  In  a  given  organ  its  dimensions 
are  likewise  correlated.  Since  growth  usually  is  not  uniform,  as  develop- 
ment proceeds,  the  relations  between  the  parts  of  the  system  or  between 
the  dimensions  of  the  organ  may  change  progressively  and  thus  produce 
differences  in  form.  Growth  is  usually  exponential  in  character,  and  there- 
fore the  relationship  between  the  sizes  of  two  structures  growing  at  dif- 
ferent rates  may  best  be  found  by  plotting  the  logarithms  of  their  sizes 
against  each  other.  If  the  rates  are  different  but  the  relation  between  the 
two  is  constant,  these  values  will  fall  along  a  straight  line  the  slope  of 
which  measures  the  growth  of  one  structure  relative  to  that  of  the  other. 
It  is  noteworthy  that  in  most  cases  where  two  parts  of  the  same  growing 
system,  or  two  dimensions  of  a  growing  organ,  are  compared,  their 
relative  rates  are  found  to  be  constant,  however  different  their  absolute 
rates  may  be. 

This  relationship  can  be  described  simply  by  an  equation.  If  y  is  the 
size  of  one  variable,  .t  that  of  the  other,  b  the  value  of  y  when  x  is  of  some 
arbitrary  size,  and  k  the  ratio  of  the  growth  rate  of  y  to  that  of  x,  then 

y  =  bxk 
or 

log  y  —  log  b  +  k  log  x 

This  phenomenon  of  constant  relative  growth  (heterauxesis)  has  been 
observed  by  many  biologists  but  was  first  widely  emphasized  by  Julian 
Huxley  (1932).  He  termed  this  type  of  growth  heterogony,  a  term  now 
replaced  in  much  of  the  literature  by  allometry.  The  constant  b  measures 
differences  in  level,  or  at  the  beginning  of  growth,  between  two  variables. 
The  constant  k  provides  a  measure  of  relative  growth  rate  and  may  some- 
times offer  a  clue  to  the  mechanisms  involved.  It  may  be  used  to  express 
differences  when  these  are  based  on  genetic,  environmental,  embryologi- 
cal,  biochemical,  or  even  evolutionary  factors.  This  method  of  analysis 
has  proved  useful  in  the  study  of  many  kinds  of  growth  correlations. 

Correlations  of  Part  and  Whole.  Among  the  familiar  growth  correla- 
tions are  those  between  an  organ  and  the  rest  of  the  body  or  between 
members  of  a  series  of  multiple  parts  and  the  structure  that  they  con- 
stitute. In  animals,  large  individuals  typically  have  their  organs  cor- 
respondingly larger  than  those  of  small  ones.  In  plants,  however,  with 
their  lower  level  of  organization,  their  often  indeterminate  growth,  and 
their  multiple  organs,  this  relationship  is  not  so  simple.  In  beans,  for 


106  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

example,  Sinnott  (1921)  has  shown  that  there  is  a  positive  correlation 
between  size  of  leaf  and  size  of  entire  plant  up  to  a  certain  plant  size. 
Beyond  this  the  size  of  additional  leaves  is  no  greater  even  if  leaf 
number  and  plant  size  may  increase  considerably  ( Fig.  5-2 ) .  Size  of  pod 
and  of  seed  show  a  similar  relationship  to  plant  size.  These  facts  suggest 
that  organ  size  may  depend  on  the  size  of  the  embryonic  mass  or  the 
shoot  meristem  and  that  this  may  increase  up  to  a  certain  point  only, 
beyond  which  increase  in  total  plant  size  involves  only  the  addition  of 
more  units  (internodes,  leaves,  and  others). 

In  cucurbits  and  many  other  types,  although  organs  on  the  same  plant 
tend  to  be  correlated  in  size  (forms  with  large  fruits  also  having  large 
leaves,  thick  stems,  and  long  internodes),  there  is  a  certain  amount  of 
flexibility  in  these  relationships,  depending  on  genetic  constitution.  Thus 


.95 


10 


30  50 

Dry  weight  of  shoot  (g ) 


70 


90 


Fig.  5-2.  Relation  of  size  of  leaf  to  size  of  shoot  in  progressively  larger  bean  plants. 
For  a  while,  leaf  and  shoot  increase  together,  but  after  a  certain  point,  shoot  size 
increases  without  further  increase  of  individual  leaves.  {From  Sinnott.) 

if  a  pumpkin  type,  which  has  all  its  parts  large,  is  crossed  with  an  egg 
gourd,  where  they  are  all  small,  the  Fo  generation  contains  plants  that 
show  some  differences  in  the  relative  size  of  their  parts,  but  there  are 
none  that  have  the  large  fruit  size  of  the  pumpkin  and  the  small  vine 
type  of  the  egg  gourd.  The  general  physiological  correlation  of  parts 
within  the  same  plant  makes  it  impossible  for  sizes  of  individual  organs 
to  segregate  independently  in  inheritance. 

The  size  of  the  meristematic  region  bears  some  relation  to  that  of 
plant  and  organ  size.  Crane  and  Finch  ( 1930 )  have  shown  that  the  size 
of  buds  has  an  effect  in  determining  the  size  of  shoots  that  grow  from 
them.  In  a  comparative  study  of  large-fruited  and  small-fruited  races  in 
Cucurbita  pepo,  von  Maltzahn  (1957)  found  that,  although  the  dome- 
like undifferentiated  meristem  is  essentially  the  same  size  in  all  types, 


Correlation  107 

the  region  just  back  of  this  and  the  primordia  of  flowers  and  leaves  that 
originate  there  are  considerably  larger  in  the  large-fruited  type. 

In  this  general  category  of  correlations  are  many  of  those  described 
by  J.  Arthur  Harris.  In  Nothoscordum  and  Allium  (1909),  for  example, 
he  found  that  flower  clusters  with  relatively  large  numbers  of  flowers  are 
borne  on  relatively  long  peduncles.  Size  changes  are  not  always  propor- 
tional, however,  for  in  Ficaria  (1918)  he  found  that  flowers  with  a  large 
number  of  sporophylls  have  relatively  more  pistils  than  stamens. 

The  relation  between  cell  size  and  body  size  belongs  to  the  part-to- 
whole  category.  This  has  been  discussed  in  a  previous  chapter  (p.  32) 
and  is  the  basis  of  a  very  considerable  literature.  In  a  single  organ 
there  are  often  marked  differences  among  the  various  tissues  in  the 
strength  of  the  correlation  between  cell  size  and  tissue  size  (Sinnott, 
1930).  In  general,  it  is  clear  that  body  size  usually  does  not  depend  on 
cell  size  but  on  cell  number.  In  many  cases,  however,  it  has  been  shown 
that  in  organs  of  limited  growth,  such  as  fruits,  large  cell  size  is  associated 
with  large  organ  size,  though  the  range  of  the  former  is  much  less  than 
that  of  the  latter. 

Correlations  between  Different  Parts.  There  are  many  genetic  correla- 
tions which  do  not  involve  part-to-whole  relationship  but  one  between 
different  parts  and  are  thus  less  obvious  as  to  origin.  Sometimes  these 
parts  grow  at  the  same  rate  but  more  frequently  they  do  not. 

One  of  the  most  conspicuous  of  such  growth  relationships  in  higher 
plants  is  that  between  the  two  main  organ  systems  of  the  body,  the  root 
and  the  shoot.  Its  nutritional  aspect  has  already  been  discussed.  The  rela- 
tion is  often  so  precise,  however,  as  to  suggest  that  it  has  a  basis  in  the 
genetic  constitution  of  the  plant.  Its  value  differs  in  different  plants,  at 
different  stages  of  development,  and  under  different  environments.  In 
most  cases  the  root  is  relatively  large  in  the  seedling  but  grows  less 
rapidly  than  the  shoot.  One  increases  at  a  rate  which  maintains  a  con- 
stant proportion  to  that  of  the  other.  Pearsall  (1927)  plotted  the  dry 
weight  of  the  root  against  that  of  the  shoot,  both  logarithmically,  in  a 
series  of  growing  plants  in  various  species.  In  most  cases  the  allometric 
constant  k  was  greater  than  1,  though  its  value  differed  in  different 
species.  In  other  words,  the  shoot  grew  more  rapidly  than  the  root.  In 
etiolated  plants,  however,  it  was  much  greater  than  1,  and  in  those  with 
storage  roots,  it  was  much  less. 

Tammes  ( 1903 )  made  a  study  of  the  growth  relationships  between  an 
internode  and  the  leaf  above  it.  She  found  that  removal  of  a  leaf  would 
shorten  the  length  to  which  the  internode  below  would  grow  but  would 
not  reduce  the  number  of  its  cells.  This  relationship  does  not  hold  in 
climbing  plants,  where  internode  length  is  usually  attained  before  the 
leaf  above  becomes  very  large.  In  Ipomoea  the  excision  of  leaves  on  the 


108  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

main  shoot  has  a  variety  of  effects  on  the  shape  of  leaves  produced  later 
by  the  terminal  bud  and  on  the  size  and  number  of  their  cells  (Njoku, 

1956b). 

The  various  parts  of  the  shoot  system  also  show  growth  correlations, 
and  these  are  responsible  for  the  form  of  the  shoot.  They  are  readily 
observable  in  coniferous  trees  where  the  growth  of  the  terminal  shoot, 
which  will  form  the  trunk,  is  usually  greater  than  that  of  the  branches. 
This  leads  to  the  spire-like  form  of  many  of  these  trees.  There  are  also 
definite  relationships  between  the  members  of  a  branch  system.  The  new 


o 

Hi 


Log.   Lamina  diam. 


Fig.  5-3.  Allometric  relation  between  lamina  and  petiole  in  Tropaeolum.  I,  a  series  of 
growing  leaves.  II,  mature  leaves  in  shade.  ( From  Pearsall. ) 

material  added  each  year  is  distributed  unequally  but  in  regular  fashion 
throughout  the  tree. 

A  somewhat  different  type  of  correlation  is  that  between  the  volume 
of  the  shoot  system  or  any  part  of  it  and  the  cross-sectional  area  of  the 
stem  that  supports  it.  Murray  ( 1927 )  analyzed  this  relationship  in  a 
number  of  trees  and  finds  that  it  is  constant  and  predictable  and  that  as 
the  tree  grows  larger  the  cross-sectional  area  of  its  trunk  becomes  rela- 
tively smaller.  It  has  been  shown  that  where  a  trunk  branches  the  cross- 
sectional  area  of  the  two  branches  is  larger  than  that  of  the  united  trunk 


Correlation 


109 


below  them  but  that  the  degree  of  this  difference  depends  on  the  rela- 
tive size  of  the  two  branches  and  on  the  angle  between  them.  It  is  an 
expression  of  the  polar  tendency  of  the  trunk. 

There  are  also  correlations  between  the  parts  of  an  organ.  In  leaves, 
for  example,  although  the  length  of  the  petiole  is  much  more  variable 


2 
2 

cc 
tu 

Ui 

2 
< 


o 


2.0- 

FRUIT  /^ 

y 

CF 

1.5- 

y<              STALK 

1.0- 

i          i          I          j          i 

l            J            r             1            1            1            1            1             1            1            1 

2 
2 

a. 

ID 

i- 

UJ 

2 
< 

6 

o 
o 


FRUIT 


_i i i i_ 


Time    in    Days 

Fig.  5-4.  Diameter  of  stalk  plotted  against  diameter  of  fruit  in  a  large-fruited  race  of 
Cucurbita  (above)  and  a  small  one  (below).  Rate  of  growth  is  less  for  stalk  than 
for  fruit  but  at  flowering  the  logarithmic  distance  between  the  two  is  approximately 
the  same  in  both  races.  ( From  Sinnott. ) 

than  the  dimensions  of  the  lamina,  there  is  a  relation  between  them.  In 
Tropaeolum,  Pearsall  ( 1927 )  found  that  this  was  allometric,  with  lamina 
width  growing  faster  than  petiole  length  (Fig.  5-3).  In  Acer  the  volume 
of  the  leaf  blade  is  much  more  closely  correlated  with  the  cross-sectional 
area  of  the  petiole  than  with  its  length.  In  the  runner  bean  the  area  of 


110 


The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 


the  lamina  and  the  cross-sectional  area  of  the  petiolar  xylem  are  related 
allometrically,  but  the  xylem  grows  only  about  0.6  as  fast  as  the  lamina 
(D.  J.  B.  White,  1954).  Alexandrov,  Alexandrova,  and  Timofeev  (1927) 
observed  that  in  Bryonia  the  number  of  vessels  in  any  given  part  of  the 
stem  is  correlated  with  the  dimensions  of  the  leaves  in  that  region.  These 
various  facts  suggest  that  physiological  factors  are  here  involved  and 
that  the  amount  of  water  transpired  from  the  blade  is  important  in  de- 
termining the  conducting  capacity  of  the  petiole.  This  hypothesis  will 
be  discussed  later  (p.  332).  In  the  light  of  other  evidence,  it  is  doubtful 
whether  such  a  "functional  stimulus"  is  actually  operative. 


Fig.  5-5.  Relation  of  pith  diameter  to  diameter  of  shoot  in  young  stems  of  Pinus 
strobus  of  different  sizes,  showing  greater  relative  size  of  pith  in  larger  stems.  ( From 
Sinnott. ) 


Somewhat  similarly,  the  diameter  of  a  growing  cucurbit  fruit  and  of 
the  stalk  that  bears  it  are  closely  correlated  in  early  growth,  the  fruit 
increasing  more  rapidly.  Stalk  growth  ceases  earlier  than  fruit  growth, 
however  (Sinnott,  1955;  Fig.  5-4). 

Some  correlations  between  parts  are  due  to  the  similar  effect  of  a 
gene  or  group  of  genes  on  a  series  of  morphologically  related  organs.  An- 
derson and  de  Winton  ( 1935 )  studied  the  effect  of  a  number  of  mutant 
genes,  in  Primula  sinensis,  on  the  morphology  -  of  the  leaf,  bract,  sepal, 
and  petal.  In  several  cases  they  had  a  very  similar  influence  on  develop- 
ment (producing  lobing)  in  all  four  categories  of  organs.  Such  correla- 
tions are  examples  of  what  is  sometimes  called  homeosis.. 

Many  examples  of  growth  correlation  are  found  in  internal  structures. 
Thus  Buchholz  (1938)  in  Sequoia  has  shown  that  in  stems  of  different 
sizes  the  vascular  cylinder  occupies  a  relatively  larger  portion,  as  meas- 
ured in  cross  section,  in  large  stems  than  it  does  in  small  ones.  In  pine 


Correlation 


111 


stems  of  different  size  the  pith  is  relatively  larger  in  the  large  stems  and 
the  cortex  relatively  smaller  (Sinnott,  1936rt;  Fig.  5-5). 

Sometimes  these  size  relationships  are  found  to  extend  below  the  level 
of  the  organ.  The  relation  of  cell  size  to  nuclear  size  has  already  been 
discussed  (p.  27).  Klieneberger  (1918)  measured  this  relationship  in 
a  large  number  of  plants,  and  the  subject  has  been  reviewed  by  Trom- 
betta  (1942).  Both  Budde  (1923)  and  Schratz  (1927)  found  a  rather 
close  correlation  between  the  total  surface  area  of  the  plastids  and  the 
volume  of  the  cell. 

These  relationships  between  structures  have  important  evolutionary 
implications  which  cannot  be  discussed  here.  The  increasing  size  of  the 
leaf  during  the  development  of  the  pteropsid  stock  seems  to  have  been 
correlated  with  the  change  from  a  protostelic  to  a  siphonostelic  stem 
structure  (Wetmore,  1943).  The  association  of  the  trilacunar  leaf  trace 


Fig.  5-6.  Diagram  of  a  trilacunar  node, 
showing  relation  between  stipules  and  lat- 
eral leaf  traces.  ( From  Sinnott  and  Bailey. ) 


with  the  presence  of  stipules  (Sinnott  and  Bailey,  1914;  Fig.  5-6)  is 
another  instance.  This  has  been  emphasized  by  the  observation  of 
Sensarma  (1957)  that  when  only  one  lateral  trace  branches  only  the 
stipule  on  that  side  develops.  Another  case  is  the  relation  of  absolute 
size  of  the  axis  to  its  vascular  development  (p.  359).  Among  animals  there 
are  many  examples  of  evolutionary  allometry  where  increasing  size  of 
the  organism  results  in  a  proportionally  greater  increase  of  certain  organs. 
Correlations  between  Dimensions.  Correlations  between  part  and 
whole  or  part  and  part  evidently  involve  coordinating  mechanisms  that 
bind  these  parts  into  an  integrated  organism.  The  same  sort  of  control 
is  shown,  though  in  a  somewhat  different  manner,  in  the  correlation  be- 
tween the  various  dimensions  of  an  organ  or  other  determinate  structure. 
Here  one  is  concerned  with  the  very  essence  of  form  itself,  with  the  way 
in  which  growth  is  distributed  in  one  direction  relative  to  that  in  an- 
other. This  relative  growth,  like  that  between  parts,  is  under  definite  con- 


112  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

trol  and  proceeds  in  a  regular  and  orderly  fashion  (Fig.  5-7).  Since 
most  plant  organs  are  determinate  structures,  their  forms  are  more  con- 
stant and  precise  than  are  those  of  the  whole  plant  body. 

The  origin  of  specific  form  in  a  plant  or  its  organs  may  be  studied  in 
embryological  development  but  more  readily  in  the  growth  of  organs  that 
originate  at  the  meristem,  especially  leaves,  flowers,  and  fruits.  In  some 
cases  the  mature  form  or  a  close  approximation  to  it  is  established  very 
early,  and  from  an  examination  of  a  tiny  primordium,  when  its  size  may 
be  only  a  fraction  of  a  cubic  millimeter,  the  final  shape  of  the  organ  can 
be  seen.  The  critical  period  in  form  determination  here  is  evidently  near 
the  beginning  of  development.  More  frequently,  however,  the  early 
primordium  is  simple,  often  nearly  isodiametric,  and  the  final  form  de- 
velops by  differential  growth. 


too 

i 
i- 
o 

z 

Id 

-f  a    * 
22    . 

z>  * 
JN 

x  * 
< 

2 

6 
o 


10' 


10 


I    I  I  I 


I  I  I  Mill 
100 


LOG  MAXIMUM  WIDTH 

x  2  x  10V 


Fig.  5-7.  Relative  growth  of  length  to  width  in  developing  fern  prothallium.    (From 
Albaum. ) 

Plant  embryology  in  its  widest  sense  is  the  record  of  such  differential 
growth  by  which  the  complexity  of  organic  form  is  attained.  Most  of 
our  knowledge  of  the  process  is  from  verbal  or  pictorial  descriptions, 
but  in  some  cases  it  has  been  analyzed  more  precisely.  The  techniques 
of  measuring  allometric  growth  are  as  applicable  in  such  cases  as  they 
are  in  the  more  frequently  studied  ones  of  part-to-part  analysis.  Richards 
and  Kavanagh  ( 1943 )  have  extended  the  method  further  and  show  how 
it  may  be  applied  to  three-dimensional  growth.  If  this  proves  generally 
feasible,  analysis  of  form  development  will  become  much  more  precise. 
Schuepp  ( 1945,  1946 )  has  used  the  methods  of  allometry  to  supplement 
others  in  a  rather  complex  analysis  of  the  development  of  leaf  shape  and 
of  the  origin  of  the  leaf  primordium  at  the  meristem. 

Sinnott  (1936fr)  applied  these  methods  to  the  study  of  form  develop- 
ment in  fruits  of  various  races  of  cucurbits  where  form  difference  is  due 


Correlation 


113 


to  differential  growth  rates  in  various  dimensions  ( Fig.  5-8 ) .  In  the  long, 
narrow  types,  such  as  the  "club"  gourd,  length  increases  faster  than 
width  but  at  a  constant  relative  rate,  the  value  of  k  being  approximately 
1.2.  In  other  races,  such  as  the  "bottle"  gourds,  width  increases  faster  than 
length,  k  being  about  0.8.  In  the  latter  race,  which  has  an  upper  sterile 
lobe  and  a  lower  fertile  one  with  a  constricted  isthmus  between,  the 
ratios  of  the  diameters  of  these  to  each  other  and  to  the  polar  diameter 
of  the  ovary  are  specific,  so  that,  as  the  fruit  grows,  not  only  the  ratio  of 
length  to  width  changes  but  the  form  of  the  organ  as  a  whole  undergoes 


lOOOt 


I  to 

Width     (mm) 


Fig.  5-8.  Relative  growth  of  length  to  width  (plotted  logarithmically)  of  developing 
fruits  of  several  types  of  cucurbits.   ( From  Sinnott. ) 

precise  development  (Fig.  5-9).  An  organic  pattern  results  not  from  one 
or  a  few  correlations  between  dimensions  but  from  a  complex  of  such 
correlations.  In  crosses  between  the  two  gourd  types  mentioned,  the  value 
of  k  has  been  found  to  segregate  after  crossing  and  at  least  in  one 
case  in  a  simple  fashion,  suggesting  that  this  is  what  is  under  direct 
gene  control  (p.  423).  Evidently  the  form  of  the  mature  fruit  in  such 
cases  depends  not  only  upon  the  relative  rate  of  its  dimensional  growth 
but  upon  the  total  growth  attained,  so  that  the  problem  of  the  inheri- 
tance of  form  involves  not  only  the  genetic  basis  of  relative  growth  but 
also  that  of  size. 

Dimensional  relationships  are  not  constant  throughout  the  plant.  Dif- 


114  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

ferences  in  shape  are  often  found  between  early  and  later  fruits,  or  be- 
tween leaves  on  different  parts  of  the  axis.  Meijknecht  (1955)  has 
analyzed  some  of  these  differences  and  concludes  that  this  variation  is 
least  when  the  structure  occupies  the  position  on  the  plant  in  which  it 
shows  its  "ideal"  development,  the  expression  of  its  typical  specific  charac- 
ter. This  calls  to  mind  a  concept  of  the  early  "idealistic"  morphology. 


so 

40 
3C- 

20 


-,  /0 

So 

u 

-  8 

5  ' 

s 


Miniature' 


■1* 


x*.» 


'Giant' 


6      T     8    9  /o 
Width     (cm) 


40      SO 


Fig.  5-9.  Relative  growth  of  length  to  width  in  bottle  gourds.  Width  increases  faster 
than  length,  but  the  relative  rate  is  the  same  in  "miniature"  (dots)  and  "giant" 
(crosses),  so  that  although  the  shape  of  the  two  races  at  maturity  is  different,  their 
genotype  for  shape  is  the  same.  The  inherited  difference  between  them  is  in  size. 
(From  Sinnott. ) 


The  mechanism  by  which  the  control  of  relative  growth  is  exercised 
and  growth  correlation  established  is  not  known,  but  evidently  cell 
polarities  are  involved.  Where  growth  is  more  rapid  in  one  dimension 
than  in  another,  it  has  been  shown  (p.  51)  that  cell  divisions  are  more 
frequent  in  that  direction.  Whether  the  axis  of  the  spindle  or  the  cyto- 
plasmic polarity  by  which  this  seems  in  certain  cases  to  be  preceded  is 
what  is  immediately  involved  in  relative  growth,  or  whether  this  is  second- 


Correlation  115 

ary  to  some  more  general  form-determining  mechanism,  is  a  basic  prob- 
lem. 

In  this  chapter  there  have  been  presented  only  a  few  of  the  great 
number  of  developmental,  physiological,  and  genetic  correlations  that 
may  be  found  throughout  botanical  literature,  but  these  are  representa- 
tive of  the  rest  and  emphasize  an  important  fact  in  plant  development.  A 
plant  is  typically  a  rather  loosely  organized  system  but  every  part  of  it  is 
nevertheless  affected  to  some  degree  by  its  relations  with  other  parts. 
These  correlations  are  not  random  ones  but  are  simple  expressions  of 
that  general  organized  interrelatedness  that  is  the  distinguishing  charac- 
ter of  an  organism.  What  happens  to  the  whole  affects  the  parts  and  what 
happens  to  a  part  affects  the  whole.  An  organ  removed  from  this  cor- 
relative inhibition  may  have  a  very  different  fate  from  its  normal  one.  A 
single  cell,  on  isolation,  will  often  regenerate  an  entire  plant.  That  it 
did  not  do  so  in  its  original  position  is  owing  to  this  inhibition.  The  term 
"correlation"  is  simply  a  description  of  the  facts  and  explains  nothing. 
It  is  of  value,  however,  in  emphasizing  that  the  results  of  any  experi- 
ment with  a  portion  of  the  plant  body  must  be  interpreted  not  as  an 
isolated  event  but  as  taking  place  against  the  background  of  the  whole 
organism.  How  each  portion  of  this  organism  behaves  under  given  con- 
ditions and  what  its  developmental  fate  will  be  depend  upon  its  position 
in  the  organized  system  of  which  it  forms  a  part.  The  nature  of  this  or- 
ganized system  is  the  fundamental  problem  that  continually  faces  the 
student  of  morphogenesis  in  whatever  part  of  the  science  he  may  be  at 
work. 


CHAPTER    6 

Polarity 


In  plant  development,  growth  does  not  proceed  at  random  to  the  produc- 
tion of  a  formless  mass  of  living  stuff  but  is  an  orderly  process  that  gives 
rise  to  specific  three-dimensional  forms  of  organ  or  body.  The  various  cor- 
relations described  in  the  preceding  chapter  are  manifestations  of  this 
formative  control,  which  knits  the  developing  organism  together  so  that 
growth  in  one  region  or  dimension  is  related  to  growth  in  the  others  and 
the  plant  thus  becomes  an  integrated  individual.  A  notable  feature  of 
these  bodily  forms  of  plants  ( and  animals )  is  the  presence  in  them  of  an 
axis  which  establishes  a  longitudinal  dimension  for  organ  or  organism. 
Along  this  axis,  and  symmetrically  with  reference  to  it,  the  lateral  struc- 
tures develop.  The  two  ends  or  poles  of  the  axis  are  usually  different 
both  as  to  structure  and  physiological  activity.  Thus  a  typical  vascular 
plant  has  a  major  axis  with  the  root  at  one  end  and  the  shoot  at  the 
other  and  with  lateral  appendages— leaves,  branches,  or  lateral  roots- 
disposed  symmetrically  around  it.  Growth  is  usually  more  rapid  parallel 
to  the  axis  than  at  right  angles  to  it,  so  that  an  elongate  form  results, 
though  this  is  by  no  means  always  the  case.  Single  organs  such  as  leaves, 
flowers,  and  fruits  also  show  axiate  patterns,  as  do  the  bodies  of  lower 
plants.  These  patterns  appear  very  early  in  development  as  the  result 
of  differences  in  growth  or  in  planes  of  cell  division.  This  characteristic 
orientation  of  organisms,  which  is  typically  bipolar  and  axiate,  is  termed 
polarity. 

Polarity  may  manifest  itself  in  many  ways.  The  structures  at  the  two 
ends  of  an  axis  are  unlike,  as  in  the  case  of  root  and  shoot,  "stem  end" 
and  "blossom  end"  of  fruits,  and  petiole  and  blade  of  leaves.  In  re- 
generation, the  organs  formed  at  one  end  are  usually  different  from  those 
formed  at  the  other.  Cells  and  tissues  may  show  polar  behavior  in  graft- 
ing experiments.  The  transportation  of  certain  substances  may  take  place 
in  one  direction  along  the  axis  but  not  in  the  other,  thus  manifesting 
polarity  in  physiological  activity.  Both  in  structure  and  in  function  there 
are  gradients  of  all  sorts.  Individual  cells  show  polar  behavior  in  plane 
of  division  and  in  the  different  character  of  their  two  daughter  cells. 

116 


Polarity  117 

It  is  important  at  the  beginning  to  understand  exactly  what  is  meant 
by  the  term  polarity.  Sometimes  this  is  regarded  as  an  innate  quality  of 
an  organism  which  makes  its  parts  line  up  in  a  given  direction,  like  iron 
filings  in  a  magnetic  field  or  opposite  electrical  charges  at  the  two  poles 
of  an  electrophoretic  system.  How  far  such  polarizing  factors  operate  in 
organisms  we  do  not  know.  The  term  polarity  as  used  most  commonly, 
and  certainly  in  the  present  discussion,  implies  much  less  than  this  and 
involves  no  assumption  as  to  its  causes.  Polarity  is  simply  the  specific 
orientation  of  activity  in  space.  It  refers  to  the  fact  that  a  given  biological 
event,  such  as  the  transfer  of  material  through  an  organ  or  the  plane  in 
which  a  cell  divides,  is  not  a  random  process  but  tends  to  be  oriented  in 
a  given  direction.  If  this  were  not  so,  an  organism  would  grow  into  a 
spherical  mass  of  cells,  like  tissue  in  a  shaken  culture.  This  differential 
directiveness  is  responsible  for  organic  form.  What  is  the  cause  of  it  we 
do  not  know,  but  one  often  invokes  it,  although  as  an  expression  of  igno- 
rance, in  attempting  to  account  for  a  morphogenetic  fact.  Polar  behavior 
is  no  more  and  no  less  mysterious  than  organic  formativeness  but  is  merely 
the  simplest  manifestation  of  this,  the  tendency  to  develop  a  major  axis 
with  lateral  ones  subordinate  to  it. 

It  is  essential  to  realize,  however,  that  polarity  is  not  a  trait  that  is 
originally  and  invariably  present.  There  is  good  evidence  that  entirely 
undifferentiated  cells,  such  as  eggs  in  their  early  stages  and  other  very 
simple  ones,  manifest  no  polarity  at  all.  Within  them,  doubtless,  there  are 
polar  molecules  but  these  are  arranged  at  random,  like  iron  filings  that 
are  not  in  a  magnetic  field.  Sooner  or  later  a  gradient  is  established  in  the 
cell  which  lines  up  these  molecules  in  a  specific  orientation.  This  orien- 
tation originates  in  asymmetric  factors  in  the  outer  environment,  such 
as  gravity,  light,  or  the  influence  of  adjacent  cells,  or  perhaps  within  the 
cell  from  gene  action.  As  a  result,  the  various  phenomena  of  polarity  make 
their  appearance,  but  not  until  a  gradient  has  first  been  set  up.  Once  a 
cell  or  a  group  of  cells  have  thus  become  polarized,  they  will  usually 
proceed  to  develop  into  an  axiate  system  which  then  produces  an  or- 
ganic form  without  necessity  for  further  environmental  induction. 

The  tendency  toward  polar  orientation,  which  may  be  strong  or  weak  or 
reversible  and  is  differentially  susceptible  to  outer  influences,  is  the  funda- 
mental fact  of  polarity.  It  must  be  distinguished  from  the  various  factors 
of  induction  that  call  forth  and  make  manifest  this  polar  tendency.  To  say 
that  light  induces  polarity  in  the  egg  of  Fucus  is  to  describe  a  morpho- 
genetic fact,  but  a  different  problem  is  to  explain  the  character  of  the 
cell  that  makes  it  capable  of  a  specific  polarization.  An  explanation  of 
polarity  in  physical  and  chemical  terms  is  difficult  but  a  beginning  at  this 
task  has  already  been  made.  In  most  biological  discussions  today,  how- 
ever, the  term  polarity  is  primarily  a  descriptive  one. 


118  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

Polarity  is  involved  in  many  morphogenetic  phenomena,  and  it  will 
necessarily  be  referred  to  repeatedly  in  other  chapters.  Thus  symmetry 
is  the  orderly  distribution  of  structures  in  relation  to  a  polar  axis.  Polar 
differences  are  the  simplest  aspect  of  differentiation.  Regeneration  is  in 
most  cases  a  polar  process.  Form  results  from  a  pattern  of  polarities  set 
up  in  the  developing  plant.  Polarity  may  be  regarded  as  the  framework, 
so  to  speak,  on  which  organic  form  is  built. 

The  polar  behavior  of  plants  has  long  attracted  the  attention  of 
morphologists  and  physiologists,  from  whose  work  a  great  body  of  knowl- 
edge has  accumulated.  Theophrastus  and  other  ancient  writers  described 
the  abnormal  behavior  of  plants  grown  in  an  inverted  position.  There  are 
a  number  of  other  early  observations,  especially  those  on  regeneration 
following  the  girdling  of  trees,  by  Agricola,  Hales,  and  Duhamel  du 
Monceau.  The  term  polarity  was  used  by  Allman  in  1864  in  connection 
with  phenomena  of  animal  regeneration  and  is  now  generally  employed 
by  students  of  morphogenesis  in  both  botany  and  zoology.  Vochting  made 
extensive  studies  of  polarity  in  plants  in  its  relation  to  problems  of  re- 
generation, growth,  and  differentiation  (1878,  1908,  1918).  Important 
botanical  work  was  also  done  by  Goebel  (1908),  Janse  (1906),  Loeb 
(1924),  and  others.  The  theoretical  aspects  of  polarity  have  been  ex- 
tensively discussed  not  only  by  Vochting  but  by  Sachs  (1882),  Pfeffer 
(1900-1906),  Klebs  (1903,  1904,  1913),  Winkler  (1900,  1933),  Went  and 
Thimann  (1937),  Lund  (1947),  Bunning  (1952b),  and  others.  Polarity  in 
animals  has  been  studied  by  many  workers,  notably  Driesch,  Roux, 
Morgan,  and  Harrison.  Reviews  of  the  field  of  plant  polarity  or  parts 
of  it  have  been  written  by  Bloch  (1943a),  Gautheret  (1944),  and 
Bunning  ( 1958 ) .  Polarity  is  important  not  only  for  theoretical  problems 
of  plant  development  but  for  many  practices  of  horticulture  and  vege- 
tative propagation  (Priestley  and  Swingle,  1929). 

The  establishment  of  a  morphological  axis  in  which  the  two  ends  are 
different  and  along  which  there  is  a  gradation  from  one  pole  to  the 
other  may  be  looked  upon  as  the  first  step  in  the  process  of  differentia- 
tion, an  important  aspect  of  morphogenesis.  The  expression  of  polarity 
differs  considerably  in  different  plants  and  under  different  environmental 
conditions  and  is  thus  open  to  a  wide  range  of  experimental  investigation. 
This  most  conspicuous  aspect  of  organic  form  will  probably  not  be  fully 
understood  until  the  mechanism  of  orderly  and  correlated  growth  control 
is  discovered.  As  a  relatively  simple  manifestation  of  form,  however,  it 
provides  a  useful  point  of  attack  on  morphogenetic  problems. 

Polar  behavior  in  plants  presents  many  problems.  How  far  is  it  an  in- 
herited character,  potentially  present  from  the  beginning  of  development, 
and  how  far  induced  by  the  action  of  various  environmental  factors  or  by 


Polarity  119 

intercellular  correlation?  Once  established,  can  it  be  reversed?  Are  the 
physiological  manifestations  of  polarity  the  cause  or  the  results  of  mor- 
phological polarity?  Is  polarity  an  aspect  of  the  whole  organism  or  do 
individual  cells  possess  it? 

To  present  the  various  phenomena  of  polar  behavior  and  the  problems 
that  they  pose,  it  will  be  helpful  to  discuss  the  subject  from  several  points 
of  view  and  to  describe  its  manifestations  in  external  structure,  internal 
structure,  isolated  cells  and  coenocytes,  physiological  activity,  and  the 
development  of  organic  pattern. 

POLARITY  AS  EXPRESSED  IN  EXTERNAL  STRUCTURE 

The  most  conspicuous  expression  of  polarity  is  in  external  morphology. 
In  higher  plants  the  differences  between  root  end  and  shoot  end  are  de- 
termined very  early,  perhaps  at  the  first  division  of  the  fertilized  egg.  This 
differentiation  is  not  irreversible,  however,  for  roots  often  appear  on  stems 
under  favorable  conditions  and,  less  commonly,  buds  and  shoots  appear 
on  roots.  Polar  behavior  occurs  in  thallophytes  and  bryophytes,  even  in 
some  very  simple  forms  like  those  of  many  filamentous  algae,  though 
in  such  cases  it  is  less  sharply  marked  and  more  easily  reversed  than  in 
vascular  plants.  Organisms  without  morphological  polarity  are  rare.  A 
few  amoeboid  forms  have  no  axes  in  the  vegetative  stage  but  form 
polarized  fruiting  bodies.  Algae  like  Pleurococcus  are  spherical  and 
apparentlv  apolar  but  may  be  induced  to  produce  filaments,  an  expres- 
sion of  axiation.  Forms  like  Spirogyra,  desmids,  and  diatoms  have  an  axis 
of  symmetry  but  its  two  poles  seem  to  be  alike.  In  most  filamentous  types, 
however,  a  rhizoidal  pole  and  a  thallus  pole  can  be  distinguished. 

Experimentally,  polarity  can  best  be  demonstrated  through  its  ex- 
pression in  regeneration,  and  it  is  here  that  most  of  our  information  about 
it  has  been  gathered.  Polar  regeneration  has  long  been  known  and 
manipulated  in  the  horticultural  practices  of  vegetative  reproduction. 

Vochting  ( 1878 )  cut  twigs  of  willow  and  kept  them  under  moist  con- 
ditions. Some  he  left  in  their  normal,  upright  orientation  and  others  were 
inverted.  Regardless  of  orientation,  however,  roots  tended  to  be  re- 
generated more  vigorously  from  the  morphologically  basal  end  and  shoots 
from  buds  at  the  original  apical  end.  This  is  the  classical  example  of 
polarity  (Fig.  6-1).  If  such  a  shoot  were  cut  into  two  or  more  parts 
transversely,  each  part  regenerated  roots  and  shoots  in  the  same  polar 
fashion.  Even  very  short  pieces  of  stem  showed  this  polar  character. 
Vochting  removed  a  ring  of  bark  in  the  middle  of  a  shoot  and  confirmed 
earlier  observations  that  roots  were  formed  above  the  ring  and  shoots 
below,  just  as  if  the  stem  had  been  cut  in  two.  From  these  and  similar 


120  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

experiments  he  concluded  that  polarity  was  a  fixed  and  irreversible  char- 
acteristic of  the  plant  axis  and  that  probably  the  individual  cells  of  which 
the  axis  was  formed  themselves  possessed  a  polar  character. 

Experiments  like  these  have  been  carried  out  on  many  plants.  A  wide 
variety   of   results,    often   conflicting,    have   been   reported    and    several 


Fig.  6-1.  Polarity  in  willow  shoots.  Left,  portion  of  a  stem  suspended  in  moist  air  in 
its  normal  position  and  producing  roots  and  shoots.  Right,  a  stem  similarly  grown 
except  in  an  inverted  position.  ( After  Pfeffer. ) 

theories  to  explain  polarity  proposed.  Klebs  (1903),  for  example,  found 
that  roots  would  grow  at  the  apical  end  of  an  inverted  shoot,  that  water 
stimulated  root  formation  at  any  point  on  the  twig,  and  that  removal  of 
the  bark  could  reverse  polarity.  He  believed  that  environmental  conditions 
rather  than  innate  polarity  determined  the  place  where  buds  and  roots 
develop  on  a  stem.  Vochting  (1906)  replied  to  these  criticisms  of  the 


Polarity  121 

theory  of  polarity.  The  problem,  however,  is  evidently  not  quite  as  simple 
as  Vochting  at  first  thought. 

Polar  regeneration  is  also  evident  in  the  lower  groups  of  the  plant 
kingdom.  If  fern  prothallia  are  sliced  transversely,  regeneration  from 
their  cut  surfaces  is  polar  (Albaum,  1938fr;  Fig.  6-2)  and  is  related  to 
physiological  gradients,  especially  of  osmotic  concentration  (Gratzy- 
Wardengg,  1929 ) .  In  isolated  primary  leaves  of  ferns,  polarity  is  evident, 
but  both  the  character  and  the  polar  distribution  of  regenerated  structures 
are  somewhat  diverse  (Beyerle,  1932). 


Fig.  6-2.  Polar  character  of  regeneration  in  fern  prothallia  from  which  pieces  have 
been  removed  by  transverse  cuts.  An  apical  portion  restores  a  single  heart-shaped 
structure,  but  from  a  basal  one  a  group  of  small  prothallia  is  formed.  (From  Albaum.) 

In  the  regeneration  of  hepatics  and  mosses,  polar  behavior  varies.  The 
gemmae  of  Marchantia  and  Lunularia  form  rhizoids  from  either  surface 
while  they  are  young  but  only  from  one  when  they  grow  older  ( Haber- 
landt,  1914),  indicating  that  embryonic  tissue,  as  it  proves  to  be  in  many 
other  cases,  is  relatively  unpolarized.  Polarity  here  can  be  reversed  by 
gravity,  light,  and  other  environmental  factors  ( Fitting,  1938 ) .  Vochting 
found  relatively  little  polarity  in  the  regeneration  of  the  thallus  of 
Marchantia.  In  the  mosses,  cuttings  formed  rhizoids  at  the  lower  end  and 
protonemata  at  the  upper  one.  This  behavior  could  be  reversed  by  in- 
version of  the  cuttings  ( Westerdijk,  1907),  but  regenerating  structures 
were  always  more  vigorous  at  the  morphologically  basal  pole. 

Polarity  is  evident  in  the  sporophores  of  the  higher  fungi  but  here, 
also,  it  is  not  firmly  fixed,  for  a  segment  of  the  pileus  may  be  successfully 
grafted  back  to  the  same  pileus  in  an  inverted  position  ( Lohwag,  1939 ) . 

In  most  algae  there  is  a  sharp  distinction  between  the  rhizoidal,  or 
hold-fast,  pole  and  the  thallus,  or  shoot,  pole.  Especially  in  the  simple 
forms  and  in  early  stages  of  the  more  complex  ones,  this  polarity  may  be 
reversed  by  changed  relations  to  gravity,  light,  or  other  factors  (Wulff, 
1910;  Zimmermann,  1923).  Studies  on  the  egg  of  Fucus  and  on  coenocytic 
algae  are  illuminating  here  (p.  135). 

Manifestations  of  polar  behavior  in  higher  plants  are  much  more  uni- 


122  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

form  and  fixed,  presumably  because  of  the  higher  level  of  organization 
and  differentiation  among  them.  It  must  have  its  origin  verv  early  in 
embryonic    development.    Vochting's    conclusion,    however,    that    every 


Fig.  6-3.  Transverse  polarity  in  Dioscorea. 
Half  slice  of  a  tuber  with  regenerating 
shoots  next  the  core  and  roots  on  the 
periphery.  ( From  Goebel. ) 


cell  is  polarized  has  been  challenged  by  those  who  point  out  that  many 
cells  theoretically  may  become  completely  embryonic  again  and  ulti- 
mately produce  an  entire  plant  and  thus  can  have  no  fixed  polar  charac- 


Polarity  123 

ter.  Pfeffer  and  Klebs  have  emphasized  the  probability  that  the  cells  of 
the  terminal  growing  points  have  no  original  polarity  of  their  own,  any 
more  than  does  an  egg  cell.  In  older  parts  a  more  stable  polarization  re- 
sults from  the  influence  of  conditions  in  the  environment.  Vochting's  idea 
of  the  irreversibility  of  polarity  in  these  higher  plants  has  also  been  dis- 
puted. Many  investigations  concerned  with  these  problems  cannot  be 
judged   critically   because    of   insufficient   evidence,    particularly    as    to 

anatomical  facts. 

Polarity  may  be  manifest  in  the  transverse  axis  as  well  as  in  the 
longitudinal  one.  This  is  evident  structurally  in  the  transversely  polar 
gradient  often  associated  with  regeneration.  Thus  Goebel  (1908)  found 
that  in  half  slices  of  the  root  of  Dioscorea  sinuata  shoots  grew  out  from 
the  central  part  of  the  axis  and  roots  from  the  margin  directly  opposite 
to  this  (Fig.  6-3).  Transverse  polarity  is  also  manifest  in  the  flow  of 
auxin  in  various  tropisms  (p.  384).  The  subject  has  been  discussed  in 
detail  by  Borgstrom  ( 1939 ) . 

Stem  Cuttings.  In  stem  cuttings,  polar  regeneration  of  shoots  and  roots 
is  clearly  obvious  in  most  higher  plants,  but  there  are  considerable  dif- 
ferences between  species.  Polar  behavior  may  be  obscured  in  various 
ways,  as  by  the  tendency  of  monocotyledons  to  form  roots  at  nodes  and 
by  the  influence  in  many  cases  of  the  age  of  the  cutting  upon  the  forma- 
tion of  root  primordia.  The  specific  polar  reactivity  of  tissues  from  which 
buds  and  roots  originate  must  be  taken  into  account,  as  well  as  the  fact 
that  a  different  complex  of  conditions  may  control  each  of  the  successive 
processes  in  the  development  of  these  structures,  such  as  the  formation 
of  primordia,  their  growth,  their  final  differentiation  into  roots  and  shoots, 
or  the  formation  of  callus  which  may  give  rise  to  either  roots  or  shoots. 

Various  modifications  of  polar  behavior  in  regeneration  from  stem 
cuttings  have  been  reported.  Roots,  for  example,  tend  more  character- 
istically to  be  limited  to  one  pole  in  their  growth  than  do  shoots. 
Doposcheg-Uhlar  (1911)  observed  this  in  Begonia,  and  Massart  (1917) 
studied  30  species  of  plants,  some  of  which  showed  strongly  polar  re- 
generation of  both  roots  and  shoots,  some  weakly  polar  regeneration,  some 
only  root  polarity,  and  some  only  shoot  polarity.  Root  polarity  was  re- 
lated to  the  growth  habit  of  the  plant,  for  species  with  pendant  branches 
rooted  readily  at  their  apical  ends. 

Polar  tendency  is  also  expressed  in  the  manner  of  callus  formation 
in  cuttings,  since  in  most  cases  callus  tends  to  develop  more  vigorously 
at  the  basal  pole  than  at  the  apical.  From  the  basal  callus,  roots  are 
usually  formed,  and  shoots  from  the  apical  one.  Simon  (1908)  noted 
certain  anatomical  differences  between  apical  and  basal  calluses  and 
made  the  observation  that  calluses  from  opposite  poles  may  be  made  to 
fuse  but  not  calluses  from  the  same  pole. 


124  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

Various  investigators  (Klebs,  1903;  Kiister,  1904;  Freund,  1910;  and 
Ursprung,  1912)  found  that  local  differences  in  water  or  oxygen  may 
affect  root  production  and  thus  obscure  the  inherent  polar  tendency. 
Only  Plett  (1921),  who  studied  phenomena  of  internode  polarity  in 
410  species,  has  attempted  to  explain  the  variability  in  distribution  of 
roots  and  shoots  on  the  basis  of  the  anatomy  of  the  plant  from  which  the 
cutting  was  taken.  He  found  that  shoots  from  axillary  buds  regenerate  in 
a  polar  fashion,  as  do  adventitious  roots  that  arise  endogenously.  Ad- 
ventitious buds  growing  from  callus  or  superficial  regions  of  the  cortex, 
however,  are  generally  distributed  rather  irregularly,  a  fact  which  sug- 
gests that  the  inner  layers  of  the  stem  have  stronger  polar  tendencies 
than  do  cortex  and  callus  tissues. 

Root  Cuttings.  Cuttings  of  roots  behave  in  polar  fashion.  Dandelion, 
chicory,  and  sea  kale  have  been  studied  most  frequently  in  this  regard. 
Shoots  are  commonly  regenerated  at  the  basal  or  proximal  pole  (the  end 
next  the  shoot)  and  roots  from  the  apical  (distal)  pole.  This  polarity 
is  maintained  even  when  the  root  cutting  is  grown  in  an  inverted  posi- 
tion (Fig.  6-4).  Wiesner  (1892c)  made  the  observation,  often  confirmed 
since,  that,  in  relatively  short  pieces  of  root,  shoots  regenerate  at  both 
ends.  This  was  also  seen  by  Neilson-Jones  (1925)  and,  in  stem  cuttings, 
by  Fischnich  (1939).  If  the  growing  roots  were  continually  trimmed  off 
from  the  apical  end,  shoots  finally  appeared  there.  Czaja  ( 1935)  produced 
roots  at  both  ends  by  trimming  off  tissue  from  the  basal  end.  Centrifuga- 
tion  toward  the  shoot  pole  results  in  bud  formation  at  the  root  pole,  as 
does  enclosing  the  base  in  sealing  wax  (Goebel,  1908).  These  results 
are  now  interpreted  as  due  to  the  effect  of  auxin  (p.  392),  which  tends  to 
move  toward  the  root  apex.  A  high  concentration  of  it  tends  to  produce 
roots  and  a  low  one,  shoots.  This  has  been  shown  clearly  by  Warmke 
and  Warmke  (1950).  Callus  develops  more  vigorously  at  the  proximal 
pole.  As  early  as  1847  Trecul  reported  that,  in  root  cuttings  of  Madura, 
buds  and  roots  showed  polar  distribution  and  were  formed  endogenously 
but  that  in  Ailanthus,  where  the  buds  arose  in  the  cortex,  polarity  was 
much  less  evident.  This  agrees  with  Plett's  findings  in  stem  cuttings  and 
emphasizes  the  more  intense  polar  behavior  of  the  inner  tissues. 

Leaf  Cuttings.  Leaves  when  treated  as  cuttings  behave  quite  dif- 
ferently from  stems  and  roots  and  show  a  somewhat  different  type  of  polar 
behavior,  evidently  related  to  the  fact  that  they  are  organs  of  determinate 
growth.  In  most  cases,  regeneration  of  both  roots  and  shoots  occurs  at  the 
leaf  base  near  the  cut  end  of  the  petiole.  Hagemann  ( 1931 )  performed 
inversion  experiments  on  various  species.  In  certain  cases  he  found  that 
wound  stimulus  or  water  affects  regeneration.  In  Achimenes,  shoots  were 
thus  obtained  from  the  apical  cut  surface  and  roots  from  the  base  under 
certain  conditions,  but  Hagemann  concluded  that,  in  general,  polarity  as 


Polarity  125 

expressed  in  the  location  of  regenerating  structures  in  leaves  is  determined 
by  anatomical  structure.  Behre  (1929)  reports  that  regeneration  in  the 
leaves  of  Drosera  is  apolar. 

There  has  been  much  discussion  as  to  whether,  in  the  higher  plants, 
polarity  once  established  can  be  reversed.  It  has  been  the  common  ex- 
perience of  botanists  and  horticulturalists  that  cuttings  in  which  the  apical 
end  is  put  into  the  soil  will  not  do  as  well  as  those  with  normal  orienta- 
tion. Some  inverted  cuttings  are  found  to  take  root,  however,  and  may 


^ Proximo  I 


Ditto  I 


INTACT  ROOT 

ROOT  SEGMENTS  REGENERATION 


Fig.  6-4.  Polarity  of  regeneration  in  root  of  Taraxacum.  A  root  segment  produces  shoots 
at  the  proximal  end  ( next  the  base  of  the  plant )  and  roots  at  the  distal  end,  whether 
the  segment  is  normally  oriented,  horizontal,  or  inverted.  Compare  with  Fig.  18-17. 
( From  Warmke  and  Warmke. ) 

live  thus  for  some  time.  Kny  ( 1889 )  successfully  grew  cuttings  of  Hedera 
and  Ampelopsis  inverted  for  several  years,  and  Graham,  Hawkins,  and 
Stewart  ( 1934 )  did  so  with  willow  cuttings,  which  were  still  nourishing 
after  11  years.  The  tips  of  weeping  willows  will  often  root  at  the  apex 
if  they  are  dipping  into  water  (Pont,  1934).  Such  inverted  structures,  how- 
ever, often  show  external  malformation  and  anatomical  distortion.  Growth 
may  become  normal  again  if  the  cutting  is  restored  to  its  upright  orienta- 
tion and  can  form  roots  at  the  morphologically  basal  end.  Lundegardh 


126 


The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 


Fig.  6-5.  "Inversion  of  polarity."  Etiolated  pea  seed- 
ling with  epicotyl  decapitated,  inverted,  and  placed  in 
water.  Roots  now  grow  out  from  the  epicotyl  and  a 
shoot  from  a  cotyledonary  bud.  (After  Castan.) 


( 1915 )  found  that  apparent  reversal  of  polar  behavior  in  Coleus  was  only 
temporary. 

Reversal  seems  to  be  easier  to  accomplish  in  seedlings  than  in  older 
plants.  Castan  ( 1940 )  cut  off  the  epicotyl  and  the  primary  root  from 
etiolated  pea  seedlings  and  inverted  them.  Roots  then  grew  out  from  the 
originally  apical  end  and  shoots  from  the  basal  one  (Fig.  6-5).  Rath- 
felder  ( 1955 )  confirmed  this  observation  and  believes  that  it  is  a  real 
reversal. 

Reversal  of  polarity  is  much  easier  to  accomplish  in  the  lower  plants 
(p.  138). 

POLARITY  AS  EXPRESSED  IN  INTERNAL  STRUCTURE 

Polar  phenomena  are  manifest  not  only  in  external  form  but  in  in- 
ternal structure.  This  is  evident  in  many  ways. 

Embryonic  Development.  In  vascular  plants  the  first  manifestation  of 
polar  behavior  is  in  the  division  of  the  fertilized  egg.  This  in  most  cases 
seems  to  be  related  to  the  polar  character  of  the  gametophyte.  Wetter 
( 1952),  confirming  earlier  work  of  others,  finds  that  in  ferns  the  planes  of 
division  in  the  young  embryo  are  related  to  the  axis  of  the  prothallium 
and  that  the  segment  that  will  form  the  first  leaf  is  always  directed 
toward  the  growing  point  (notch),  a  fact  also  evident  later  in  the  orien- 
tation of  the  young  leaf  itself.  This  relationship  persists  regardless  of 
the  direction  of  the  incident  light.  In  Isoetes,  the  first  division  of  the 
fertilized  egg  is  at  right  angles  to  the  axis  of  the  archegonium,  and 
early  embryo  development  is  not  affected  by  external  factors  (La  Motte, 
1937;  Fig.  6-6). 


Polarity  127 

In  seed  plants  the  embryo  has  a  definite  orientation  in  the  ovule,  the 
tip  of  the  young  radicle  always  being  directed  toward  the  micropyle 
and  the  plumular  end  toward  the  chalaza.  This  has  its  origin  in  the  polar 
relation  between  embryo  sac  and  ovule,  since  the  archegonium,  or  egg 
apparatus,  lies  at  the  micropylar  end  of  the  sac.  Even  the  group  of  four 
megaspores  is  polarized,  and  it  is  the  one  at  the  micropylar  end  that 
germinates  into  the  female  gametophyte.  The  planes  of  division  of  the 
proembryo  are  related  to  the  axis  of  the  ovule.  In  the  young  embryo  as 
it  develops  at  the  end  of  the  suspensors,  the  distinction  between  root 
and  shoot  begins  very  early,  with  the  first  transverse  divisions.  The  direc- 
tion of  the  polar  axis  is  evidently  impressed  upon  the  embryo,  as  upon 
the  egg,  by  the  axial  organization  of  the  embryo  sac  and  ovule,  and 
once  established  this  polar  behavior  persists  and  is  apparently  irreversible. 


Fig.  6-6.  Young  embryos  in  the  female  gametophyte  of  Isoetes  which  have  developed 
in  the  positions  indicated.  Early  orientation  is  with  reference  to  the  polar  axis  of  the 
archegonium,  but  when  the  leaf  begins  to  push  out  it  becomes  negatively  geotropic. 
Z,  direction  of  zenith;  R,  root;  F,  foot;  L,  leaf.  (From  La  Motte.) 

Embryonic  polarity,  however,  may  arise  in  other  ways  than  through 
this  simple  relationship  to  the  ovulary  axis.  In  cleavage  polyembryony 
several  embryos  may  arise  from  a  single  egg  (p.  206),  each  showing  typical 
polar  character.  Adventitious  embryos  are  sometimes  formed  by  growth 
of  nucellar  cells  and  not  from  fertilized  eggs,  and  these  grow  into  normal 
plants.  Structures  essentially  like  embryos  sometimes  occur  elsewhere  in 
the  plant  ("foliar  embryos"  of  Kalanchoe,  p.  254)  and  these  show  typical 
polar  behavior.  The  first  manifestation  of  differentiation  in  any  embryo, 
whatever  its  origin,  is  the  appearance  of  a  polar  axis. 

A  number  of  cases  have  been  reported  (Swamy,  1946)  in  which  the 
polar  character  of  the  angiosperm  embryo  sac  is  reversed,  an  egg  ap- 
paratus appearing  at  both  ends,  or  even  the  antipodal  cells  at  the 
micropylar  end  and  the  egg  at  the  opposite  one. 

Tissue  Reorganization.  Various  histological  changes  occur  in  cuttings 
grown  in  an  inverted  position,  as  described  by  Vochting  ( 1918 )  and 
others.  Such  plants  are  evidently  abnormal  in  a  number  of  respects. 
There  is  often  a  tendency  in  them  to  form  swellings  and  tumors,  par- 
ticularly near  the  insertion  of  branches,  which  now  tend  to  grow  upward. 


128  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

The  cause  of  these  swellings  may  lie  in  the  fact  that  the  original  tissues 
cannot  function  properly  under  the  changed  orientation  and  that  con- 
siderable cellular  rearrangement  must  be  brought  about  in  the  new  tissue 
formed  after  inversion.  These  tumors  resemble  anatomically  the  "whorls" 
commonly  found  in  wound  wood  and  consist  of  parenchymatous, 
sclerenchymatous,  and  tracheidal  elements.  Vochting  here  has  de- 
scribed the  structure  of  such  tumors  in  Salix  fragilis  and  other  species 
and  believes  them  to  be  due  to  the  innate  polar  tendency  of  individual 
cells.  On  such  an  interpretation,  the  tissues  are  thought  to  twist  about 
(Fig.  6-7)  until  finally  those  of  the  root  and  of  the  new  shoot  are  con- 
nected by  cells  of  the  same  polar  orientation  ( Kiister,  1925 ) . 

There  has  been  considerable  controversy  as  to  this  hypothesis.  Maule 
(1896)  uses  it  to  explain  the  behavior  of  cambium  cells  in  wound  wood. 


Fig.  6-7.  Vessel  polarity  after  budding.  I,  longitudinal  anastomoses  between  vessels 
in  normally  oriented  bud  and  stock.  II,  twisting  of  vessels  when  bud  has  been  inserted 
upside  down.  At  right,  single  vessel  from  the  latter.  (From  Vochting.) 

Neeff  (1922)  made  an  extensive  series  of  studies  of  the  changing  orienta- 
tion of  cambial  cells  in  decapitated  stems,  finding  that  these  tend  to  turn 
until  they  become  parallel  to  the  newly  regenerating  axis  instead  of  to 
the  old  one  (Figs.  6-8,  6-9),  and  he  explains  this  in  terms  of  the  inherent 
polar  behavior  of  the  cells,  which  tends  to  conform  to  that  of  the  func- 
tional axis.  Both  Jaccard  (1910)  and  Kiister,  on  the  other  hand,  disagree 
with  Vochting's  explanation  and  attribute  the  changing  orientation  of 
the  cells  mainly  to  mechanical  factors.  Twisting  whorls  may  also  appear 
in  normal  callus  where  mechanical  factors  can  hardly  be  operative.  More 
intensive  studies  are  needed  of  the  conditions  that  cause  change  in  direc- 
tion of  cell  growth.  Altered  direction  of  sap  flow,  for  example,  might 
affect  the  direction  of  cambial  cell  growth  in  Neeff's  experiments.  Similar 
changes  in  cellular  orientation  have  been  reported  by  MacDaniels  and 
Curtis  ( 1930 )  in  spiral  ringing  wounds  in  apple,  by  Janse  ( 1914 )  in 
bark  strips  left  across  a  ringing  wound  in  Acalypha,  and  by  Tupper- 


Polarity  129 

Carey  (1930)  in  tissue  bridges  in  Acer  and  Laburnum.  Pressure,  nutrient 
movements,  and  basipetal  cambial  activity  have  been  suggested  as  causes. 
The  results  of  Went  (p.  384)  with  inverted  cuttings  of  Tagetes  indicate 
that  the  direction  of  auxin  flow  in  them  is  ultimately  reversed.  It  is  clear 
that  in  some  way  histological  changes  are  related  to  the  new  conditions 
under  which  an  inverted  cutting  has  to  grow. 


Fig.  6-8.  Left,  diagram  showing  direction  of  cambium  cells  (and  their  derivatives) 
in  a  normal  shoot  of  Tilia,  with  a  lateral  root  and  lateral  shoot  growing  from  it.  The 
cells  are  parallel  to  the  particular  axis  of  which  they  form  a  part.  Right,  change  of 
direction  of  these  cells  when  the  main  axis  has  been  decapitated  at  both  ends  and  the 
lateral  axes  are  becoming  the  main  ones.  The  direction  of  the  cells  in  the  original 
main  axis  has  now  turned  to  become  parallel  with  the  new  ones.  ( From  Neeff. ) 

The  results  of  grafting  provide  a  direct  way  of  testing  polar  differences 
in  tissues.  Vochting  ( 1918 )  used  the  swollen  stem  of  kohlrabi  for  a  series 
of  such  experiments.  If  the  top  of  a  stem  is  sliced  off  transversely  and  a 
V-shaped  cut  made  in  its  upper  surface  and  if  the  lower  portion  of 
another  stem  is  sharpened  to  fit  this  cut  and  inserted  firmly  into  it,  the 
tissues  of  the  two  stems  will  knit  together.  If,  however,  a  piece  is  sliced 
off  from  the  lower  part  of  a  kohlrabi  stem  and  it  is  then  inverted,  and  the 
surface  now  uppermost  cut  as  before,  and  if  a  sharpened  upper  piece 
is  inserted  into  this  cut,  the  tissues  will  not  knit.  Furthermore,  rootlets 
will  begin  to  grow  out  from  the  upper  piece  into  the  lower  one,  as  if 


130  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

growing  in  a  foreign  substratum.  Thus  a  root  pole  will  fuse  with  a  shoot 
pole  but  two  similar  poles,  when  brought  together,  will  not  fuse.  Vochting 
also  found  that  a  square  bit  of  tissue  cut  out  from  a  beet  root  and  put 
directly  back  will  knit  in  its  former  place  but  will  not  do  so  if  turned 
through  180°  before  being  replaced  there.  These  facts  can  be  explained 
by  assuming  that  the  tissues  of  the  plant,  even  such  relatively  undif- 
ferentiated parenchymatous  ones,  have  definitely  polar  behavior.  Bloch 
(1952),  however,  observed  that  tissues  of  the  fruits  of  Lagenaria  do  not 
behave  in  this  way  but  that  plugs,  cut  out  and  replaced,  will  knit  in  any 


Fig.  6-9.  Tangential  sections  through  tissue  of  an  axis  like  those  in  Fig.  6-8.  Left,  nor- 
mal wood.  Right,  after  decapitation,  direction  of  cells  changing  to  conform  to  the  axis 
of  the  lateral  root,  now  the  main  one.  ( From  NeejJ. ) 

orientation.  Microscopic  examination  after  a  few  days  showed  normal 
cellular  fusion. 

In  horticultural  practice  it  has  long  been  recognized  that  buds  must 
be  placed  in  normal  orientation  on  the  stock  if  they  are  to  knit  well. 
Colquhoun  ( 1929 )  removed  buds  and  pieces  of  bark  in  Casuarina  and  re- 
applied them  in  an  inverted  position.  Observation  of  the  anatomical  struc- 
ture showed  that  the  cells  of  the  cambium  joined  freely  and  continued  to 
grow  regardless  of  orientation.  Wood  fibers  and  vessels,  however,  show 
the  characteristic  turns  and  twists  reported  by  Vochting.  This  suggests 
that  the  cambial  cells  are  unpolarized  or  in  a  condition  of  unstable  polar- 


Polarity  131 

ity  and  that,  as  wood  elements  differentiate,  polarity  is  gradually  im- 
pressed upon  them.  Cells  inversely  oriented  are  now  unable  to  unite, 
and  the  translocation  of  materials  in  them,  tending  in  each  to  follow  the 
original  direction  of  flow,  is  seriously  disturbed.  This  gradual  assumption 
of  polarity  is  perhaps  related  to  changes  at  the  cell  surface  as  the  wall  is 
formed  or  in  the  structure  of  the  wall  itself. 

Another  manifestation  of  polar  activity  in  histological  characters,  per- 
haps related  to  the  basipetal  tendency  in  the  renewal  of  cambial  activity 
or  to  the  polar  flow  of  auxin  (p.  384),  may  be  observed  in  the  reconstitu- 
tion  of  severed  vascular  strands  across  the  ground  parenchyma  of  pith 
or  cortex  in  herbaceous  dicotyledons  (Simon,  1908;  Sinnott  and  Bloch, 
1945;  Jacobs,  1954).  This  always  begins  at  the  basal  end  of  a  severed 
strand  and  proceeds  downward  toward  the  apical  end  of  the  cut  bundle 
or  to  uninjured  ones. 

Cell  Polarity.  To  test  Vochting's  contention  that  polar  behavior  of  a 
tissue  is  the  result  of  the  polarity  of  its  individual  cells  is  not  easy.  The 
fact  that  very  small  tissue  pieces  retain  their  original  polarity  and  that 
inversely  grafted  tissues  do. not  fuse  supports  Vochting.  Many  other  facts 
can  also  be  cited.  The  two  daughter  cells  following  a  division  are  often 
unlike  (p.  133).  In  these  cases,  each  of  the  two  types  is  found  invariably 
on  the  same  side,  toward  or  away  from  the  tip  of  the  axis.  Thus  in  many 
young  roots  the  last  division  of  the  surface  cells  is  unequal,  the  smaller 
daughter  cell  becoming  a  trichoblast  and  producing  a  root  hair  (p.  190). 
This  cell  is  always  on  the  side  toward  the  tip  of  the  root.  Before  division, 
the  apical  end  of  the  mother  cell  is  also  more  densely  protoplasmic.  In 
some  cases  (Phleum)  the  division  is  markedly  unequal  and  polar.  In 
others  (Sporobolus)  the  two  cells  are  more  nearly  equal  and  a  root  hair 
is  not  always  formed  (Fig.  6-10).  Here  the  polar  behavior  is  much  less 
marked.  In  the  leaf  epidermis  of  monocotyledons  some  cells  divide 
unequally,  and  the  one  toward  the  leaf  tip  becomes  a  stomatal  mother 
cell.  These  facts  suggest  that  the  cells  themselves  have  a  polar  orienta- 
tion. 

The  tendency  of  cells  to  divide  in  specific  directions  is  at  the  bottom  of 
all  form  determination,  since  it  is  concerned  with  the  plane  of  division 
and  thus  the  direction  of  growth.  In  the  growth  of  elongate  gourd  fruits, 
for  example,  divisions  are  predominantly  at  right  angles  to  the  axis  of 
the  fruit,  but  in  isodiametric  ones  they  are  at  all  angles  (p.  51).  Whether 
polarity  is  a  quality  of  the  whole  developing  organ  or  simply  of  its 
component  cells  is  still  uncertain  and  is  a  problem  involving  the  deeper 
one  of  the  relation  between  cell  and  organism.  Various  examples  of 
polarity  in  unequal  cell  divisions  have  been  discussed  and  figured  by 
Bunning  (1957;  Fig.  6-11). 

Even  when  the  cell  does  not  divide,  the  difference  between  its  two 


132  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

ends  is  often  evident.  That  the  cytoplasm  is  the  seat  of  this  polar  differ- 
ence is  shown  by  the  fact  that,  when  vacuolate  cells  divide,  the  first 
indication  of  the  plane  of  division,  and  thus  of  the  polar  axis,  is  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  cytoplasmic  diaphragm  in  the  position  where  the  future 
partition  wall  will  be  formed  (p.  25).  In  such  cells  the  direction  of  the 
axis  may  be  related  to  gradients  in  hormone  concentration,  oxygen,  or 
other  factors.  This  polar  difference  may  be  visible  in  the  contents  of  the 
cell,  for  in  Enteromorpha  ( Muller-Stoll,  1952),  in  Isoetes  (Stewart,  1948), 
and  other  plants  the  chromatophore  is  almost  always  on  the  side  of  the 
cell  away  from  the  base  of  the  thallus,  or  plant  body.  The  distribution  of 
chloroplasts  in  higher  plants  is  also  sometimes  polar. 


ED       EI 


B 


X 


PHLEUM 


mmMmsm 


B 


1 


w  SPOROBOLUS 

Fig.  6-10.  Polarity  in  root-hair  development.  A,  B,  and  C,  successive  stages,  with  root 
apex  toward  left.  In  Phleum,  the  last  division  is  unequal,  and  the  cell  toward  the  apex 
forms  a  root  hair.  In  Sporobolus,  the  division  is  essentially  equal,  and  the  cell  toward 
the  apex  does  not  always  form  a  root  hair.   ( From  Sinnott  and  Bloch. ) 

The  wall  itself  may  show  polar  behavior,  a  fact  which  is  of  particular 
importance  in  producing  differences  in  cell  shape.  Most  cells  are  nearly 
isodiametric  at  the  beginning,  and  if  one  at  maturity  is  much  longer  than 
wide,  this  is  the  result  of  more  rapid  growth  in  length.  Such  differential 
growth,  in  turn,  presumably  comes  from  differences  in  the  fine  struc- 
ture of  the  wall,  which  itself  is  ultimately  dependent  on  factors  in  the 
cytoplasm.  Wilson  (1955)  has  shown  that  in  the  wall  of  the  large  cells 
of  the  alga  Valonia  there  are  two  systems  of  orientation  of  cellulose 
fibrils  which  converge  to  two  poles  at  the  ends  of  the  cell.  The  complex 
and  remarkable  shapes  of  many  cells,  both  in  simple  organisms  and 
within  the  tissues  of  larger  ones,  are  probably  due  to  a  complex  pattern 


Polarity  133 

of  wall  polarities  that  determine  growth  in  a  number  of  directions.  How 
this  is  brought  about  is  a  morphogenetic  problem  at  a  different  level 
from  most  of  those  here  discussed,  and  its  solution  may  provide  sugges- 
tions for  an  approach  to  other  problems  of  form. 

It  is  sometimes  possible  to  demonstrate  the  polarity  of  single  cells  ex- 
perimentally even  though  their  contents  are  homogeneous  and  both  ends 


Fig.  6-11.  Various  types  of  unequal  and 
polar  cell  divisions:  I,  in  pollen  grain; 
II,  in  differentiation  of  root  hairs  in  cer- 
tain monocotyledons;  III,  in  differentia- 
tion of  stomata  in  monocotyledons; 
TV,  in  leaf  cells  of  SpJiagnum;  V,  in  for- 
mation of  sclereids  in  Monstera.  (From 
Biinning. ) 


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L 

Q 

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hmr 

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/ 

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1   & 

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id 

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appear  to  be  alike.  This  can  be  done  by  isolating  cells  and  observing  the 
structures  that  regenerate  from  them.  Miehe  (1905)  accomplished  this 
in  the  filamentous  alga  Cladophora.  Here  polar  organization  is  present 
but  not  conspicuous.  At  the  basal  end  is  a  rhizoid  which  attaches  to  the 
substratum,  and  the  rest  of  the  filament  or  the  thallus,  a  single  row  of 
cells,  is  undifferentiated.  Miehe  plasmolyzed  the  cells  of  a  filament  just 


134  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

enough  to  pull  them  away  from  the  walls  and  break  whatever  connec- 
tions there  may  have  been  with  other  cells,  but  without  killing  them. 
The  plant  was  then  deplasmolyzed.  Each  cell,  now  as  effectively  isolated 
as  though  it  had  actually  been  removed,  began  to  enlarge,  broke  out  of 
its  wall,  and  proceeded  to  regenerate  a  new  filament.  The  significant 
fact  is  that  from  the  basal  end  of  each  cell  a  new  rhizoid  was  formed 
and  from  the  apical  end,  a  new  thallus.  The  polar  character  of  the  cells, 
otherwise  impossible  to  demonstrate,  could  thus  be  established.  These 
experiments  were  repeated  and  extended  by  Czaja  (1930;  Fig.  6-12). 
Borowikow   (1914)   succeeded  in  reversing  the  polarity  of  Cladophora 


Fig.  6-12.  Polarity  in  a  single  cell. 
A  cell  isolated  from  a  filament  of 
Cladophora,  regenerating  a  thallus 
from  its  apical  end  and  a,  rhizoid 
from  its  basal  one.  (From  Czaja.) 


cells  by  centrifugation,  showing  again  the  close  relation  between  the 
distribution  of  material  in  the  cytoplasm  and  the  polarity  of  the  cell. 

In  some  filamentous  algae,  the  plant's  organization  may  disintegrate 
under  certain  circumstances  and  the  individual  cells  thus  become  freed 
from  their  correlative  inhibition.  In  Griffithsia,  for  example,  Tobler 
( 1904 )  observed  such  cells  in  culture  and  found  that,  when  they  began 
to  regenerate,  rhizoids  grew  from  the  basal  end  (distinguishable  by  its 
shape)  and  shoots  from  the  apical  one.  Schechter  (1935)  centrifuged 
similar  ones  and  found  that  their  polaritv  could  be  altered  by  this  means 
and  that  shoots  always  appeared  at  the  centrifugal  pole. 

The  rather  loosely  organized  tissues  of  these  simple  algae  provide  ex- 
cellent material  for  studies  in  cellular  polarity  even  though  their  cells 


Polarity  135 

are  not  isolated.  In  bits  of  tissue  cut  from  Enteromorpha,  for  example, 
Miiller-Stoll  (1952)  found  that  the  cells  near  the  apical  portion  of  the 
piece  regenerate  papilla-like  structures  but  that  the  cells  at  the  base 
form  rhizoids. 

To  prove  the  existence  of  polar  behavior  in  the  cells  of  one  of  the 
higher  plants  is  more  difficult.  Here  it  is  sometimes  possible  to  re- 
generate a  new  plant  from  a  single  cell  or  small  group  of  cells,  especially 
in  the  epidermis,  but  it  is  not  easy  to  relate  the  polarity  of  the  newly 
produced  structure  to  that  of  the  cell  from  which  it  grows. 

POLARITY  IN  ISOLATED  CELLS 

In  many  cases,  polarity  may  be  studied  in  cells  that  are  isolated  in 
nature  and  not  through  experiment.  The  most  notable  example  of  this 
is  the  egg  of  the  rockweed,  Fucus,  which  is  discharged  into  the  water  and 
there  is  fertilized  and  grows  into  a  new  plant.  The  Fucus  egg  is  com- 
parable to  the  eggs  of  certain  animals  that  develop  in  water  and  that 
have  proved  such  a  rich  source  of  knowledge  of  early  embryology.  More 
work  has  been  done  on  this  egg  than  on  any  other  naturally  isolated  plant 
cell. 

The  unfertilized  egg  is  naked,  and  its  nucleus  is  at  the  center  of  the 
cell.  It  shows  at  the  beginning  no  polarity  whatever  nor  is  there  any 
visible  differentiation  in  its  cytoplasm.  After  fertilization,  the  egg  falls 
to  the  bottom  and  in  about  12  to  24  hours,  under  normal  conditions,  a 
protuberance  appears  on  its  lower  surface.  This  develops  into  a  rhizoid  by 
which  the  young  plant  becomes  anchored  to  the  bottom.  Soon  the  egg 
divides  in  a  plane  at  right  angles  to  the  axis  of  the  protuberance.  The 
two  cells  that  result  are  very  different  in  shape  and  in  their  future  de- 
velopment. The  upper,  rounded  cell  gives  rise  to  the  main  portion  of  the 
thallus.  The  lower  one  forms  little  besides  the  rhizoid.  The  growth  of 
the  rhizoid  and  the  first  division  of  the  egg  establish  a  permanent  polar 
axis  in  a  system  which  at  first  is  quite  without  one.  Here  is  evidently  one 
of  the  simplest  expressions  of  polarity  among  plants. 

Among  earlier  investigators  of  the  Fucus  egg  were  Kniep  ( 1907 ) , 
Nienburg  (1922a  and  b),  Lund  (1923),  and  others.  The  more  recent 
experiments  of  Whitaker  and  his  colleagues  have  provided  a  large  body 
of  detailed  information.  Only  the  main  facts  will  be  presented  here.  This 
work  has  been  reviewed  by  Whitaker  ( 1940 )  and  Bloch  ( 1943 ) . 

Gravity  seems  not  to  be  an  important  factor  in  the  induction  of  the 
polar  axis  for,  if  the  eggs  are  kept  in  the  dark,  the  rhizoid  develops  in 
any  direction.  There  is  evidence  that  in  eggs  of  the  related  Cystosira 
barbato,  if  reared  in  darkness,  the  rhizoid  is  formed  at  the  point  of  en- 
trance of  the  sperm   ( Knapp,  1931 ) .  Light  is  clearly  a  very  important 


136  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

factor  in  Fucus  (Hurd,  1920).  In  eggs  lighted  from  one  side  by  white 
light  of  a  certain  intensity  (or  light  of  particular  wave  lengths),  the 
rhizoid  always  forms  on  the  side  opposite  the  source  of  light,  and  the 
first  wall  is  laid  down  at  right  angles  to  this  direction.  Nienburg  ( 1922a, 
b)  showed  more  specifically  that  it  is  not  the  direction  of  light  but  the 
intensity  gradient  that  is  the  determining  factor. 

Lund  ( 1923 )  was  able  to  prove  that  the  first  division  wall  in  the  Fucus 
egg  was  at  right  angles  to  the  flow  of  an  electric  current  and  that  the 
rhizoid  grew  toward  the  positive  pole.  Here  the  polar  axis  can  evidently 
be  determined  electrically. 

A  peculiar  phenomenon  first  noted  by  Rosenwinge  ( 1889 )  but  studied 
particularly  by  Whitaker  is  the  so-called  "group  effect."  If  an  egg  of 
Fucus  lies  near  a  group  of  other  eggs,  its  rhizoid  will  develop  toward  this 
group  ( Fig.  6-13 ) .  Whitaker  observed  that  this  occurs  even  when  the  eggs 
belong  to  different  species.  These  results  have  been  attributed  to  the 


&-^-:>.:.*':''i7  Fig.  6-13.  The  "group  effect"  in  Fucus  eggs.  Where 
there  is  a  cluster  of  these,  the  rhizoidal  pole  is  typically 
on  the  side  toward  the  other  eggs.  ( After  Whitaker. ) 


establishment,  in  the  medium  near  the  egg,  of  a  concentration  gradient 
of  metabolic  products  from  the  other  eggs,  but  Jaffe  (1955)  finds  evi- 
dence that  such  a  gradient,  if  it  exists,  does  not  involve  H  ion,  COo,  or 
02.  Jaffe  also  found  (1956)  by  exposing  eggs  to  polarized  light  that  the 
rhizoids  tended  to  develop  in  the  plane  of  polarization. 

Whitaker  ( 1937 )  subjected  Fucus  eggs  to  centrifugal  force  and  showed 
that  in  such  cases  the  rhizoid  grows  from  the  centrifugal  pole.  Polarity 
here  seems  to  be  dependent  on  the  rearrangement  of  materials  in  the  egg. 
Other  factors,  such  as  pH,  temperature,  auxin,  and  even  the  shape  of  the 
egg  have  also  been  shown  by  Whitaker  to  modify  egg  polarity. 

Not  many  other  cases  of  the  induction  of  a  polar  axis  in  isolated  algal 
cells  are  known,  although  in  certain  green  algae  the  polarity  of  the  young 
plants  developing  from  swarm  spores  is  determined  by  the  way  in  which 
these  spores  become  attached  to  the  substratum  ( Kostrum,  1944 ) . 

The  remarkable  umbrella-shaped  alga  Acetabularia  is  really  a  single 
cell  though  it  may  be  several  centimeters  tall.  During  its  development  it 


Polarity  137 

has  only  one  large  nucleus,  situated  usually  at  the  base  of  the  stalk. 
Here  the  rhizoids  develop.  At  the  summit  of  the  stalk  is  the  disk.  If  a 
nucleus  is  introduced  into  a  plant  or  plant  segment  which  lacks  one,  a 
new  rhizoid  system  will  arise  wherever  the  new  nucleus  is  placed  and 
polar  behavior  of  the  plant  may  thus  be  modified  or  reversed  ( Hammer- 
ling,  1955). 

In  the  germination  of  a  moss  spore,  the  young  protonema  pushes  out  on 
the  side  of  the  spore  toward  the  light,  and  the  rhizoid  forms  at  the  op- 
posite end,  indicating  that  here,  as  in  the  Fucus  egg,  its  polarity  is  de- 
termined by  light.  In  several  moss  species,  Fitting  (1949)  was  able  to  re- 
verse this  polarity  by  reversing  the  direction  of  the  light.  In  this  way  the 
young  protonema  becomes  converted  into  a  rhizoid. 

Heitz  ( 1940 )  prevented  polar  germination  of  Funaria  spores  by  appli- 
cation of  auxin.  Cell  division  was  also  inhibited  by  this  means  and 
"giant"  cells  thus  produced.  D.  von  Wettstein  (1953)  confirmed  this  and 
found  that  vitamin  Bi  and  chloral  hydrate  destroyed  polarity  without 
preventing  cell  division.  Such  apolar  growth  continued  for  50  cell  genera- 
tions, producing  an  undifferentiated,  tumor-like  body.  Such  a  result 
emphasizes  the  importance  of  polar  behavior  for  orderly  development 
and  the  production  of  form. 

How  the  polar  axis  is  determined  in  the  spores  of  vascular  plants  has 
been  demonstrated  in  a  few  cases.  In  Equisetwn,  the  spore  of  which 
shows  no  external  or  internal  polarity,  germination  is  followed  by  di- 
vision into  two  cells.  The  division  wall,  as  in  Fucus,  is  laid  down  at  right 
angles  to  the  gradient  of  light  absorption  (Stahl,  1885).  The  more  strongly 
illuminated  daughter  cell  becomes  the  primary  prothallial  cell  and  the 
one  on  the  darker  side,  the  rhizoidal  cell.  Nienburg  (1924)  showed  that 
this  alignment  of  the  mitotic  figure  parallel  to  the  direction  of  the  inci- 
dence of  light  does  not  occur  until  a  redistribution  of  cytoplasmic  ma- 
terial has  taken  place,  especially  an  aggregation  of  chloroplasts  on  the 
illuminated  side  (Fig.  6-14). 

In  germinating  fern  spores,  light  modifies  the  polar  behavior  but  this 
effect  is  different  in  different  wave  lengths  (Mohr,  1956).  Naf  (1953), 
also  working  with  ferns,  found  evidence  that  the  spore  of  Onoclea  has  an 
inherent  polarity  but  that  this  can  be  modified  by  light.  He  carried  the 
study  of  polarity  reversal  much  further  by  growing  the  young  prothallia 
in  a  liquid  culture  which  was  constantly  shaken.  The  prothallia  thus 
developed  in  an  environment  where  there  were  no  environmental 
gradients  and  where  the  plant  was  exposed  on  all  sides  to  equal  stimu- 
lation by  gravity,  light,  and  other  factors.  The  result  was  a  spherical, 
tumor-like  mass  of  tissue.  Grown  on  agar  and  without  movement,  this 
tissue  again  formed  structures  much  like  the  normal  prothallia.  The 
genetic  basis  for  a  normal  prothallium,  specific  in  character,  is  in  the 


138  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

spore  but  such  a  prothallium  will  develop  only  where  there  is  an  en- 
vironmental gradient  by  which  its  polar  axis  is  established.  Such  results 
emphasize  the  fact  that  neither  genetic  constitution  nor  environment 
alone  controls  the  development  of  organic  form,  but  an  interaction  be- 
tween them. 

Polarity  is  also  to  be  found  in  the  microspores  and  pollen  grains  of 
higher  plants,  though  here  it  is  not  easily  open  to  experimental  analysis. 
The  spore  axis,  as  indicated  by  the  orientation  of  the  division  of  the 
spore  nucleus,  has  a  constant  relation  to  the  planes  of  division  of  the 
pollen  mother  cell. 


Fig.  6-14.  Origin  of  polarity  in  a  single  cell.  I,  unpolarized  spore  of  Equisetum.  II, 
beginning  of  polarization  as  shown  by  changed  positions  of  plastids  (chl)  and  nucleus 
(k).  Ill,  first  nuclear  division.  (After  Nienburg.) 


POLARITY  IN  PLASMODIA  AND  COENOCYTES 

In  larger  and  multinucleate  protoplasmic  units,  notably  coenocytic 
forms,  polarity  finds  a  somewhat  different  expression  than  in  uninucleate 
protoplasts.  Thus  in  the  plasmodium  of  Plasmodiophora  brassicae,  as  re- 
ported by  Terby  (1933),  the  axes  of  the  many  nuclear  division  figures  lie 
parallel  to  one  another,  indicating  that  the  whole  mass  of  protoplasm  has 
a  uniform  anisotropic  orientation,  though  here  without  a  polar  axis.  This 
parallelity  is  also  found  in  the  first  sporogenic  division  but  disappears  at 
the  second  one.  In  most  plasmodia,  however,  this  simple  sort  of  polar 
behavior  seems  not  to  be  present. 

True  coenocytes  show  some  remarkable  examples  of  organized  systems 
where  there  is  pronounced  differentiation  of  parts  but  no  cellular  parti- 
tions in  the  cytoplasmic  body.  Conspicuous  among  these  are  the  algae 
Bryopsis  and  Caulerpo. 

Bryopsis  has  an  axis  from  which  "leaves"  come  off  in  a  pinnate  arrange- 
ment above  and  rhizoids  below.  This  polar  organization  can  be  com- 
pletely reversed  if  the  plant  is  held  in  an  inverted  position.  The  leaves 
then  produce  rhizoids  and  the  rhizoids,  leaves  ( Noll,  1888;  Winkler,  1900; 
and  others ) .  It  now  seems  probable  that  a  different  relation  to  light  rather 


Polarity  139 

than  to  gravity  is  responsible  for  this  reversal.  Steinecke  (1925)  has 
shown  that  in  these  inverted  plants  there  is  a  movement  of  the  cyto- 
plasm that  was  originally  in  the  upper  portion  into  the  base,  and  vice 
versa.  The  easy  reversal  in  such  plants  seems  to  be  related  to  the  fact 
that  the  cytoplasm  can  move  readily  throughout  the  whole  body.  The 
cellular  organization  of  higher  plants  may  contribute  to  the  more  fixed 
polarity  that  they  display  as  well  as  to  their  higher  degree  of  differen- 
tiation. 

Caulerpa  has  a  more  complex  structure  than  Bryopsis,  for  it  possesses 
a  horizontal  "rhizome"  from  which  "leaves"  grow  out  above  and  rhizoids 
below.  The  leaves  are  negatively  geotropic,  the  rhizoids  positively  so, 
and  the  rhizome  is  diageotropic.  Regeneration  in  this  plant  has  been 
studied  by  many  workers  (Wakker,  1886;  Janse,  1906  and  1910;  Dostal, 
1926  and  1929;  Zimmermann,  1929;  and  others ) .  Its  polar  phenomena  are 
rather  complex.  Zimmermann  found  that  gravity  determines  the  dorsi- 
ventrality  of  the  rhizome  and  that  this  can  be  reversed.  He  also  observed 
that  in  each  portion  of  a  cut  leaf  new  rhizoids  are  formed  below  new 
leaves.  An  inverted  leaf  with  its  tip  buried  will  produce  leaves  at  its 
original  base  and  rhizoids  at  its  original  apex,  as  in  Bryopsis.  Janse  has 
shown,  however,  that  rhizoids  normally  appear  chiefly  at  the  apical  por- 
tions of  cut  leaves,  and  Dostal  finds  that,  although  regeneration  is  polar 
in  young  leaves,  the  new  organs  may  be  distributed  over  the  entire  sur- 
face of  older  ones.  Polarity  in  Caulerpa  is  less  stable  than  in  higher  plants 
and  this,  again,  is  probably  because  of  the  ease  with  which  cytoplasmic 
movement  may  take  place. 

PHYSIOLOGICAL  MANIFESTATIONS  OF  POLARITY 

Differences  in  the  external  or  internal  structure  of  the  plant  body  are 
almost  invariably  accompanied  by  physiological  differences,  though  the 
latter  are  usually  more  difficult  to  demonstrate.  Among  these  are  the  uni- 
directional flow  commonly  shown  by  auxin  and  often  by  other  substances; 
the  differences  in  bioelectric  potential  which  can  be  demonstrated  be- 
tween different  parts  of  the  plant;  and  the  many  examples  of  physiological 
gradients  in  the  plant  body— in  pH,  rate  of  respiration,  osmotic  concentra- 
tion, auxin  concentration,  and  others.  These  are  doubtless  related  to 
visible  morphological  polarities  but  the  character  of  the  relationship  is 
obscure.  Whether  such  physiological  polarities  control  the  morphological 
ones  or  whether  both  are  determined  by  more  deeply  seated  morpho- 
genetic  factors  in  the  living  material,  which  are  physiological  only  in  the 
broadest  sense,  is  not  known. 

Electrical  polarities  are  found  in  many  organs  and  in  the  plant  body  as 
a  whole.  Unfortunately,  any  discussion  of  the  significance  of  electrical 


140  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

potentials  in  relation  to  morphological  polarity  and  polar  regeneration 
must  remain  for  the  present  rather  hypothetical  because  of  the  uncertain- 
ties which  still  exist  as  to  the  nature  and  origin  of  the  potential  differences 
themselves  ( p.  361 ) .  The  phenomena  of  organic  polarities  have  so  many 
similarities  to  electrical  ones  that  it  is  tempting  to  explain  the  former 
entirely  in  terms  of  the  latter,  but  there  is  insufficient  evidence  as  yet  for 
such  a  simple  solution  of  the  problem. 

Physiological  gradients  of  various  kinds,  particularly  metabolic  ones, 
and  their  significance  have  been  extensively  discussed  by  Child  ( 1941 ) . 
Such  gradients  are  along  the  major  axes  of  the  organism,  and  indeed 
their  existence  is  thought  by  some  to  establish  these  axes  and  to  be  a 
major  factor  in  the  origin  of  polarity.  Child  believed  that  they  arise  early 
in  development  as  the  result  of  some  unilateral  difference  in  the  environ- 
ment and  that,  once  established,  they  persist.  He  points  out  that  they 
often  can  be  obliterated  or  redirected  by  external  differentials  and  infers 
that  they  are  of  great  importance  in  determining  patterns  of  development. 
The  inherent  properties  of  protoplasm,  unable  alone  to  control  develop- 
ment, produce  their  morphogenetic  effects  through  specific  reactions  to 
such  axial  gradients.  Prat  ( 1948,  1951 )  has  reviewed  the  relations  be- 
tween physiological  and  histological  gradients. 

Gradients  in  respiratory  activity  such  as  have  so  often  been  described 
in  animal  axes  are  found  in  plants  ( Wanner,  1944 ) .  Ball  and  Boell  ( 1944 ) , 
however,  have  shown  that  in  some  plants  the  rate  of  respiration  at  the 
meristematic  tip  is  less  rapid  than  in  the  zone  immediatelv  behind  this 
(p.  73).  Hurd-Karrer  (1926)  found  that  in  corn  stalks  the  minimal  con- 
centration of  solutes  is  in  the  basal  internodes  and  increases  upward,  a 
gradient  reported  by  others  for  leaves  at  different  levels  in  a  tree.  In  plant 
exudates  there  is  a  concentration  gradient  with  the  highest  values  near 
the  apex  (Tingley,  1944).  The  proportion  of  ash  to  dry  weight  in  herba- 
ceous plants  was  shown  by  Edgecombe  ( 1939 )  to  increase  toward  the  tip 
of  the  plant.  Many  other  examples  might  be  cited. 

These  gradients  are  often  related  to  translocation  of  solutes  and  food 
and  thus  to  localized  and  differential  growth.  Hicks  (1928a,  b)  found 
that  nitrogen  tends  to  move  toward  the  morphological  tip  of  a  stem  and 
carbohydrates  toward  the  base,  even  in  inverted  shoots,  so  that  a  gradient 
in  C/N  ratio  results  in  the  stem.  She  believes  that  this  may  be  respon- 
sible for  the  phenomena  of  polarity,  but  this  may  be  a  parallelism  rather 
than  a  causal  relation. 

The  unidirectional  flow  of  nutrients  to  particular  "centers  of  attraction" 
in  shoots,  roots,  leaves,  and  other  structures  has  been  emphasized  by 
Goebel  as  of  particular  importance  in  regeneration  and  other  phenomena 
of  development.  What  causes  the  establishment  of  such  centers  and  thus 
directs  the  location  of  growth  is  a  question  closely  related  to  that  of 


Polarity  141 

polarity.  Simon  (1920)  has  suggested  that  the  polar  character  of  regen- 
eration in  leaves  is  related  to  the  basipetal  movement  of  carbohydrates. 

How  much  the  direction  of  flow  in  the  phloem  is  due  to  polar  behavior 
in  the  strict  sense  and  how  much  to  other  factors  is  not  clear,  but  Schu- 
macher (1933,  1936)  has  shown  a  polar  flow  of  fluorescein  there,  basipetal 
in  the  petiole  and  in  various  directions  in  the  stem.  It  seems  clear  that  in 
most  vegetative  stems  the  flow  of  nutrients  in  the  phloem  is  predomi- 
nantly basal.  Sax  (1956  and  earlier  papers)  removed  a  ring  of  bark  in  a 
young  tree  and  then  replaced  it  in  an  inverted  position.  Under  these  con- 
ditions phloem  transport  is  markedly  checked  and  the  tree  is  much  re- 
duced in  growth.  This  effect  is  not  permanent,  however,  because  the  new 
bark  regenerated  at  the  seam  permits  phloem  transport  upward. 

The  clearest  case  of  physiological  polarity  and  the  one  most  thoroughly 
studied  is  that  of  the  flow  of  auxin  (p.  384).  In  the  Avena  coleoptile  it  has 
been  shown  that  auxin  normally  is  produced  at  the  tip  and  moves  toward 
its  base.  If  the  coleoptile  is  cut  off,  decapitated,  and  auxin  applied  at 
the  morphological  apex  it  will  move  toward  the  other  end,  whether  the 
coleoptile  is  normally  oriented  or  inverted.  If  auxin  is  applied  to  the 
morphologically  basal  end,  however,  it  will  not  move  toward  the  tip  even 
if  the  coleoptile  is  inverted  and  the  auxin  is  placed  at  the  end  now  upper- 
most. Auxin  flow  here  is  therefore  strictly  polar.  The  cause  of  this 
polarity  is  not  clear,  for  there  is  no  histological  difference  with  which 
it  is  correlated.  It  seems  to  be  characteristic  of  auxin  transport  gen- 
erally, for  this  substance,  commonly  produced  in  buds,  moves  down- 
ward from  them  but  not  upward.  Jacobs  and  others  (p.  384),  however, 
report  that  auxin  may  sometimes  move  acropetally,  especially  in  weak 
concentrations. 

Went  ( 1941 )  has  shown  that  the  auxin  flow  continues  to  be  morpho- 
logically basipetal  in  inverted  cuttings  of  marigold  but  that  after  a  time, 
presumably  following  the  production  of  new  and  reoriented  vascular 
bundles,  the  flow  is  reversed  and  auxin  now  moves  downward  toward  the 
new  root  system.  He  suggested  that  auxin  polarity  is  electrical  in  char- 
acter, but  this  idea  has  encountered  some  difficulties  ( p.  360 ) . 

The  significance  of  auxin  polarity  for  many  problems  of  plant  develop- 
ment is  great  since  this  substance  is  so  intimately  related  to  both  stimula- 
tion and  inhibition  of  growth  and  to  so  many  specific  growth  reactions, 
such  as  the  initiation  of  shoots  and  roots  (p.  390). 

It  is  tempting  to  explain  all  structural  polarity  in  the  plant  as  due  to  this 
polar  flow  of  auxin,  but  here  again  it  may  be  that  both  are  the  result  of 
some  more  deeply  seated  factor.  No  satisfactory  solution  of  the  problem 
has  yet  been  found.  It  is  surely  a  remarkable  fact  that  a  simple,  relatively 
undifferentiated  parenchyma  cell  of  the  oat  coleoptile  will  allow  auxin  to 
pass  through  it  in  only  one  direction.  An  understanding  of  the  mechanisms 


142  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

involved  in  this  polar  flow  would  doubtless  contribute  to  the  solution  of 
many  problems  in  physiology  and  development. 

POLARITY  AND  DEVELOPMENTAL  PATTERN 

The  chief  significance  of  polarity  for  students  of  morphogenesis  lies  in 
the  fact  that  it  is  the  simplest  expression  of  the  general  phenomenon  of 
organic  pattern.  These  patterns,  which  are  exhibited  in  such  profusion  in 
the  bodies  of  animals  and  plants,  are  each  built  around  a  polar  axis 
which  provides,  so  to  speak,  the  theme  or  foundation  upon  which  the 
whole  develops.  This,  of  course,  is  by  no  means  the  only  expression  of 
polarity  in  the  plant.  In  a  tree,  for  example,  not  only  the  main  trunk  but 
the  many  branches  growing  out  from  it  may  each  have  a  polar  axis  of  its 
own.  The  frequency  and  size  of  these  branches  and  the  angles  which 
they  make  with  the  trunk  produce  the  characteristic  pattern  of  the  tree's 
crown,  one  which  is  almost  as  specific  as  the  pattern  of  its  leaf.  The  char- 
acter of  this  crown  is  due  to  the  dominance  of  certain  buds  or  branches 
over  others  and  thus  to  a  controlled  localization  of  growth  and  a  balance 
between  the  various  axes  of  the  tree.  This,  in  turn,  seems  to  be  governed 
by  a  specific  polar  pattern  of  auxin  distribution.  It  seems  probable  that 
the  form  and  development  of  a  leaf,  which  involve  a  pattern  of  major  and 
minor  vein  polarities,  have  a  similar  basis.  In  such  cases  as  these,  organic 
form  appears  to  be  the  expression  of  a  series  of  interrelated  polar  axes. 

Such  a  condition  probably  occurs  also  in  forms  in  which  the  organic 
pattern  is  related  to  the  polarity  of  individual  cells.  This  is  well  shown 
in  the  development  of  shoots  that  grow  by  a  large  apical  cell.  Here  the 
growth  and  differentiation  of  the  axis  are  clearly  associated  with  a  precise 
series  of  divisions  in  various  planes,  both  of  the  apical  cell  and  of  those 
cut  off  from  it  (p.  58).  This  pattern  of  diverse  cell  polarities  is  less  easy  to 
trace  in  other  meristematic  regions  but  is  evidently  operating  there  as 
well.  In  such  a  structure  as  the  growing  primordium  of  a  young  ovary, 
cell  divisions  are  very  abundant  but  occur  in  every  direction,  as  though 
the  planes  of  division  were  at  random.  That  such  divisions  are  all  part  of 
a  definite  organic  pattern,  however,  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  the  structure 
in  which  they  occur  shows  a  regular  and  progressive  development  toward 
its  specific  form.  Each  plane  of  division,  presumably  determined  by  the 
orientation  of  the  cytoplasm,  is  related  to  the  complex  pattern  of  diverse 
polarities  of  which  it  forms  a  part  (Sinnott,  1944). 

The  polar  phenomena  of  coenocytes  and  other  evidence  support  the 
contention  that  the  basic  fact  in  polarity  is  the  orientation  and  polar  be- 
havior of  the  cytoplasm.  Where  this  is  confined  within  cell  walls,  more 
complex  and  stable  patterns  may  be  produced,  but  the  fundamental  prob- 
lem everywhere  seems  to  be  the  development  of  polar  patterns  in  the 


Polarity  143 

whole  cytoplasmic  body  of  the  organism,  whether  this  is  cut  up  into  cells 
or  not. 

Polar  patterns  are  not  confined  to  organisms  that  have  developed  in  the 
ordinary  way  by  growth  from  a  reproductive  unit  such  as  a  spore  or  egg 
but  are  found  in  what  are  essentially  organic  communities.  Thus  in  cer- 
tain slime  molds  such  as  Dictyostelium  (p.  223)  the  vegetative  individual 
is  a  tiny  myxamoeba.  At  the  end  of  vegetative  growth  some  thousands  of 


Fig.  6-15.  Polarity  in  Dictyostelium.  If  an  apical  piece  of  a  pseudoplasmodium  is  placed 
in  close  contact  with  the  apical  end  of  another,  coalescence  takes  place.  If  it  is  placed 
next  the  basal  end,  either  of  the  same  plasmodium  or  of  another,  there  is  no  coa- 
lescence, and  the  terminal  piece  moves  off  independently.  (From  K.  B.  Raper.) 

these  become  aggregated  into  a  pseudoplasmodium  where  each  retains  its 
individuality.  This  colonial  structure  shows  a  polar  organization,  for  the 
terminal  portion  of  it  can  be  grafted  to  the  decapitated  apex  of  another 
pseudoplasmodium,  though  not  to  the  base  (Fig.  6-15).  The  tip  is  evi- 
dently the  dominant  region,  for  if  grafted  to  the  side  of  a  pseudoplas- 
modium it  will  withdraw  from  it  a  group  of  individuals  and  start  out  as  a 
new  unit.  The  sorocarp  that  ultimately  develops  has  a  vertical  polar  axis 
and,  in  some  species,  lateral  axes  as  well.  Polarity  in  organisms  like  these 


144  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

appears  to  be  a  property  not  of  the  individual  cells  but  of  the  aggregate 
that  they  form. 

Three  Aspects  of  Polarity.  Polarity  is  evidently  a  complex  phenomenon 
which  is  intimately  related  to  the  whole  process  of  development.  It  may 
be  broken  down,  for  purposes  of  more  detailed  examination,  into  several 
different  aspects  or  elements  which  may  possibly  involve  different  physio- 
logical or  developmental  processes. 

First,  one  may  recognize  the  oriented  behavior  of  living  substance,  as 
distinct  from  axiation  or  bipolarity.  This  is  evident  in  the  differential 
growth  of  cells  and  tissues,  where  one  dimension  increases  more  rapidly 
than  the  others;  in  the  controlled  plane  of  cell  division,  in  which  the 
cytoplasm,  as  evident  especially  in  vacuolate  cells,  sets  up  a  pattern 
oriented  in  a  definite  direction;  and  in  coenocytes  and  plasmodia  where 
growth,  movement,  or  direction  of  nuclear  spindles  is  similarly  oriented. 
The  fundamental  basis  of  this  behavior  is  not  known.  There  may  be  in- 
volved the  orientation  of  micelles  or  other  submicroscopic  units,  the 
paracrystalline  properties  of  cytoplasm,  the  orientation  of  molecules  at 
cell  surfaces  or  interfaces,  or  the  nature  of  the  fine  structure  of  the  cell 
wall.  It  is  reasonable  to  suggest  that  some  sort  of  cytoplasmic  anisotropy 
is  concerned  in  this  oriented  behavior.  Here  is  evidently  a  major  problem 
for  the  student  of  the  ultimate  structure  of  protoplasm,  a  problem  inti- 
mately related  to  the  whole  question  of  directed  growth  and  thus  of  or- 
ganic form.  Whatever  the  basis  of  oriented  behavior  may  be,  in  some 
cases  it  can  evidently  be  changed  in  direction  readily  by  environmental 
factors,  but  in  others,  when  once  established,  it  becomes  firmly  fixed. 

A  second  aspect  or  element  of  polarity  is  axiation.  The  oriented  be- 
havior of  living  material  most  commonly,  though  not  invariably,  is  ex- 
pressed in  cellular  systems  which  develop  symmetrically  in  relation  to  an 
axis  or  plane  of  symmetry  parallel  to  the  direction  of  orientation.  Most 
cells  and  most  multicellular  structures  possess  an  axis.  Such  structures  as 
the  cells  and  filaments  of  unattached  filamentous  algae  may  show  no  evi- 
dent difference  between  the  two  ends  of  the  axis,  either  in  cell  or  filament, 
but  they  are  clearly  axiate.  The  problem  of  the  symmetrical  growth  of  a 
living  system  about  this  axis,  so  characteristic  of  almost  all  organic  de- 
velopment, is  an  essential  part  of  the  general  problem  of  pattern.  Experi- 
mental attack  upon  this  phenomenon  of  symmetry  is  promising,  for  its 
character  can  often  be  changed  by  modifying  the  environment. 

The  third  aspect  of  polarity  is  polar  difference,  the  appearance  of  dis- 
similarity between  the  two  ends  of  the  axis.  This  is  regarded  by  many  as 
the  essential  characteristic  of  all  polarity  and  is  present  in  the  great  ma- 
jority of  organic  axes.  In  not  a  few  cases,  as  we  have  seen,  cytoplasm  may 
show  oriented  behavior,  or  an  axis  of  symmetry  may  develop,  without  any 
demonstrable  evidence  of  difference  between  the  two  ends  of  the  system. 


Polarity  145 

Only  where  polar  differences  occur,  however,  with  the  resulting  morpho- 
logical and  physiological  gradients  from  one  end  of  the  axis  to  the  other, 
can  there  develop  the  complex  patterns  characteristic  of  most  living 
organisms. 

The  relation  between  these  three  aspects  of  polarity  involves  the  prob- 
lem of  the  origin  of  polarity  itself.  If  they  can  be  shown  to  form  a  pro- 
gressive series,  in  phylogeny  or  ontogeny,  this  would  indicate  that  polarity 
may  increase  in  complexity.  In  free-floating  algal  filaments  (as  in  Spiro- 
gyra)  there  is  no  evidence  that  the  two  poles  are  unlike.  In  filamentous 
forms  like  Cladophora,  however,  where  one  end  is  attached  to  the  sub- 
stratum, each  individual  cell  displays  a  polar  character  in  its  regeneration. 
Here,  and  in  many  other  cases  where  environmental  factors  are  different 
at  the  two  ends  of  the  axis  (as  in  the  Fucus  egg),  it  appears  that  this 
difference  sets  up  an  axial  gradient  in  a  system  originally  unpolarized, 
which  results  in  the  polar  difference.  Child  and  his  school  regard  all 
polarity  as  having  its  origin  in  such  environmentally  induced  gradients, 
which  determine  both  the  direction  of  the  axis  and  the  difference  be- 
tween its  poles.  On  the  other  hand,  since  instances  of  similar  poles  are 
rare,  it  may  be  held  that  the  two  ends  of  every  axis  are  fundamentally 
unlike  and  that  in  cases  where  they  seem  alike  the  difference  is  merely 
masked  and  difficult  to  demonstrate.  If  this  view  is  correct,  polarity  may 
be  due  to  something  quite  different  from  a  gradient  and  may  be  compa- 
rable to,  and  perhaps  result  from,  an  inherent  polar  tendency,  presumably 
electrical  in  character. 

Whatever  its  origin,  the  direction  of  this  bipolar  axis  is  often  continu- 
ally changing  but  under  definite  control,  and  upon  this  fact  depends  the 
orderly  development  of  organic  patterns.  Thus  in  a  three-faced  apical  cell 
the  polar  axis  must  shift  120°  between  successive  divisions.  In  more  com- 
plex meristems  the  planes  of  cell  division  are  equally  orderly,  though  less 
evidently  so.  How  such  a  system  of  changing  polarities  is  controlled  so 
that  growth  in  one  direction  is  precisely  related  to  that  in  another  is  a 
part  of  the  same  problem  of  orderly  development  which  the  student  of 
morphogenesis  so  often  meets. 

The  ease  with  which  polarity  may  be  reversed  in  the  simplest  plants 
suggests  that  even  in  more  complex  ones  it  is  not  irrevocably  fixed  by 
genetic  factors.  Like  any  trait  with  a  genetic  basis,  polarity  is  not  a  specific 
characteristic  but  a  specific  reaction  to  a  specific  environment.  The  en- 
vironmental factor  may  be  external,  such  as  the  direction  of  light,  or 
internal,  like  the  correlation  between  the  axis  of  the  young  embryo  and 
that  of  the  archegonium,  but  unless  there  is  an  environment  to  which  the 
organism  can  orient  itself,  the  phenomena  of  polarity  will  rarely  appear. 
Sometimes  this  environmental  reaction  is  determined  early  and  is  later 
irreversible,  as  in  cases  where  polarity  becomes  firmly  fixed  in  the  ferti- 


146  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

lized  egg.  In  other  instances  polar  behavior  is  subject  to  induction  through 
environmental  factors  at  all  stages.  Many  cases  of  polarity  are  like  this. 
Sometimes  this  polar  plasticity  persists  indefinitely,  as  in  Caulerpa.  In 
other  cases,  like  the  egg  of  Fucus,  it  lasts  only  till  the  polar  axis  is  deter- 
mined and  then  remains  unchanged,  regardless  of  the  environment.  What 
is  present  in  all  living  stuff  seems  to  be  a  persistent  tendency  for  the 
establishment  of  polar  behavior.  This,  indeed,  is  an  essential  preliminary 
for  the  development  of  a  formed  and  organized  system. 

The  study  of  polarity  has  thus  far  raised  more  problems  than  it  has 
solved.  Most  of  these,  however,  are  of  a  sort  more  amenable  to  analysis 
and  experimental  attack  than  are  many-others  in  organic  development. 
Especially  through  subjecting  each  of  the  various  aspects  of  polarity 
separately  to  experiment,  aspects  which  may  perhaps  involve  distinct 
developmental  processes,  is  there  hope  of  progress. 


CHAPTER    7 

Symmetry 


The  presence  of  an  axis,  so  generally  characteristic  of  the  form  of  body  or 
organ  in  animals  and  plants,  is  manifest  not  so  much  as  an  actual  material 
structure  but  as  an  axis  of  symmetry,  a  geometrical  core  or  plane  around 
which  or  on  the  two  sides  of  which  the  structures  are  symmetrically  dis- 
posed. One  of  the  most  obvious  manifestations  of  organic  pattern  in 
living  things  is  this  symmetrical  arrangement  of  their  parts. 

Symmetry  is  evident  in  both  external  form  and  internal  structure.  Lat- 
eral roots  arise  from  a  primary  root  in  two,  three,  four,  or  more  equally 
spaced  rows.  Leaves  are  symmetrically  disposed  around  the  stem  in  a 
phyllotactic  spiral.  Floral  diagrams,  both  transverse  and  longitudinal,  also 
provide  good  examples  of  axial  symmetry,  though  here  the  axis  is  usually 
much  shortened. 

Symmetry  is  equally  conspicuous  in  internal  structure.  The  cross  sec- 
tion of  almost  any  vertical  plant  axis  shows  symmetrical  arrangement  of 
its  tissues,  both  primary  and  secondary.  Even  single  cells,  especially  when 
they  possess  a  considerable  internal  diversity  like  those  of  Spirogyra,  are 
symmetrical. 

In  horizontal  organs  the  simple  radial  type  of  symmetry  characteristic 
of  vertical  axes  is  replaced  by  a  dorsiventral  one  where  the  two  halves  on 
either  side  of  a  vertical  plane  of  symmetry  are  alike.  Many  prostrate  stems 
and  most  leaves  are  examples  of  such  dorsiventrality.  Sometimes  one  type 
of  symmetry  may  be  changed  to  the  other  by  modifying  the  orientation 
of  the  structure  to  light  or  gravity.  In  other  cases  the  pattern  of  symmetry 
is  inherited  and  cannot  be  influenced  by  environmental  factors. 

Many  structures  are  in  themselves  asymmetric.  In  leaves  of  Begonia 
and  elm,  for  example,  the  portions  on  either  side  of  the  midrib  are  usually 
quite  unlike;  and  there  are  marked  internal  asymmetries,  as  when  two 
daughter  cells  are  dissimilar.  In  most  cases  of  this  sort,  however,  the 
asymmetry  proves  to  be  part  of  a  larger  and  more  complex  pattern  which 
is  symmetrical. 

Symmetry  is  often  more  conspicuous  in  embryonic  structures  or  meri- 
stematic  regions  than  at  maturity,  and  some  of  its  most  remarkable  ex- 

147 


148  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

pressions  are  in  soft  and  watery  structures  which  seem  to  be  a  direct 
expression  of  protoplasmic  configuration.  Even  though  protoplasm  is  seem- 
ingly an  amorphous  and  semiliquid  material,  these  structures  that  it  builds 
are  far  from  formless,  and  the  beautiful  symmetries  that  they  display 
seem  clearly  to  be  manifestations  of  the  fundamentally  symmetrical  char- 
acter of  living  stuff  itself.  Organic  symmetry  presents  a  basic  problem  for 
students  of  morphogenesis. 

INORGANIC  AND  ORGANIC  SYMMETRIES 

There  are  many  examples  of  symmetry  among  inorganic  objects.  These 
often  resemble  the  symmetries  of  living  things,  but  there  are  certain 
fundamental  differences  between  them.  What  the  relation  between  these 
two  types  may  be  and  whether  organic  symmetries  have  their  origin  in 
those  of  the  inorganic  world  are  problems  that  have  long  been  discussed 
but  are  still  far  from  solution. 

The  arrangement  of  iron  filings  around  the  two  poles  of  a  magnet  is  a 
familiar  example  of  symmetry,  as  are  the  lines  of  force  in  an  electrostatic 
field.  The  least-surface  configurations  shown  by  liquids  and  especially  by 
liquid  film  systems  provide  beautiful  examples  of  symmetry.  The  resem- 
blance of  such  systems  to  multicellular  structures  in  plants  and  animals, 
particularly  the  more  minute  ones,  has  been  observed  by  many  biologists 
and  is  discussed  at  length  by  D'Arcy  Thompson  ( 1942),  who  has  analyzed 
the  various  forms  possible  in  a  film  system.  The  molecular  forces  that 
operate  here,  however,  are  probably  not  important  in  determining  the 
symmetry  of  large  organic  bodies. 

Much  is  now  known,  from  X-ray  studies  and  other  sources,  of  the  actual 
structure  of  molecules,  and  these  are  found  to  display  symmetries,  often 
very  complex  and  specific  ones.  Whether  such  molecular  forms  have  any 
relation  to  the  bodily  forms  of  plants  and  animals  is  a  problem  which  has 
aroused  much  speculation  but  on  which  little  evidence  is  available.  Harri- 
son ( 1945 )  has  discussed  some  of  the  possibilities  here. 

Crystals  provide  the  most  familiar  and  remarkable  examples  of  sym- 
metry in  the  inorganic  world.  Their  very  specific  forms  are  the  reflection 
of  the  forms  and  relationships  of  the  molecules  that  compose  them.  The 
study  of  crystal  symmetry  is  a  complex  science  in  itself  and  has  intimate 
relationship  to  geometry,  chemistry,  and  mineralogy.  Crystals  possess 
axes  and  planes  of  symmetry,  as  do  organic  structures,  but  crystalline  sym- 
metry is  a  much  more  formalized  and  rigid  phenomenon  than  organic. 
Many  biologists  have  endeavored  to  find  a  relation  between  crystals  and 
organisms  in  their  form  and  symmetry,  but  this  search,  in  general,  has 
been  a  rather  fruitless  one.  Organic  symmetries  can  be  described  in  the 
same  geometrical  language  that  we  use  for  crystals,  but  whether  there  is 


Symmetry  149 

any  fundamental  similarity  between  the  two  is  uncertain.  For  a  discussion 
of  this  problem  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  work  of  Haeckel  (1866)  and 
others. 

Although  many  symmetries  in  cells  and  minute  multicellular  structures 
resemble  those  in  inorganic  systems  under  the  control  of  surface  forces, 
organic  symmetries  are  conspicuous  in  much  larger  bodies  where  these 
forces  are  not  operative.  Organic  bodies  are  semiliquid  systems  which  are 
subject  to  continual  loss  and  replacement  of  material,  as  is  shown  by 
tagged  isotopes  and  in  other  ways,  and  in  this  respect  are  unlike  crystal- 
line structures,  which  are  usually  fixed  and  static.  This  semiliquid  char- 
acter is  also  reflected  in  the  almost  universal  presence  of  curved  lines  and 
surfaces  in  organic  bodies  as  compared  with  the  systems  of  straight  lines 
and  planes  which  distinguish  molecular  and  crystalline  forms.  This  is 
what  makes  possible  the  infinite  number  of  similar  planes  of  symmetry 
around  an  organic  axis  instead  of  the  limited  number  of  two,  three,  four, 
and  six  found  in  crystals. 

Aside  from  these  differences  from  the  inorganic,  the  symmetries  shown 
by  living  plant  structures  also  possess  two  distinctive  features  of  their 
own  which  provide  the  key  to  an  understanding  of  their  nature. 

First,  they  are  often  expressed  in  multiple  parts.  A  typical  plant  body 
consists  of  an  indeterminate  series  of  repeated,  essentially  similar  parts, 
laterally  dispersed  along  a  continuous  axis.  These  are  leaves,  branches, 
and  lateral  roots  in  higher  plants  and  analogous  repetitive  structures  in 
lower  ones.  The  most  conspicuous  examples  of  organic  symmetry  are 
found  in  the  relations  of  these  repeated  structures  to  the  axis  from  which 
they  arise.  This  is  a  type  of  symmetrv  unlike  that  found  in  most  inorganic 
systems. 

Second,  many  plant  axes,  particularly  those  of  the  aerial  portions  of  the 
plant,  have  either  a  spiral  twist  or  a  spiral  arrangement  of  their  parts. 
This  complicates  the  expression  of  symmetry  and,  in  the  case  of  phyllo- 
taxy,  has  given  rise  to  a  great  deal  of  speculation.  Spirality  seems  to  be  a 
characteristic  feature  of  protoplasmic  behavior  in  many  cases.  The  course 
of  streaming  is  often  spiral  in  a  cell  and  thus  may  be  reflected  in  the 
structure  of  the  cell  itself,  as  in  the  familiar  cases  of  Chara  and  Nitella. 
Cell  growth  may  be  spiral,  as  has  been  shown  by  Castle  ( 1936 )  in  the 
hyphae  of  Phycomyces,  and  there  are  many  other  examples. 

These  two  traits— multiple  parts  and  spirality— make  the  symmetry  of 
plant  parts  radically  different,  at  least  in  external  expression,  from  the 
symmetries  of  the  inorganic  world. 

A  few  single-celled  forms  and  some  colonies  like  those  of  Volvox  may 
be  spherical  and  completely  symmetrical  around  a  point.  This  seems  to 
be  primarily  an  expression  of  surface  forces,  however,  rather  than  of  in- 
herent symmetry.  Most  single-celled  plants,  however,  like  the  desmids, 


150  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

and  most  protozoa,  show  axial  symmetry,  often  complex  in  character;  and 
all  typical  examples  of  symmetry  in  higher  plants  are  those  manifest 
around  an  axis  or  a  longitudinal  plane.  Three  general  types  of  such  sym- 
metries are  recognized:  radial,  bilateral,  and  dorsiventral.  All  the  com- 
mon patterns  for  the  structure  of  plants  and  their  organs  are  based  on 
these  symmetries. 

RADIAL  SYMMETRY 

In  this  type  there  is  an  axis  of  rotation  around  which  symmetry  is  uni- 
form. There  may  be  one  or  two  evenly  spaced  longitudinal  planes  of 
symmetry,  as  in  stems  with  distichous  and  with  opposite-leaf  arrange- 
ments, or  these  may  be  almost  infinite  in  number  in  stems  with  spiral 
symmetry.  Radial  symmetry  is  present  in  vertically  elongated  axes  such 
as  those  of  the  main  stem  and  primary  root  and  in  many  flowers  and  fruits. 
It  is  therefore  much  commoner  in  plants  than  in  animals,  since  most  of 
the  latter  show  dorsiventrality,  and  it  is  regarded  by  many  as  the  most 
primitive  type  of  symmetry,  at  least  in  vascular  plants,  since  their  first 
axes  were  presumably  vertical. 

In  Lower  Plants.  Individual  cells  often  show  radial  symmetry  regard- 
less of  their  orientation,  as  in  Spirogyra  and  Chara.  Many  plant  bodies  in 
the  thallophytes  have  this  type  of  symmetry,  a  familiar  example  of  which 
is  the  "mushroom"  form  of  sporophore  in  the  fleshy  fungi.  Many  red  algae 
have  radial  thalli,  as  do  some  brown  algae.  Most  true  mosses  also  are 
radial. 

In  Roots.  Almost  all  roots  are  radially  symmetrical.  This  symmetry  is 
shown  in  the  straight  and  evenly  spaced  rows  of  lateral  roots  and  in  the 
characteristically  radial  primary  vascular  structures,  in  which  arms  of 
xylem  typically  alternate  with  bundles  of  phloem  in  a  star-shaped  pattern, 
with  lateral  roots  arising  opposite  the  xylem  arms. 

In  two  respects  the  expression  of  symmetry  in  the  root  is  different  from 
that  in  the  stem.  Roots,  even  horizontally  growing  ones,  are  usually 
strictly  radial  and  (save  for  a  few  cases  such  as  air  roots  of  orchids) 
show  no  dorsiventrality,  regardless  of  their  orientation,  whereas  horizon- 
tal stems  commonly  do  show  this.  Roots  also  have  very  little  twisting  or 
spirality  in  their  internal  or  external  structures,  such  as  most  stems  dis- 
play. These  two  differences  emphasize  again  the  fundamental  diversity  in 
developmental  behavior  of  root  and  stem  which  is  evident  in  many  other 
respects.  Whether  these  differences  are  inherent  or  are  due  to  the  radical 
differences  in  the  environment  in  which  roots  and  stems  usually  develop 
is  an  interesting  morphogenetic  problem. 

In  Shoots.  The  symmetry  of  shoots,  and  particularly  that  shown  by  the 
arrangement  of  leaves  (phyllotaxy),  has  attracted  more  attention  than 


Symmetry  151 

any  other  aspect  of  the  problem  of  organic  symmetry.  The  external  sym- 
metry of  an  upright  stem  is  typically  radial  and  often  very  regularly  so.  In 
the  simplest  cases,  as  in  certain  mosses  such  as  Fontinalis,  this  is  related  to 
the  activity  of  a  three-sided  apical  cell,  the  segments  cut  off  from  its  three 
sides  giving  rise  to  three  rows  of  leaves.  In  higher  plants,  however,  leaf 
arrangement  is  not  related  to  meristematic  structure. 

In  stems  with  opposite  leaves,  at  successive  nodes  the  leaf  pairs  rotate 
through  90°.  This  decussate  phyllotaxy  thus  shows  four  rows  of  leaves 
along  the  stem.  More  frequently,  phyllotaxy  shows  a  spiral  character. 
Sometimes  this  is  manifest,  even  in  opposite-leaved  types,  by  a  twisting  of 
the  whole  axis  so  that  members  of  successive  pairs  are  a  little  more  than 
90°  apart.  Spirality  more  commonly  expresses  itself,  however,  in  the  ar- 
rangement of  so-called  "alternate"  leaves.  These  are  rarely  exactly  alter- 
nate but  are  so  dispersed  that  a  line  connecting  the  points  of  attachment 
of  successive  ones  follows  a  regular  spiral  course  around  the  stem.  The 
fact  of  this  spiral  and  the  various  types  in  which  it  is  manifest  have  for 
many  years  attracted  the  interest  of  botanists  and  mathematicians.  Many 
of  the  discussions  and  speculations  that  have  centered  about  the  phyllo- 
tactic  spiral  are  of  no  great  significance  for  morphogenesis.  Some  are 
highly  theoretical  or  even  almost  mystical.  The  developmental  origin  of 
the  various  types  of  phyllotaxy,  however,  is  an  important  morphogenetic 
problem,  and  a  knowledge  of  the  factors  involved  may  contribute  to  an 
understanding  of  the  origin  of  organic  form. 

Goethe  was  greatly  attracted  by  the  spirality  of  leaf  arrangement  and 
made  it  the  basis  of  one  of  his  theories.  Charles  Bonnet  ( 1754 )  in  the 
middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  discussed  the  spiral  structure  of  the  pine 
cone.  It  was  the  work  of  Schimper  (1836)  and  Braun  (1831),  however, 
that  established  the  study  of  phyllotaxy  on  its  modern  basis.  Various  ex- 
planations of  the  origin  and  significance  of  spiral  leaf  arrangement  have 
been  proposed,  and  the  literature  of  the  subject  is  extensive.  No  compre- 
hensive review  of  it  is  available,  though  the  earlier  literature  has  been 
surveyed  by  C.  de  Candolle  ( 1881 ) .  For  the  more  important  ideas  the 
reader  is  also  referred  to  the  works  of  the  brothers  Bravais  (1837),  Hof- 
meister  (1868),  Wright  (1873),  Schwendener  (1878),  Schoute  (1913, 
1914),  Church  (1920),  Hirmer  (1922),  Crow  (1928),  Goebel  (1928), 
Snow  and  Snow  (1934),  D'Arcy  Thompson  (1942),  Plantefol  (1948), 
Wardlaw  (1949a),  and  Richards  (1950). 

Spiral  phyllotaxy  is  not  an  example  of  symmetry  in  the  strict  sense  since 
planes  of  symmetry,  in  the  crystallographic  meaning  of  the  term,  are 
absent.  The  leaves  do  have  regular  positions  along  the  axis,  however,  with 
reference  to  each  other,  and  these,  under  proper  analysis,  can  be  ex- 
pressed in  terms  of  geometrical  symmetry.  The  spiral  formed  by  the 
points  of  attachment  of  successive  leaves— the  genetic  or  developmental 


152  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

spiral— represents  the  order  in  which  the  leaf  primordia  are  formed  in  the 
bud.  Their  positions  in  the  spiral  are  not  indefinite  but  commonly  fall  into 
a  few  precise  categories,  the  relations  of  which  have  long  excited  the 
interest  of  morphologists.  Simplest  of  all  is  the  distichous,  or  truly  alter- 
nate, arrangement,  with  successive  leaves  180°  apart  around  the  stem.  To 
pass  from  a  leaf  to  one  directly  above  it  involves  one  circuit  of  the  axis 
and  two  leaves,  a  condition  which  may  be  expressed  by  the  fraction  Vo.  In 
other  types  this  spiral  passes  once  around  the  axis  but  every  third  leaf  is 
over  one  below  it,  a  condition  that  may  be  represented  by  the  fraction  %. 
Commoner  than  either  of  these  is  a  spiral  where  in  passing  from  a  leaf  to 
one  above  it  two  circuits  of  the  axis  are  made  and  the  fifth  leaf  is  reached, 


Fig.  7-1.  Diagram  showing  %  phyllotaxy. 

the  %  type.  Frequently  observed  in  stems  is  a  %  phyllotaxy  (Fig.  7-1) 
and  less  commonly  that  of  %3.  In  cones  and  other  compact  axes  more 
complex  phyllotaxies  of  %t,  x%4,  and  2%5  may  be  found.  The  series  is 
thus  V2,  Vs,  %,  %,  %8,  %lt  13/34,  2%5,  3%9,  and  so  on.  Each  obviously 
represents  the  fraction  of  the  circumference  of  the  axis,  or  the  angle, 
traversed  by  the  spiral  in  passing  from  one  leaf  to  the  next.  The  number 
in  both  numerator  and  denominator  of  each  fraction  is  the  sum  of  those 
in  the  two  preceding  fractions.  This  particular  series  is  known  as  the 
Fibonacci  series.  The  higher  fractions  become  more  and  more  uniform 
and  approach  as  a  limit  the  decimal  fraction  0.38197,  or  the  angle 
137°30'28",  the  so-called  "ideal"  angle.  It  has  been  shown  by  Wright 
( 1873 )  that  if  successive  leaves  were  formed  at  just  this  angular  distance 


Symmetry  153 

around  the  stem  from  each  other  no  leaf  would  ever  be  directly  over  any 
below  it.  The  advantage  sometimes  suggested  for  this  arrangement,  that  it 
would  distribute  the  leaves  most  evenly  to  the  light  and  thus  be  most 
efficient  in  preventing  shading,  is  open  to  many  objections. 

The  fraction  0.38197  is  of  interest  in  another  connection,  for  it  desig- 
nates the  "golden  mean,"  or  sectio  aurea,  the  distance  from  the  end  of  a 
line  at  which,  if  the  line  is  cut  there,  the  smaller  fraction  of  the  line  is  to 
the  larger  as  the  larger  is  to  the  whole.  Thus  0.38197  :  0.61803  =  0.61803  : 
1.0.  The  golden  mean  has  long  been  known  and  has  received  much  atten- 
tion from  artists  and  mathematicians,  and  its  significance  in  the  geometry 
of  symmetry  may  be  considerable,  but  its  biological  importance  seems 
negligible.  One  should  also  remember  that  there  are  other  series  of  frac- 
tions which  converge  to  the  same  limit. 

This  analysis  of  the  genetic  spiral  assumes  that,  as  it  twists  around  the 
stem,  a  given  leaf  position  on  it  is  directly  over  one  below,  after  passing 
3,  5,  8,  13,  etc.,  leaves  on  the  spiral.  Thus  there  should  be  vertical  rows 
of  leaves,  relatively  few  in  the  simpler  phyllotaxies  but  more  numerous 
in  the  complex  ones.  These  have  been  called  orthostichies  and  mark  the 
end  points  of  each  successive  fraction  into  which  the  genetic  spiral  is 
divided.  Their  presence  is  essential  if  the  mathematical  analysis  of  this 
spiral,  going  back  to  the  work  of  Schimper  and  Braun  and  elaborated  by 
so  many  botanists  since  then,  is  to  mean  very  much. 

The  existence  of  these  orthostichies,  however,  has  been  challenged  by 
more  recent  students  of  phyllotaxy,  who  have  approached  its  problems 
not  by  an  analysis  of  mature  structures  but  by  a  more  truly  morphogenetic 
investigation  of  the  way  in  which  the  leaves  originate.  The  best  place  to 
study  leaf  arrangement,  they  maintain,  is  in  the  bud  or  at  the  apical 
meristem.  Church  (1920),  one  of  the  pioneers  in  this  method  of  attack, 
discovered  that  in  the  arrangement  of  primordia  as  seen  in  a  cross  section 
of  the  bud  there  are  no  orthostichies  at  all,  for  no  leaf  primordium  arises 
directly  over  one  below.  Thus  doubt  was  cast  on  all  the  early  conclusions- 
based  on  the  assumption  that  the  genetic  spiral  could  be  divided  into  re- 
peated portions. 

But  other  relationships  are  more  important  than  this.  A  study  of  leaf 
primordia  packed  into  the  bud,  or  of  other  cases  such  as  pine  cones  and 
sunflower  heads  where  there  are  a  great  many  structures  spirally  arranged 
but  crowded  together,  shows  the  existence  of  another  series  of  spirals, 
resembling  the  genetic  one  in  certain  respects  but  reached  in  a  different 
fashion.  If  one  looks  at  the  cross  section  of  a  bud,  or  the  face  view  of  a 
sunflower  head  in  fruit,  or  the  base  of  a  pine  cone,  he  will  notice  that  the 
units  are  not  packed  uniformly  together  like  the  pores  of  a  honeycomb. 
Instead,  the  various  structures— leaves,  primordia,  fruits,  or  scales— form 
two  sets  of  spiral  curves,  starting  in  the  center  and  moving  to  the  circum- 


154  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

ference,  one  going  to  the  right  (clockwise)  and  the  other  to  the  left 
(counterclockwise).  The  effect  is  something  like  that  of  a  spinning  pin- 
wheel,  or  rather  of  two  spinning  in  opposite  directions.  The  inner  mem- 
bers of  each  spiral  are  progressively  smaller  since  they  were  formed  later. 
We  are  looking  down,  in  effect,  on  the  top  of  a  growing  system,  even 
though  growth  may  have  stopped.  These  spirals  are  logarithmic  ones, 
since  the  radial  distance  to  each  successive  unit  on  them  increases  geo- 
metrically and  not  arithmetically.  The  spirals  are  termed  parastichies, 
or  sometimes  contact  parastichies  since  each  unit  is  usually  somewhat 
flattened  against  its  inner  and  outer  neighbors  in  the  spiral,  a  fact  which 


Fig.  7-2.  A  pine  cone  seen  from  below.  The  scales  are  in  two  sets  of  parastichies,  8 
counterclockwise  and  13  clockwise. 

makes  the  spiral  easy  to  trace  ( Fig.  7-2 ) .  The  spirals  intersect  each  other 
at  an  angle  which  is  near  to  90°. 

In  a  bud  or  meristematic  tip  that  will  give  rise  to  a  shoot  with  a  rela- 
tively low  phyllotactic  fraction  ( %  or  % ) ,  the  units  are  fewer  than  in 
large  structures  like  a  cone.  In  a  cross  section  of  such  a  bud  (Fig.  7-3)  it 
is  possible  to  distinguish  by  the  relative  sizes  of  the  leaf  primordia  the 
order  in  which  they  were  produced.  The  genetic  spiral  can  thus  be  traced, 
compact  and  almost  two-dimensional  here  although  later  it  will  be  pulled 
out  like  a  telescope  when  the  shoot  elongates.  In  a  bud  like  this  one  can 
confirm  the  observation  of  Church,  that  orthostichies  do  not  exist.  Were 
they  here,  they  would  appear  as  radial  rows  made  by  every  fifth,  or 


Symmetry  155 

eighth,  or  thirteenth  primordium.  These  are  not  to  be  seen.  Furthermore, 
if  one  carefully  studies  the  angular  divergence  between  successive  pri- 
mordia  he  finds  (in  the  great  majority  of  cases)  that  it  is  close  to  the 
"ideal"  Fibonacci  angle  of  137.5°  which  the  series  of  phyllotactic  fractions 
approaches  as  a  limit. 

The  number  of  clockwise  and  of  counterclockwise  parastichies  in  a 
given  axis  is  not  the  same.  In  different  types,  however,  their  relative  num- 
bers are  fixed  and  specific.  These  also  fall  into  a  characteristic  series.  Thus 
in  the  bud  section  shown  in  Fig.  7-3  one  can  count  five  parastichies  turn- 


Fig.  7-3.  Cross  section  of  apical  bud  of  Pinus  pinea  showing  absence  of  orthostichies. 
The  primordia,  numbered  in  succession,  are  separated  by  the  Fibonacci  angle.  Five 
counterclockwise  parastichies  and  eight  clockwise  ones  are  evident.  (From  R.  Snow, 
courtesy  of  Endeavour. ) 

ing  to  the  left  and  eight  to  the  right.  In  simpler  forms  there  may  be  three 
in  one  direction  and  five  in  the  other.  In  more  complex  cases,  such  as 
many  pine  cones,  there  are  8  of  one  and  13  of  the  other,  or  13  of  one  and 
21  of  the  other.  Some  systems  have  21  and  34.  Most  sunflower  heads  show 
34  spirals  in  one  direction  and  55  in  the  other.  Arranging  these  pairs  of 
numbers  in  the  form  of  fractions,  as  was  done  with  the  genetic  spiral,  one 
obtains  the  series  %,  %,  %,  8/13,  13/2i,  21/34,  3%5,  5%9,  and  so  on,  though 
the  higher  fractions  are  rare.  The  numbers  in  numerators  and  denomi- 
nators form  a  series,  as  in  the  genetic  spiral,  but  here  the  denominator  of 
one  fraction  forms  the  numerator  of  the  next  one  instead  of  the  next  but 


156  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

one.  The  fraction  which  this  series  approaches  as  a  limit  is  0.61803,  the 
larger  one  of  the  two  which  are  separated  by  the  golden  mean.  This  frac- 
tion is  thus  the  difference  between  1.0  and  0.38197,  the  limit  approached 
by  the  other  series.  The  two  spiral  systems  are  evidently  related  but  just 
how  they  are  is  a  nice  mathematical  problem.  It  is  no  wonder,  as  D'Arcy 
Thompson  says,  that  these  various  relationships  have  long  appealed  to 
mystics  and  to  those  who  seek  to  square  the  circle  or  penetrate  the  secrets 
of  the  Great  Pyramid! 

Parastichies  are  present  in  shoots  around  which  leaves  are  borne  in  a 
phyllotactic  spiral,  but  because  they  are  pulled  out  so  far  lengthwise 
they  are  much  less  conspicuous  than  when  many  structures  are  packed 
together.  In  elongate  shoots  orthostichies,  though  absent  in  buds,  can 
usually  be  demonstrated.  The  tensions  resulting  from  elongation  ap- 
parently operate  to  straighten  out  the  spirals  and  in  many  cases  to  bring 
the  insertion  of  a  leaf  almost  directly  over  one  that  is  three  or  five  or 
eight  leaves  below.  Not  much  of  a  twist  is  needed  to  accomplish  this  and 
to  produce  an  orthostichy.  One  should  recognize,  however,  that  such  are 
secondary  rather  than  primary  phenomena  of  symmetry. 

The  problems  of  phyllotaxy  were  already  involved  enough  when  a 
French  botanist,  Lucien  Plantefol  (1948),  added  a  further  complexity. 
His  theory  has  been  extensively  developed  by  others,  particularly  in  his 
own  country.  It  is  based  on  a  study  of  the  insertion  of  the  leaf  traces  on 
the  stem.  Plantefol  does  not  regard  the  genetic  spiral  as  significant.  He 
traces  two  (sometimes  more)  foliar  helices  connecting  the  leaf  bases  in 
parallel  spirals  that  wind  up  the  stem,  and  he  usually  represents  these 
helices  as  projected  on  a  plane  where  their  relationships  can  more  easily 
be  seen  (Fig.  7-4).  They  originate  in  the  traces  of  the  two  cotyledons, 
and  the  series  remain  distinct  as  they  pass  up  into  the  bud.  Here  they 
terminate  in  a  generative  center  of  embryonic  tissue  just  below  the  tip 
of  the  meristem  ( Fig.  7-5 ) .  In  this  the  new  primordia  are  differentiated. 
The  position  of  each  is  determined,  he  believes,  by  stimulation  from  the 
foliar  helices  below,  the  relations  being  harmonized  by  an  "organizer." 
Lance  (1952)  found  in  a  number  of  cases  a  zone  of  abundant  mitoses 
somewhat  below  the  apex  of  the  meristematic  dome  but  few  at  the  very 
tip.  Crockett  (1957)  finds  some  evidence  of  the  same  thing  in  Nicotiaha. 
Loiseau  ( 1954 )  cut  off  the  tip  of  the  meristem  in  Impatiens  and  observed 
that  in  many  instances  this  resulted  in  changing  the  number  of  helices. 
This  he  believes  was  due  to  a  disturbance  of  the  generative  center. 
Popham  (1958),  on  the  other  hand,  in  a  census  of  mitoses  at  the  apex 
of  Chrysanthemum,  found  no  evidence  of  a  generative  center  nor  of  its 
necessary  corollary,  a  region  of  few  mitoses  at  the  very  tip.  Newman 
(p.  60)  made  the  same  observation  in  living  material.  The  problem  has 
been  discussed  by  Wardlaw  (1957b),  who  concludes  that,  although  there 


Symmetry  157 

are  various  complexities  in  the  shoot  meristem,  there  is  little  good  evi- 
dence from  this  source  in  support  of  Plantefol's  theory. 

Although  this  theory  has  received  strong  support  from  a  number  of 
French  botanists,  objections  have  been  raised  against  it  in  other  quarters. 
What  are  chosen  as  foliar  helices  are  evidently  one  of  the  parastichies  or 
spiral  rows  of  leaf  traces  to  be  seen  along  the  axis,  but  which  of  these  is 
the  true  helix  in  any  instance  seems  difficult  to  determine.  The  leaves 
on  a  helix  must  have  some  vascular  connection  with  each  other,  accord- 
ing to  the  theory,  but  in  most  stems  at  least  two  different  parastichies 
could  be  chosen  which  would  fulfill  this  requirement.  A  figure  in  one 


Fig.  7-4.  Two  foliar  helices,  the  members  of  one  connected 
by  dots  and  of  the  other  by  dashes,  seen  as  though 
the  surface  of  the  stem  were  removed  and  spread  out. 
(From  Plantefol.) 


en 
i 


Fig.  7-5.  Diagram  of  shoot  apex  according  to  Plantefol's 
hypothesis,  showing  the  generative  center  and  the  ab- 
sence of  divisions  at  the  very  tip.  Dots  indicate  mitoses. 
( From  Plantefol. ) 


of  Dr.  Esau's  papers  (1943,  Fig.  1),  though  it  was  not  drawn  to  clarify 
the  problems  of  phyllotaxy,  makes  these  relationships  evident  (Fig. 
7-6).  This  is  a  diagram  of  the  primary  vascular  system  of  Linum.  The 
genetic  spiral  is  shown,  with  the  leaves  numbered  along  it.  In  the  series 
25-33-41,  the  bundle  is  continuous  with  a  branch  that  passes  laterally  to 
the  next  in  the  series,  and  there  are  eight  of  these  helices  around  the 
stem.  In  the  series  28-33-38,  the  right-hand  lateral  of  one  is  continu- 
ous with  the  left-hand  lateral  of  the  next,  and  there  are  five  helices. 
Members  of  the  series  30-33-36  have  no  direct  vascular  connection  with 
one  another  but  are  in  a  definite  row.  Which  of  these  spirals  should  be 
chosen  as  the  foliar  helix?  One  might  determine  the  true  one,  perhaps, 


•^~-L. 


~£9 


•  37 


Fig.  7-6.  Diagram  of  the  primary  vascular  strands  in 
the  stem  of  Linum  perenne.  The  numbers  from  21 
(above)  to  49  (below)  mark  the  positions  of  leaves  in 
the  generative  spiral,  indicated  by  a  thin  line.  The 
bundles  are  shown  by  heavy  lines  for  those  on  the 
nearer  surface  and  by  dotted  ones  for  those  behind. 
Various  helices,  in  Plantefol's  terminology,  may  be  dis- 
tinguished, such  as  30-33-36,  28-33-38,  and  25-33-41. 
There  seems  no  certain  way  to  determine  which  are 
the  "true"  ones.  ( From  Esau. ) 


—I 


kffi 


f"e\ 


X»-i- 


mi.i 


158 


Symmetry  159 

by  tracing  the  system  back  to  the  cotyledonary  node.  Camefort  (1956) 
has  presented  a  full  account  of  Plantefol's  theory  and  has  endeavored  to 
reconcile  it  with  the  classical  concepts  of  phyllotaxy  and  modern  experi- 
mental studies. 

The  solution  of  these  problems  of  leaf  arrangement  is  evidently  to  be 
sought  near  the  apical  growing  point  where  the  leaf  primordia  actually 
originate,  for  their  relations  here  will  determine  those  between  mature 
leaves  on  the  elongated  stem.  This  emphasis  on  the  study  of  primordia 
is  a  return  to  the  point  of  view  of  Schwendener  ( 1878 ) ,  who  believed 
that  mechanical  contact  and  pressure  exerted  by  the  primordia  on  one 
another  accounted  for  their  distribution,  and  especially  of  Hofmeister 
(1868),  who  proposed  the  general  rule  that  a  new  primordium  arises 
in  the  largest  space  available  to  it.  This  conclusion  is  generally  accepted, 
but  the  developmental  basis  for  it  is  not  clear.  The  essential  morpho- 
genetic  problem  beneath  all  this  is  what  determines  the  origin  of  a  par- 
ticular primordium  at  a  particular  place  and  time. 

An  early  idea  was  that  a  leaf-forming  stimulus  passes  along  the  genetic 
spiral,  but  the  significance  of  the  spiral  itself  now  seems  rather  slight. 
Church  (1920),  concerning  himself  chiefly  with  parastichies,  believed 
that  the  point  of  intersection  of  the  two  major  ones  determined  the  point 
of  origin  of  a  primordium.  This  leaves  undetermined  the  reason  for  the 
course  of  the  parastichies  themselves.  Some  workers  are  inclined  to  think 
that  stimuli  from  previously  formed  leaves  or  primordia  determine  the 
position  of  new  ones.  Plantefol  assumes  that  a  foliar  helix  extends  up- 
ward into  the  meristem  to  the  generative  center  where  the  primordia  are 
formed.  Sterling  ( 1945 )  finds  that  in  Sequoia  the  procambial  strands  are 
always  continuous  with  the  older  ones  below  and  differentiate  acropetally, 
pushing  up  into  the  apical  meristem  before  the  emergence  of  the  pri- 
mordia into  which  they  will  pass,  and  suggests  that  these  procambial 
strands  may  influence  the  position  of  the  primordia.  Gunckel  and  Wet- 
more  ( 1946 )  reach  the  same  conclusion  for  Ginkgo.  Opposed  to  this 
idea  is  some  experimental  evidence,  chiefly  derived  from  isolating  part 
of  the  meristem  from  regions  below  it  by  incisions  without  disrupting 
normal  phyllotactic  arrangement,  a  result  which  suggests  that  the  stimu- 
lus for  the  development  of  a  primordium  does  not  come  from  below. 
Perhaps  in  such  cases  as  this  it  is  incorrect  to  assume  that  a  given  devel- 
opment is  the  cause  of  another  which  succeeds  it  in  time.  A  series  of  re- 
lated structures  and  processes  are  part  of  the  same  organized  whole  and 
should  be  thought  of  as  developing  together  rather  than  each  step  as 
inducing  the  one  that  follows  it. 

The  problem  of  what  determines  the  phyllotactic  series  is  open  to 
experimental  attack,  and  much  work  has  been  done  on  it  by  various 
people,  among  them  Wardlaw,  Ball,  and  especially  the  Snows.  They  have 


160  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

been  able  to  modify  phyllotaxy  operatively  in  a  number  of  ways.  Thus 
in  Epilobium  hirsutum,  a  species  in  which  the  leaf  arrangement  is 
decussate  (opposite),  the  Snows  (1935)  split  the  apex  diagonally  and 
found  that  the  two  regenerating  shoots  had  spiral  phyllotaxy.  They  were 
also  able  ( 1937 )  to  change  the  phyllotaxy  in  the  same  way  by  applying 
auxin  to  the  shoot  apex.  There  may  be  a  rather  delicate  balance  between 
decussate  and  spiral  phyllotaxy  in  this  plant,  for  in  the  group  to  which 
it  belongs  (and  even  in  a  single  plant  of  this  species)  both  types  may 
occur.  In  other  plants  the  direction  of  the  phyllotactic  spiral  may  be 
reversed  in  regenerating  shoots  after  splitting  the  apex. 

What  determines  the  location  of  a  given  primordium  is  the  basic  prob- 
lem here,  and  as  to  this  there  are  two  major  hypotheses.  One,  first  pro- 
posed by  Schoute  (1913),  assumes  that  the  presence  of  a  primordium 
tends  to  inhibit  the  development  of  another  one  near  it,  presumably  by 
the  sort  of  inhibition  by  which  one  bud  checks  the  growth  of  another 
through  the  agency  of  auxin.  This  is  the  same  problem  studied  more 
recently  by  Biinning  (p.  199),  who  has  evidence  that  each  stoma  produces 
a  substance  that  prevents  the  development  of  another  stoma  close  to  it, 
thus  accounting  for  the  regular  spacing  of  these  structures.  Such  a  hy- 
pothesis is  in  harmony  with  physiological  theory,  but  some  experimental 
results  seem  to  be  opposed  to  it.  For  example,  the  Snows  (1952)  re- 
moved the  youngest  actual  primordium  in  an  apex  of  Lupinus  and  after 
14  days  determined  the  positions  of  the  next  three  successive  primordia 
that  had  appeared  since  this  was  done.  In  every  case  these  later  ones 
occupied  the  places  in  which  they  normally  would  have  appeared,  in- 
dicating that  their  positions  in  the  series  had  not  been  affected  by  removal 
of  a  primordium  and  any  inhibitory  influence  from  it. 

That  the  primordia  develop  independently  of  either  stimulatory  or  in- 
hibitory influences  from  neighboring  ones  is  also  shown  by  an  experi- 
ment of  Wardlaw's  in  which  he  isolated  by  radial  cuts  the  areas  pre- 
sumably to  be  occupied  by  the  next  primordia  in  the  series,  thus  effec- 
tively isolating  them  from  physiological  contact  with  primordia  already 
formed.  He  found  that  these  areas  developed  primordia  normally. 

Other  factors  than  chemical  ones  may  here  be  involved.  Wardlaw 
( 1948 )  finds  that  each  primordium  tends  to  produce  a  region  of  tangential 
tensile  stress  around  it  but  that  this  is  absent  in  the  area  where  new 
primordia  are  to  arise.  He  suggests  that  a  primordium  will  develop  where 
tensile  stress  is  at  a  minimum. 

The  second  hypothesis  assumes  that  a  primordium  will  not  develop 
unless  there  is  sufficient  available  free  space  for  it.  This  is  related  to  the 
ideas  of  Schwendener  and  Hofmeister  and  really  comes  down  to  the 
problem  of  the  most  efficient  filling  of  the  space  on  the  surface  of  the 
meristem.  It  has  been  supported,  in  essence,  by  van  Iterson  (1907),  and 


Symmetry  161 

in  recent  years  the  Snows  have  brought  forward  evidence  in  its  favor. 
Among  other  experiments  ( 1952 )  they  isolated  by  two  radial  cuts  the 
larger  part,  but  not  the  whole,  of  the  area  presumptively  to  be  occupied 
by  the  next-but-one  leaf  primordium.  In  such  a  case  none  develops  be- 
tween the  cuts,  although  this  region  grows  and  continues  otherwise  to 
be  normal.  They  explain  this  result  as  due  to  the  fact  that  the  area  now 
available  was  too  small  for  a  primordium  to  be  formed. 

These  two  hypotheses,  though  stressing  different  factors,  are  not  dia- 
metrically opposed  to  each  other.  What  is  to  be  explained  is  the  even 
distribution  of  primordia,  equidistant  from  each  other  (in  origin)  and 
regularly  arranged.  This  is  the  same  problem  posed  by  the  distribution 
of  multiple  structures.  Something  regulates  the  differentiation  of  each  of 
these  structures  in  such  a  way  that  each  occupies  an  area  of  its  own  and 
that  these  individual  areas  are  of  about  the  same  size.  In  the  case  of 
leaf  primordia  the  situation  is  complicated  by  the  fact  that  these  arise 
on  a  curved  surface  and  in  a  progressive  series  in  time.  Although  me- 
chanical and  chemical  factors  are  doubtless  involved  in  the  distribution 
of  primordia,  as  in  all  morphogenetic  processes,  it  is  perhaps  too 
simple  an  explanation  to  regard  the  determination  of  each  as  due  to 
crowding  by  its  neighbors,  to  the  presence  of  the  "first  available  space," 
or  to  inhibition  by  other  primordia.  It  seems  more  logical  to  regard  the 
problem  of  the  distribution  of  primordia  at  the  growing  point  as  another 
instance  of  a  self-regulating  biological  pattern  which  may  have  its  roots 
in  genetic  factors,  the  fine  structure  of  protoplasm,  or  whatever  else  may 
be  responsible  for  organic  form. 

On  either  hypothesis  mentioned  above,  if  primordia  are  to  arise  in  a 
spiral  around  the  axis  each  should  be  as  far  as  possible  from  its  immediate 
neighbors,  those  coming  just  before  and  just  after  it  in  origin.  In  op- 
posite leaves  each  is  placed  as  far  away  as  possible,  180°.  In  spiral 
phyllotaxy  this  cannot  be  done.  If  primordium  B,  let  us  say,  originates 
at  an  angle  from  A  of  137.5°  (the  golden-mean  fraction  of  the  circum- 
ference), and  if  the  next  one,  C,  is  placed  at  the  same  distance  farther 
on  (thus  incidentally  dividing  the  remainder  of  the  circumference  by 
the  same  ideal  proportion),  B  is  equidistant  from  A  and  C,  and  this  is 
the  maximum  possible  distance  at  which  successive  members  can  be 
placed  from  each  other.  If  the  distance  A-B  and  B-C  is  less  or  greater 
than  this  ideal  angle,  C  will  not  arise  in  the  middle  of  the  largest  space 
available,  as  Hofmeister's  postulate  requires.  What  this  means  is  that 
only  if  successive  primordia  are  separated  by  this  ideal  angle  will  they  fill 
the  available  space  evenly  and  with  the  greatest  economy.  This  is  the 
property  of  golden-mean  spacing  that  makes  it  significant  in  problems 
of  this  sort. 

Richards   (1948,  1950)   has  worked  out  some  of  the  implications  of 


162  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

this  fact  and  has  returned  to  methods  of  mathematical  analysis  in  ap- 
proaching the  problem  of  the  development  of  the  primordia  at  the  meri- 
stem.  He  emphasizes  the  importance  of  the  plastochron  ratio,  the  ratio  of 
the  radial  distances  from  the  center  of  the  meristem  to  two  consecutive 
primordia.  Where  this  distance  increases  considerably  in  each   plasto- 


Fig.  7-7.  Diagram  showing  a  spiral  succession  of  points,  each  separated  from  the  next 
by  the  Fibonacci  angle,  or  about  137.5°.  Parastichies  can  be  recognized  by  intersec- 
tions of  approximately  90°  between  them.  At  the  center  there  are  five  counterclock- 
wise ones  and  eight  clockwise.  The  counterclockwise  series  soon  shift  from  5  to  13, 
and  later  the  clockwise  ones  from  8  to  21.  (From  F.  J.  Richards.) 

chron,  both  the  genetic  spiral  and  the  spirals  of  the  parastichies  will  open 
out  rapidly.  The  meristem  itself  under  these  conditions  will  tend  to  be 
relatively  steep,  the  primordia  few  and  the  parastichy  numbers  low.  On 
the  contrary,  when  the  radial  distance  increases  but  little  from  one 
primordium  to  the  next,  the  primordia  are  packed  closely,  the  meristem 


Symmetry  163 

is  likely  to  be  flatter  (as  in  a  cone  or  flat  head),  the  primordia  will  be 
more  numerous,  and  the  parastichy  fractions  will  have  higher  numbers. 

Richards  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  parastichies  at  a  growing 
point  are  not  limited  to  the  two  conspicuous  "contact"  ones  emphasized 
by  Church  but  that  there  may  be  a  series  of  others  though  these  are 
not  obvious  since  they  do  not  intersect  each  other  at  right  angles.  An 
advantage  of  this  concept  is  that  it  makes  clear  how  the  parastichies  shift 
from  one  pair  of  numbers  to  another,  a  problem  that  has  troubled  stu- 
dents of  phyllotaxy.  Richards  (1948;  Fig.  7-7)  has  constructed  a  diagram 
of  a  rather  large  meristem,  something  like  a  sunflower  head,  showing  a 
series  of  primordial  positions  numbered  along  the  genetic  spiral  in 
which  each  diverges  from  the  last  by  the  Fibonacci  angle  of  137.5°.  In 
such  a  system  one  can  readily  trace  parastichies.  Near  the  center  there 
are  five  counterclockwise  ones  crossing  eight  clockwise,  the  %  arrange- 
ment, which  intersect  at  approximately  right  angles.  To  trace  this  series 
very  far  out  becomes  difficult  since  the  angles  of  intersection  diverge  in- 
creasingly from  90°.  As  one  moves  out,  therefore,  the  system  seems  to 
change  and  the  five  counterclockwise  spirals  shift  to  thirteen,  giving  the 
%3  arrangements  of  spirals  that  now  have  more  nearly  right-angled 
intersections.  Still  farther  out  the  eight  clockwise  spirals  are  less  easy 
to  trace,  and  21  others  become  more  conspicuous,  now  making  the  1%i 
arrangement  and  restoring  the  steeper  intersections.  Thus  in  the  more 
complex  systems  with  large,  flat  meristems  and  little  difference  in  radial 
distance  between  successive  primordia,  the  parastichies,  at  least  those 
that  are  conspicuous  and  easy  to  trace,  may  be  seen  to  shift  to  pro- 
gressively higher  numbers.  This  does  not  happen  in  ordinary  shoots 
where  the  meristem  is  steeper  and  the  primordia  are  fewer  and  larger 
and  increase  rapidly  in  size  at  each  plastochron  but  it  may  sometimes  be 
seen  even  in  such  cases  (Fig.  7-8).  These  changes  involve  no  biological 
mystery,  as  Church  was  inclined  to  believe  they  do,  but  are  simply  the 
result  of  the  unique  properties  of  the  Fibonacci  angle. 

Barthelmess  ( 1954 )  has  pointed  out  that  the  scheme  proposed  by 
Richards  is  essentially  a  two-dimensional  one,  whereas  the  meristematic 
region  has  three  dimensions,  a  fact  that  must  be  taken  into  account. 
There  are  various  other  complications  presented  by  an  analysis  of 
phyllotactic  patterns.  Bilhuber  (1933)  and  others,  for  example,  find 
that  the  situation  in  many  of  the  cacti  is  often  different  from  that  in 
most  families.  These  plants  are  essentially  leafless  and  have  angled 
stems  so  that  in  the  apical  regions  one  actually  finds  what  look  like 
orthostichies,  which  are  related  to  the  development  of  the  angled  pat- 
tern. Bijugate  spirals  (Hirmer,  1931;  Snow,  1950)  occur  in  some  groups, 
where  a  %  pair  of  parastichies,  for  example,  becomes  split  into  a  %0. 
Here  primordia  occur  in  opposite  pairs  but  the  plane  of  each  pair  is  not 


164  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

at  right  angles  to  the  previous  one.  This  produces  two  parallel  spirals. 
For  a  discussion  of  other  recondite  aspects  of  spiral  phyllotaxy  the  reader 
is  referred  to  the  work  of  Church,  Hirmer,  Richards,  the  Snows,  and 
others  who  have  gone  deeply  into  these  problems. 

Of  some  morphogenetic  interest  is  the  direction  of  the  genetic  spiral 
itself.  Observers  generally  agree  that  leaf  positions  around  the  stem  are 
as  likely  to  be  in  a  clockwise  as  in  a  counterclockwise  spiral.  Beal  ( 1873 ) , 
studying  cones  of  Norway  spruce,  found  224  cases  of  the  former  and 
243  of  the  latter.  Allard  ( 1946 )  examined  23,507  tobacco  plants  and  found 
that  the  two  types  were  almost  exactly  equal.  Direction  of  spirality  was 
not  inherited.  How  the  direction  is  determined  for  a  given  plant  is  not 
known,  but  it  is  probably  in  some  critical  early  cell  division.  This  neutral- 
ity of  the  phyllotactic  spiral  is  unlike  the  behavior  of  climbing  plants, 


Fig.  7-8.  Diagram  of  distribution  of  pri- 
mordia  at  the  shoot  apex,  each  diverging 
from  its  predecessor  by  the  Fibonacci 
angle.  As  the  primordia  increase  in  size, 
the  recognizable  contact  parastichies  shift 
from  5  +  8  near  the  center  to  8  +  13 
farther  out.  ( From  Barthelmess. ) 


in  almost  all  of  which  a  given  species  climbs  in  either  a  clockwise  or  a 
counterclockwise  manner  exclusively. 

The  difference  in  direction  of  the  phyllotactic  spiral,  however,  some- 
times alters  from  one  part  of  the  plant  to  another  in  conformity  to  a 
general  pattern  of  symmetry,  much  as  in  the  case  of  floral  structures 
(p.  167).  In  shoot  growth  of  Citrus,  for  example,  Schroeder  (1953a)  re- 
ports that  there  are  successive  "flushes"  with  a  dormant  period  between 
them  and  that  a  regular  alternation  occurs  between  right  and  left 
spirality  in  successive  shoots.  Secondary  shoots  have  spirality  opposite 
from  their  parent  one.  Thorns  develop  to  the  left  of  the  petiole  in  left- 
handed  shoots  and  to  the  right  in  right-handed  ones.  The  direction  of 
spirality  in  axillary  shoots  of  View  also  takes  place  in  a  precise  and 
alternating  order  which  depends  on  their  position  (Dormer,  1954). 

Spirality.  Spiral  phyllotaxy  involves  a  number  of  problems  as  to  the 
spacing  and  relative  position  of  leaves  which  are  not  present  in  decus- 


Symmetry  165 

sate  (opposite-leaved)  phyllotaxy.  In  the  latter  type  the  two  primordia 
at  a  node  are  as  far  apart  as  they  can  be,  and  the  position  of  each  suc- 
cessive pair  is  at  right  angles  to  the  pairs  above  and  below.  This  more 
nearly  fulfills  the  requirements  for  efficient  spacing  and  maximum 
divergence  than  does  the  spiral  arrangement.  One  therefore  wonders 
why  the  latter  is  so  much  more  common,  particularly  since  the  cotyledons 
and  sometimes  the  first  foliage  leaves  are  opposite.  The  transformation 
of  an  opposite  to  a  spiral  phyllotaxy  involves  a  radical  rearrangement  of 
the  meristematic  region.  This  seems  to  be  an  expression  of  an  inherent 
tendency  toward  spirality  which  is  evident  in  so  many  places  in  the 
structure  and  activity  of  plants  and  their  parts.  This  inherent  spirality, 
imposed  on  systems  of  different  sizes  and  forms  may,  from  the  mere 
geometrical  necessities  of  the  case,  result  in  the  various  systems  of 
spiral  phyllotaxy  that  we  have  been  discussing.  Physiological  factors 
doubtless  have  an  important  role  here— auxin,  mechanical  pressure, 
genetic  determination  of  growth,  and  others— but  the  underlying  spirality 
seems  to  be  a  phenomenon  fundamental  to  all  organisms.  This  may 
appear  to  be  an  oversimplification  of  a  problem  that  has  involved  more 
diverse  hypotheses  than  almost  any  other  in  plant  morphology.  If  it  proves 
possible,  however,  thus  to  get  at  the  heart  of  this  mass  of  facts  and 
pick  out  one  that  underlies  them  all,  we  shall  have  come  closer  to  an 
understanding  of  one  aspect,  at  least,  of  the  phenomenon  of  organic 
symmetry. 

Spirality  seems  to  be  deeply  seated  in  living  stuff.  It  is  evident  in  the 
spiral  movements  (nutations)  seen  in  the  growth  of  roots  and  shoots, 
particularly  when  this  is  speeded  up  by  time-lapse  photography.  Tendrils 
coil  spirally.  Protoplasm  streams  in  a  spiral  course.  Molecules  of  DNA 
are  spiral.  Spiral  threads  (cytonemata)  occur  in  cytoplasm  (Strugger, 
1957).  Spiral  grain  has  been  found  almost  invariably  in  tree  trunks 
(Northcott,  1957).  In  protoxylem  the  wall  markings  are  in  spirals,  save 
in  the  earliest  cells,  and  there  are  spiral  markings  in  many  other  xylem 
cells.  Whether  these  are  all  due  to  the  same  basic  cause  may  perhaps  be 
doubted,  but  one  can  find  spirality  almost  everywhere  in  the  plant 
body. 

The  simplest  place  to  study  it  is  in  the  cell  itself  and  especially  in 
the  ceil  wall.  Much  now  is  known  about  the  submicroscopic  structure  of 
this  wall  and  of  the  system  of  microfibrils  that  compose  it  (Preston, 
1952;  Frey-Wyssling,  1953).  The  sporangiophore  of  the  fungus  Phycomy- 
ces  is  favorable  material  for  this  sort  of  work  since,  as  it  elongates,  it 
twists  spirally,  as  can  be  shown  by  following  the  course  of  marks  placed 
on  the  cell  surface  (Castle,  1942).  Spirality  here  seems  to  have  its  basis 
in  the  minute  structure  of  the  wall.  Heyn  (1939)  believes  that  it  is  due 
to  the  fact  that  the  chitin  molecules  which  form  the  framework  of  the 


166  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

cell  take  up  positions  at  angles  of  13.5  or  27°  from  the  long  axis  of  the 
organ,  these  angles  resulting  from  the  character  of  the  chitin  molecule. 
Denham  (1922)  observed  that  in  the  cotton  hair,  at  least,  the  spiral 
markings  and  striations  on  the  wall  coincide  with  the  spiral  path  of  the 
streaming  nucleus  and  cytoplasm.  Preston  ( 1948 )  compares  the  growth  of 
this  cell  to  the  pulling  out  of  a  flat,  spiral  spring  which  rotates  as  it  ex- 
tends, and  he  has  suggested  an  explanation  for  this  in  mechanical  terms; 
but  Castle  ( 1936 )  thinks  that  this  does  not  determine  the  structure  of  the 
growing  wall,  though  it  may  produce  a  spiral  layering  where  the  wall  is 
not  elongating.  He  points  out  that  not  only  the  structure  of  the  wall  but 
its  elastic  properties  must  be  taken  into  account  and  believes  (1953) 
that,  although  the  growth  of  the  wall  is  helical,  its  course  is  not  absolutely 
fixed  by  its  structure,  since  the  angle  of  spiral  growth  can  be  reversed  by 
a  change  of  temperature.  Frey-Wyssling  ( 1954 )  calls  attention  to  the  fact 
that  in  certain  polypeptid  chains  the  divergence  angles  between  the 
amino  acid  residues  show  the  same  regularities  as  are  found  in  the 
Schimper-Braun  phyllotactic  spiral  and  suggests  that  the  same  geometric 
cause— the  necessity  for  most  efficient  packing— may  underlie  both. 

Green  ( 1954 )  studied  the  growth  of  the  long  cells  of  Nitella  which  had 
been  marked  and  found  that  these  marks,  as  well  as  the  two  natural 
striations  in  the  cell,  showed  a  uniform  dextral  twist.  Its  regularity  is 
maintained  by  growth  processes  evenly  distributed  through  the  whole 
cell  and  presumably  resulting  from  changes  in  the  fine  structure  of  the 
cell  wall. 

The  spiral  grain  found  in  the  wood  of  many  trees  is  another  manifesta- 
tion of  spirality.  This  may  be  very  conspicuous  in  some  cases  and  seems 
to  be  most  common  in  trees  growing  in  exposed  situations  or  under 
unfavorable  conditions.  The  spiral  may  be  right-handed  or  left-handed. 
This  subject  has  been  reviewed  by  Champion  ( 1925 ) .  Preston  ( 1949 ) , 
using  the  data  of  Misra  (1939),  attempted  to  relate  spiral  grain  to  the 
spiral  growth  of  single  cambium  initials  and  assumes  that  these  twist  or 
roll  spirally.  This  would  involve  some  slipping  of  cells  past  each  other. 
From  what  is  known  of  intercellular  relationships,  it  is  rather  unlikely 
that  such  a  change  occurs.  The  essential  fact  in  most  cases  of  spiral  grain 
is  that  vertical  files  of  cells  become  tilted  slightly  to  the  right  or  to  the 
left  and  that  this  results  in  a  spiral  course  for  the  cells  of  the  wood.  Some 
slipping  of  the  cells  may  be  involved,  but  this  might  be  accomplished 
by  localized  intrusive  growth  (p.  82)  such  as  has  been  shown  to  take  place 
at  the  tips  of  the  cambial  initials.  The  tilt  seems  to  be  related  to  a  change 
in  cell  polarity.  Neeff  (p.  128)  found  that  when  a  new  polar  axis  was 
established  the  cambial  cells  gradually  changed  their  direction  until  this 
became  parallel  to  the  new  axis.  That  there  may  be  a  spiral  polarity  in 
the  trunk  itself  is  suggested  by  the  work  of  Misra  (1943),  who  reports 


Symmetry  167 

that  where  there  is  eccentricity  in  the  woody  axis  the  position  of  maxi- 
mum thickness  in  any  eccentric  ring  follows  a  spiral  course  along  the 
length  of  the  axis.  There  is  also  a  relation  between  this  eccentricity  and 
spiral  grain,  for  the  degree  of  both  decreases  upward  in  the  trunk, 
and  the  direction  of  the  spiral  eccentricity  (left  or  right)  is  the  same  as 
that  of  the  spiral  grain  in  any  given  axis. 

Priestley  (1945)  distinguishes  between  true  spiral  grain,  characteristic 
of  hardwoods  and  resulting  from  a  twist  in  the  primary  cambium  cylin- 
der, and  tilted  grain,  characteristic  of  softwoods  where  the  grain  is  al- 
ways straight  in  the  wood  of  the  first  year. 

In  Flowers  and  Inflorescences.  Angiosperm  flowers  are  apparently  to 
be  regarded,  in  an  evolutionary  sense,  as  shortened  axes;  and  their  parts, 
particularly  the  calyx  and  corolla,  often  show  evidence  of  the  same  sort 
of  spiral  symmetry  that  exists  between  leaves.  This  can  rarely  be  shown 
by  the  actual  insertion  of  the  parts,  since  they  are  at  essentially  the  same 
level  and  might  be  regarded  as  a  whorl,  but  is  evident  in  the  relation  of 
their  expanded  portions  to  one  another,  particularly  as  visible  in  the  bud. 
In  flowers  of  dicotyledons  there  are  usually  in  each  circle  five  parts  or  a 
multiple  of  five.  A  very  common  relationship  here  (in  the  calyx,  for  ex- 
ample) is  that  two  of  the  sepals  have  both  edges  outside  the  others,  two 
have  both  edges  inside,  and  one  has  one  edge  outside  and  one  inside. 
This  quincuncial  arrangement  can  be  interpreted  through  developmental 
evidence  as  a  %  spiral,  since  the  parts  appear  in  the  same  order  as 
leaves  in  %  phyllotaxy.  Various  modifications  of  this  are  found,  but  the 
typical  dicotyledonous  flower  may  be  regarded  in  its  symmetry  as  rep- 
resenting a  %  spiral.  The  flower  of  monocotyledons,  on  the  other  hand, 
has  its  parts  typically  in  threes  and  may  be  regarded  as  a  %  spiral  in 
symmetry.  The  problem  of  flower  symmetry,  particularly  as  expressed 
in  transverse  diagrams,  has  been  the  object  of  long  study  by  floral 
morphologists  and  forms  the  basis  of  an  extensive  early  literature  (Eich- 
ler,  1875). 

For  students  of  morphogenesis  the  symmetry  displayed  by  inflo- 
rescences provides  a  notable  example  of  the  orderly  control  of  growth 
relationships.  Matzke  (1929)  has  described  a  particularly  fine  example 
of  such  symmetry  in  Stelloria  aquatica  (Fig.  7-9).  Here  the  inflorescence 
is  a  cyme,  and  the  first  flower  terminates  the  main  axis.  Just  below  this 
flower  arise  two  buds  in  the  axils  of  opposite  bracts,  and  from  these  buds 
shoots  arise,  each  of  which  is  likewise  terminated  by  a  flower.  Below 
each  of  these  flowers,  in  turn,  two  shoots  again  arise,  and  so  on.  The 
flower  in  this  species  shows  quincuncial  arrangement  of  the  sepals.  These 
sepals  may  show  a  clockwise  spiral  or  a  counterclockwise  one.  As  an 
observer  looks  down  on  a  diagram  of  such  an  inflorescence,  it  is  evident 
that,  of  the  two  flowers  below  the  first,  one  is  clockwise  and  the  other 


2, 


bO  £  'O 


S^ 


Q  a 


^E^ 


Symmetry  169 

counterclockwise  and  that  this  holds  for  each  succeeding  pair.  This  rela- 
tionship is  not  a  random  one,  for  the  two  types  show  a  regular  order  as 
one  progresses  to  successively  later  pairs  so  that  the  symmetry  of  each 
flower  is  predictable.  Furthermore,  the  relative  position  in  each  flower 
of  the  "odd"  sepal  also  changes  with  complete  regularity.  In  one  member 
of  a  given  pair  of  flowers  it  has  rotated  72°  in  a  clockwise  direction  from 
the  single  flower  next  them,  and  in  the  other,  72°  counterclockwise.  The 
particular  edge  of  the  sepal  which  is  inside  also  has  a  definite  and  pre- 
dictable position.  The  whole  inflorescence  is  thus  a  complex  pattern  of 
symmetries,  each  successive  floral  meristem  fitting  precisely  into  its  place 
in  this  pattern.  The  factors  that  determine  the  symmetry  of  each  flower 
are  therefore  not  purely  local  ones  but  operate  as  members  of  a  much 
larger  system.  Such  a  system,  with  its  parts  so  widely  separated  and  so 
easy  of  observation,  offers  a  particularly  good  opportunity  for  the  ex- 
perimental study  of  symmetry. 

BILATERAL  SYMMETRY 

This  is  a  relatively  rare  type  in  which  there  are  two  planes  of  sym- 
metry, so  that  front  and  back,  and  right  and  left  sides,  are  similar.  A 
bilaterally  symmetrical  organ  resembles  a  radial  one  that  has  been  com- 
pressed equally  on  two  opposite  sides. 

This  type  occurs  chiefly  in  vertically  oriented  structures  in  which,  from 
one  cause  or  another,  one  of  the  dimensions  is  smaller.  Thus  the  stems 
of  certain  cacti  such  as  Opuntia  are  bilaterally  symmetrical,  as  are  the 
still  further  flattened  phylloclads  of  Muehlenbeckia  and  Phyllocladus. 
These  have  doubtless  arisen  from  radial  types.  The  leaves  of  Iris  and 
similar  plants  are  essentially  bilateral  but  have  probably  come  from 
dorsiventral  structures.  All  plants,  such  as  the  grasses  and  some  other 
monocotyledons,  which  are  truly  distichous  (the  leaves  arising  only  on 
two  opposite  sides  of  the  stem)  may  be  regarded  as  bilaterally  sym- 
metrical. So  may  the  flowers  of  the  mustard  family,  Cruciferae,  since  two 
of  the  six  stamens,  directly  opposite  each  other,  are  short  and  the  other 
four  long.  A  few  of  the  simpler  bryophytes  have  distichous  leaves  or 
leaf-like  structures,  as  in  Schizostegia,  and  are  thus  bilateral,  as  is  the 
pinnate  plant  body  of  the  coenocytic  alga  Bryopsis.  The  thallus  of  some 
of  the  larger  algae,  notably  forms  like  Fucus  and  Laminaria,  is  flattened 
and  shows  this  type  of  symmetry. 

In  a  few  cases,  as  in  some  of  the  algae,  a  transition  from  radial  to 
bilateral  symmetry  may  be  seen,  and  in  Schizostegia  the  apex  is  radial. 
Doubtless  in  many  instances  one  type  could  be  induced  from  the  other 
experimentally.  Certain  abnormal  structures,  such  as  many  fasciated 
stems,  are  bilaterally  symmetrical. 


170  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 


DORSIVENTRAL  SYMMETRY 


In  this  type  there  is  only  one  plane  of  symmetry,  which  extends 
vertically  through  one  dimension  of  the  structure.  The  two  sides  are 
alike  but  the  front  and  back  (or  top  and  bottom)  are  not,  thus  distin- 
guishing it  from  bilateral  symmetry.  It  is  characteristic  of  structures  grow- 
ing under  an  environment  which  is  asymmetrical,  as  in  the  case  of  hori- 
zontal ones,  of  those  exposed  to  light  on  one  side  only,  and  of  those 
growing  attached  to  some  substratum.  Among  plants,  creeping  stems, 
rhizomes,  most  leaves,  many  thalli,  a  wide  variety  of  flowers,  and,  in 
general,  those  structures  which  are  not  vertically  oriented  often  show 
dorsiventral  symmetry. 

Dorsiventrality  in  plants  is  manifest  in  external  form,  in  internal  struc- 
ture, and  in  physiological  behavior.  Single  cells  and  coenocytes  may 
show  such  symmetry.  Dorsiventrality  may  be  genetically  determined  and 
thus  appear  under  various  environments,  or  it  may  be  directly  induced 
by  environmental  factors.  Thus  a  dorsiventral  structure  may  sometimes 
become  radial,  and  vice  versa.  In  some  cases  the  plant  body  may  actu- 
ally alternate  between  radial  and  dorsiventral  symmetry,  as  in  Mnium 
undulatum  and  Cladonia  verticillaris. 

Cases  of  dorsiventrality  which  are  most  obvious  and  easy  to  study  are 
those  in  structures  that  are  typically  horizontal,  either  because  they  are 
weak  and  rest  on  the  ground  or  because  they  are  plagiotropic  and  tend 
to  grow  in  a  horizontal  position. 

In  Thalli.  Among  lower  plants  many  thalli  are  dorsiventral.  The 
coenocytic  plant  body  of  the  alga  Caulerpa  is  typically  horizontal  and 
on  its  lower  surface  bears  "rootlets"  and  on.  its  upper  surface,  "leaves." 
The  familiar  heart-shaped  prothallus  of  a  fern  is  similarly  dorsiventral, 
bearing  sex  organs  and  rhizoids  on  its  lower  surface  only.  This  type  of 
symmetry  is  characteristic  of  the  plant  body  of  many  liverworts,  both  of 
the  thalloid  and  the  leafy  types  ( Halbsguth,  1953 ) .  The  factors  which  in- 
duce it  in  such  plants  have  been  studied  by  various  workers  (Fitting, 
1935,  1950;  Pfeffer,  1871;  Bussmann,  1939;  and  others,  p.  355).  Fitting 
studied  especially  the  gemmae  of  liverworts.  These  are  roundish,  notched 
plates  of  cells  the  dorsiventral  orientation  of  which  is  determined  by  the 
balance  between  light,  gravity,  and  stimuli  from  the  substrate,  acting  on 
preformed  meristems  in  the  notch.  Fern  prothallia  exposed  to  an  en- 
vironment without  gradients  ( shaken  or  on  a  turntable,  p.  137 )  lose  their 
symmetry  as  well  as  their  polarity. 

In  Roots.  Dorsiventrality  is  much  less  evident  in  roots  than  in  stems. 
Indeed,  horizontally  growing  subterranean  roots  show  little  or  no 
change  from  radial  symmetry  either  externally  or  internally.  A  few  forms, 


Symmetry  171 

such  as  Isoetes,  have  roots  that  are  not  radial.  In  a  number  of  orchids, 
the  air  roots  are  dorsiventral  in  symmetry  ( Janczewski,  1885;  Goebel, 
1915).  This  is  especially  conspicuous  where  the  root  is  in  contact  with 
a  substrate  (Bloch,  1935a). 

In  Shoots.  Horizontally  growing  stems  and  branches  are  often  con- 
spicuously dorsiventral.  Notable  examples  of  this  are  found  among  the 
conifers  where  the  lateral  shoots  tend  to  branch  in  a  single  plane  and 
thus  form  flat  sprays  (amphitrophy).  This  form  may  become  so  firmly 
fixed  that  it  persists  even  in  cuttings  (p.  189).  In  some  species  of  Ly co- 
podium  and  especially  Selaginella,  these  flattened  branch  systems  look 
almost  like  much  dissected  compound  leaves.  Indeed,  there  is  evidence 
that  the  large  pinnately  compound  leaves  of  ferns  may  have  evolved 
from  such  branch  systems.  In  many  horizontal  shoots  the  leaves  are 
usually  horizontal  in  orientation  and  confined  to  the  two  sides.  This  may 
result  from  a  torsion  of  the  petioles  which  are  actually  inserted  on  the 
stem  in  a  spiral  or  decussate  fashion  or,  more  rarely,  from  an  actual 
modification  of  the  phyllotaxy. 

Aside  from  this  tendency  to  form  flattened  systems  of  leaves  and 
branches,  the  dorsiventral  character  of  shoots  is  also  conspicuous  in  the 
dissimilarity  of  the  leaves  borne  on  the  two  sides.  Such  differences,  to 
which  Wiesner  gave  the  term  anisophylly  (1895),  are  common  in 
many  plants  and  have  been  much  discussed  (Figdor,  1909;  Goebel, 
1928). 

Anisophylly  is  often  induced  by  external  factors,  notably  gravity  and 
light.  It  is  particularly  conspicuous  in  woody  plants  with  opposite,  decus- 
sate leaves.  In  horizontal  shoots  of  maple,  for  example,  the  upper  mem- 
ber of  a  vertically  oriented  pair  is  much  smaller  than  the  lower;  and  in 
a  horizontally  oriented  pair  the  upper  half  is  smaller  than  the  lower 
(Fig.  7-10).  Experiment  shows  that  in  many  cases  if  shoots  which  would 
normally  be  vertical  are  held  in  a  horizontal  position  as  they  grow 
from  winter  buds  they  become  anisophyllous.  In  horizontal  branches 
twisted  through  180°  before  their  buds  open,  the  new  shoots  show 
reversed  anisophylly,  the  lower  leaves  (originally  on  the  upper  side) 
now  becoming  the  larger. 

Anisophylly  of  this  sort  is  present  in  certain  species  of  Lycopodium 
(such  as  the  common  ground  pine,  L.  complanatum),  where  the  creep- 
ing rootstock  is  radially  symmetrical  but  the  ultimate  branches  flattened 
and  dorsiventral  (though  they  are  radial  if  grown  in  darkness,  Fig.  7-11). 
These  branches  have  four  rows  of  leaves,  one  on  the  upper  side,  one 
much  smaller  on  the  lower,  and  two  lateral  ones,  the  lateral  leaves  being 
the  largest.  Transitions  from  radial  to  dorsiventral  symmetry  are  com- 
mon, and  the  differences  between  the  two  are  clearly  due  to  environ- 
mental factors.   In  conifers   such  as   Thuja  the  ultimate  branches   are 


172  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

dorsiventral  and  anisophyllous  and  much  resemble  those  of  Lycopodium 
(all  tending  to  grow  horizontally). 

There  are  other  plants  in  which  the  occurrence  of  anisophylly  seems 
much  less  directly  dependent  upon  environmental  factors  and  occurs 
throughout  the  plant.  This  "habitual"  anisophylly,  as  Goebel  calls  it,  is 
probably  to  be  interpreted  as  a  genetic  tendency  to  develop  in  this  way 


vu 


Fig.  7-10.  Diagram  of  a  horizontally  grown  branch  of  maple,  showing  anisophylly. 
The  vertically  oriented  pair  of  leaves  (VU,  VL)  differ  greatly  in  size  but  are  sym- 
metrical. In  the  horizontally  oriented  pair  (HL,  HR),  the  lower  half  of  each  leaf  is 
larger  than  the  upper.  ( From  Sinnott. ) 

under  such  a  wide  range  of  environments  that  it  has  become  essentially 
an  inherited  trait.  In  many  foliose  liverworts,  for  example,  the  axis  has 
three  rows  of  leaves,  two  of  them  lateral  and  the  third,  the  much 
reduced  amphigastria,  borne  on  the  under  side.  Most  species  of  Sela- 
ginella  have  four  rows  of  leaves:  two  lateral  and  relatively  large  and  the 
other  two  on  the  upper  surface  between  these  and  somewhat  smaller. 


Symmetry  173 

Among  some  families  of  angiosperms  this  same  genetic  or  habitual 
anisophylly  occurs.  Thus  in  Pellionia  ( Urticaceae ) ,  in  Centradenia 
( Melastomaceae,  Fig.  7-12),  and  in  Columnea  ( Gesneriaceae )  one  mem- 
ber of  each  pair  is  a  large  typical  foliage  leaf  but  the  other,  directly 
opposite  it,  is  a  small  bract-like  structure.  These  differences  are  ap- 
parently unrelated  to  environmental  conditions.  It  is  noteworthy,  how- 


Fig.  7-11.  Dorsiventral  (flat)  shoot  of 
LycQpodium.  At  right  is  a  branch  grown 
in  the  dark,  which  is  radially  symmetri- 
cal. ( From  Goebel. ) 


Fig.  7-12.  Anisophylly  in  CeftfrL'denia. 
Leaves  are  opposite  but  one  member  of 
each  pair  is  much  larger  than  the  other. 
Only  the  larger  ones  have  axillary  shoots. 
( From  Goebel. ) 


ever,  that  this  anisophylly  is  most  extreme  in  horizontal  shoots  of  such 
plants  and  is  much  reduced  in  those  which  grow  more  nearly  vertically. 
On  flattened  plagiotropic  shoot  systems  there  are  often  changes  in  the 
pattern  of  symmetry  that  are  more  complex  than  anisophylly.  In  such 
shoots,  for  example,  many  leaves  are  asymmetric,  but  in  a  regular  and 
predictable  fashion  (Fig.  7-13).  Thus  in  horizontal  branches  of  elm  and 
linden,  the  inner  half  of  the  leaf,  directed  toward  the  apex  of  the  shoot, 


174  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

is  larger  than  the  outer,  and  its  blade  often  reaches  farther  down  the 
midrib.  In  the  beech,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  the  outer  part  of  the  leaf 
which  is  the  larger.  Many  cases  of  leaf  asymmetry,  notably  the  conspicu- 
ous examples  in  species  of  Begonia,  are  related  to  the  position  of  the 
leaf  on  the  stem,  although  here  the  stem  is  often  short  and  inconspicuous. 
Somewhat  similar  expressions  of  apparent  asymmetry  are  evident  in 
the  branch  pattern  of  plagiotropic  shoots.  In  some  cases,  the  branches 
which  arise  on  lateral  shoots  are  larger  on  the  inside,  toward  the  apex 
of  the  shoot,  as  in  flat  stems  of  Thuja.  More  commonly  those  on  the  out- 
side, away  from  the  axis,  are  larger,  a  phenomenon  which  Wiesner 
(1892a,  1895)  has  called  exotrophy  and  which  he  explains  as  due  to  nu- 
tritional causes.  Leaves  on  the  outside  of  lateral  shoots  are  often  larger 
than  those  on  the  inside,  a  special  type  of  anisophylly. 


Fig.  7-13.  Anisophylly  in  Goldfussia.  Diagram,  of  shoot  from  above.  The  leaves  are 
opposite  but  the  pairs  are  somewhat  displaced.  One  member  of  each  pair  is  larger 
than  the  other,  and  one  side  'of  each  leaf  is  larger  than  the  other  side.  In  the  axillary 
shoot,  position  with  reference  to  the  symmetry  of  the  whole  determines  leaf  size. 
( From  Goebel. ) 

All  such  structures,  which  in  a  strict  sense  are  asymmetric,  are  really 
complex  patterns  of  symmetry  induced  when  a  fundamentally  radial 
system  becomes  dorsiventral.  What  the  factors  are— whether  nutritional, 
hormonal,  or  other— which  determine  these  differences  is  not  known.  This 
is  evidently  the  point  where  the  relatively  simple  phenomenon  of  sym- 
metry merges  into  the  more  complex  one  of  organic  pattern  in  general. 
In  flat,  dorsiventral  shoots,  which  are  essentially  structures  in  two  di- 
mensions only,  there  is  an  excellent  opportunity  to  analyze  the  problem 
of  pattern  in  one  of  its  simplest  expressions. 

The  external  dorsiventrality  of  stems  is  often  accompanied  by  dorsi- 
ventrality  of  internal  structure.  Where  the  stem  is  flattened,  the  vascular 
cylinder  is  likely  to  be  so  as  well.  Sometimes  the  symmetry  changes  do 


Symmetry  175 

not  involve  the  whole  cylinder.  In  the  horizontal  rhizome  of  Pteridium, 
for  example,  the  outer  ring  of  bundles  is  essentially  circular  in  section, 
but  the  group  of  medullary  bundles  tend  to  be  flattened  dorsiventrally. 
In  Selaginella  the  few  bundles  which  form  the  vascular  system  also  tend 
to  be  flattened  in  the  same  way.  This  flattening  may  even  persist  in  those 
orthotropous  shoots  which  have  become  radially  symmetrical  externally. 

Examples  of  internal  asymmetry  in  the  stems  of  seed  plants  are  found 
in  the  horizontally  growing  branches  of  woody  plants.  Here  the  branch 
itself  is  not  flattened  but  its  internal  structure  is  excentric,  the  pith  oc- 
cupying a  position  some  distance  above  the  geometrical  center  of  the 
branch  in  gymnosperms  and  below  it  in  angiosperms.  The  nearer  the 
branch  approaches  a  vertical  orientation,  the  less  this  excentricity  is.  There 
has  been  much  discussion  of  the  factors  responsible  for  this  internal 
dorsiventrality  (p.  356).  The  problem  is  far  from  a  simple  one  and  seems 
to  be  involved  with  the  specific  pattern  of  branching  characteristic  of 
the  plant. 

In  Leaves.  All  leaves  are  typically  dorsiventral  structures,  but  those 
of  pteridophytes  and  seed  plants  are  most  characteristically  so.  A  leaf, 
to  perform  its  usual  functions  satisfactorily,  must  be  relatively  broad  and 
thin  and  oriented  with  its  major  surface  at  right  angles  to  incident  light. 

Dorsiventrality  of  leaves  is  especially  evident  in  their  histological 
structure.  The  stomata  and  spongy  tissue  tend  to  be  confined  to  the  lower 
part  of  the  leaf,  with  the  palisade  layer  and  a  continuous  epidermis  on 
the  upper.  Some  vertically  oriented  leaves  such  as  those  of  Iris  are  equi- 
facial  and  show  no  dorsiventrality,  either  external  or  internal.  Others,  such 
as  those  of  certain  rushes,  may  actually  be  tubular  and  essentially  radial 
in  their  symmetry. 

The  dorsiventrality  of  leaves  in  the  higher  vascular  plants,  however, 
is  inherent  in  something  more  fundamental  than  the  orientation  of  the 
blade.  The  vascular  supply  for  each  leaf  is  a  segment,  or  group  of  seg- 
ments, of  the  primary  vascular  ring  with  phloem  outside  and  xylem  in- 
side. When  this  passes  outward  into  the  leaf  as  the  leaf  trace  and  finally 
becomes  the  vein  system,  the  phloem  therefore  tends  to  be  on  the  lower 
surface  and  the  xylem  on  the  upper,  a  characteristic  dorsiventral  orienta- 
tion from  the  first.  Even  the  leaf  primordia  become  dorsiventral  very 
early.  There  is  evidence,  however,  that  this  is  the  result  of  induction 
from  the  meristematic  apex,  for  if  a  region  where  a  primordium  is  to 
form  is  isolated  from  the  apex  by  an  incision,  the  structure  that  emerges 
may  be  radially  symmetrical  (Sussex,  1955). 

In  Flowers.  Floral  structure  provides  many  examples  of  dorsiventrality. 
The  presumably  primitive  types  of  flowers  are  radially  symmetrical,  or 
actinomorphic  (regular).  In  many  families,  however,  such  as  the  papi- 
lionaceous legumes,  the  figworts,  the  orchids,  and  others,  especially  those 


176  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

in  which  the  flowers  are  borne  laterally  on  an  inflorescence,  this  radial 
symmetry  has  become  dorsiventral  and  the  flower  is  said  to  be  zygomor- 
phic  (irregular;  Fig.  7-14).  The  pea  flower,  with  its  standard,  two  wings, 
and  keel  is  a  familiar  example,  and  the  median  plane  of  symmetry  here 
is  especially  well  marked.  Flowers  of  this  sort  provide  many  of  the 
notable  adaptations  for  insect  pollination.  In  most  cases  zygomorphy  is 


Fig.  7-14.  Dorsiventrally  symmetrical  ( zygomorphic )  flower  of  Linaria  vulgaris. 
( Courtesy  of  Rutherford  Piatt. ) 

evident  from  the  beginning  of  development  and  is  unaffected  by  the  rela- 
tion of  the  flower  to  gravity  or  other  environmental  factors.  In  other 
cases  (such  as  Epilobium,  Friesia,  and  Digitalis),  if  the  flower  develops 
in  a  vertical  orientation  or  on  a  clinostat,  it  becomes  radial,  indicating 
that  dorsiventrality  here  is  directly  affected  by  gravity  (Fig.  7-15).  In 
cases  of  peloria  (p.  282)  the  flower  of  a  species  which  is  normally  zygomor- 
phic (as  in  Linaria  or  Digitalis)  may  become  radially  symmetrical.  Most 


Symmetry  177 

zygomorphic  flowers  are  geotropic  and  will  assume  a  definite  position 
with  relation  to  gravity. 

In  some  cases  certain  flowers  of  an  inflorescence  are  dorsiventral  and 
others  radial.  This  is  true  of  the  ray  florets  of  Compositae  and  of  certain 
Umbelliferae,  where  that  part  of  the  corolla  directed  toward  the  outside 
of  the  head  is  much  larger  than  that  directed  toward  its  center.  In  such 
cases  the  entire  inflorescence  shows  a  radial  symmetry.  Here,  again,  the 


Fig.  7-15.  Flower  of  Asphodelus. 
Below,  under  normal  conditions. 
Above,  after  developing  on  a 
clinostat.   (From  Vdchting.) 


whole  pattern  is  symmetrical  though  certain  of  its  elements  are  by  them- 
selves asymmetric.  The  situation  may  be  still  more  complex.  In  some 
Compositae  there  are  as  many  as  five  types  of  fruits,  as  to  size  and  shape, 
formed  on  the  head  but  showing  symmetrical  distribution  (Pomplitz, 
1956). 

Most  inflorescences  (like  that  described  for  Stellaria,  p.  167)  are  radially 
symmetrical,  but  some  are  definitely  dorsiventral.  A  familiar  example  of 
this  is  the  heliotrope  and  its  allies,  where  the  flower  cluster  is  one-sided 


178  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

and  constitutes  a  scorpioid  cyme.  The  vetches  and  some  other  legumes 
are  less  extreme  cases,  and  there  are  many  others.  The  flowers  of  such 
dorsiventral  inflorescences  may  themselves  be  radially  symmetrical. 

Physiological  Dorsiventrality.  Dorsiventrality  is  manifest  in  physio- 
logical activity  as  well  as  in  structure,  though  usually  not  so  obviously. 
Plagiotropic  roots,  shoots,  and  other  organs  assume  this  position  presum- 
ably because  of  specific  distribution  of  growth  substances  in  the  growing 
tip  such  that  the  pull  of  gravity  is  counteracted  and  growth  maintains 
either  a  horizontal  course  or  one  at  a  given  angle  to  a  vertical  axis.  In 
cases  where  the  first  division  of  a  cell  sets  apart  two  different  daughter 
cells,  as  in  the  first  division  of  the  egg  of  Fucus,  there  is  clearly  a  physio- 
logical difference  between  the  upper  and  lower  halves.  Indeed,  the  dif- 
ferentiation of  root  and  shoot  in  the  embryonic  axis,  with  the  radical 
differences  in  activity  of  these  two  poles,  may  be  looked  upon  as  an 
example  of  physiological  (and  morphological)  dorsiventrality. 

In  leaves  of  certain  water  plants,  externally  alike  on  both  surfaces, 
Arens  ( 1933 )  has  presented  evidence  that  the  physiological  activities  at 
the  two  surfaces  are  unlike,  materials  from  the  environment  entering 
through  the  lower  surface  and  waste  products  (chiefly  carbon  dioxide) 
being  given  off  from  the  upper.  What  the  mechanism  of  such  physio- 
logical dorsiventrality  may  be  is  not  known,  but  bioelectrical  differences 
(p.  361 )  are  perhaps  involved. 

DEVELOPMENT  OF  SYMMETRY 

The  causes  of  organic  symmetry  are  not  well  known,  but  in  endeavoring 
to  find  them  it  is  first  necessary  to  determine  how  these  relations  actually 
arise  in  the  process  of  development. 

The  Origin  of  Symmetry  in  Coenocytic  and  Colonial  Systems.  Sym- 
metry is  by  no  means  confined  to  cellular  structures.  From  the  Plas- 
modium of  myxomycetes,  formless  and  unsymmetrical,  there  arise  spe- 
cifically formed  and  radially  symmetrical  fruiting  bodies  of  great  variety. 
Here  the  morphogenetic  process  may  be  seen  in  one  of  its  simplest  ex- 
pressions, as  the  sporangium  is  molded  from  the  plasmodial  mass. 

Even  more  remarkable  are  those  slime  molds  belonging  to  the 
Acrasiaceae  (Dictijostelium  and  its  allies,  p.  223)  where  the  vegetative 
body  is  a  single  myxamoeba.  At  the  end  of  the  vegetative  period  thou- 
sands of  these  come  together  into  a  pseudoplasmodium  but  do  not  fuse. 
This  colony,  after  some  migration,  settles  down  and  develops  into  a 
radially  symmetrical  stalked  sorocarp. 

More  closely  resembling  the  bodies  of  the  higher  plants  but  still  with- 
out cellular  boundaries  are  the  coenocytic  members  of  the  algae  and 
similar  groups.  Here  there  is  no  formless  mass  of  protoplasm  but,  from 


Symmetry  179 

the  beginning,  an  organized  system  which  grows  at  the  tips  of  these 
branches  that  constitute  the  "rhizome,"  "leaves,"  and  "roots."  These  sys- 
tems are  symmetrical,  either  radially  as  in  Bryopsis,  or  dorsiventrally  as  in 
Caulerpa.  In  all  these  cases  the  origin  of  symmetry  obviously  is  not  re- 
lated to  planes  of  cell  division  or  to  other  aspects  of  a  multicellular  sys- 
tem but  is  dependent  upon  the  behavior  of  the  entire  protoplasmic  sys- 
tem. 

Origin  of  Symmetry  in  Cellular  Systems.  In  cellular  plants,  the  origin 
of  symmetry  can  be  traced  more  readily  because  it  is  expressed  in  the 
division,  growth,  and  relationships  of  cells  at  meristematic  regions. 

In  simple  colonial  forms  like  Pediastrum  there  is  a  regular  sequence 
of  cell  divisions  from  which  a  symmetrical  plate  of  cells  arises.  In  manv 
algae  with  an  indeterminate  thallus,  growth  is  controlled  bv  a  large 
apical  cell.  The  origin  of  branches  and  the  whole  pattern  of  symmetry 
are  determined  here.  In  simple  two-dimensional  thalli,  the  apical  ceil 
cuts  off  a  daughter  cell,  first  on  the  right-hand  side  and  then  on  the 
left,  to  form  the  so-called  pendular  symmetry.  In  most  leafy  liverworts 
and  mosses  there  is  a  pyramidal  apical  cell  with  three  faces,  and  from 
each  of  these,  in  regular  succession,  a  daughter  cell  is  cut  off.  The  origin 
of  leaves  is  related  to  these  faces,  and  in  the  simplest  cases  there  are  three 
rows  of  leaves  produced  directly  by  this  apical  cell. 

In  ferns  and  Equisetum,  however,  which  also  grow  by  a  three-sided 
apical  cell,  there  is  usually  no  relation  whatever  between  the  phyllotaxy 
of  the  shoot  and  the  configuration  of  this  cell.  In  the  seed  plants  there  is 
no  single  apical  cell  and  no  evident  relation  between  the  spiral  pattern 
of  symmetry  and  any  visible  structures  in  the  meristem.  It  seems  clear  that, 
in  all  except  the  simplest  plants,  the  origin  of  spiral  symmetry  is  not  re- 
lated to  cellular  configuration  at  the  meristematic  region  but  must  have 
its  basis  in  the  entire  embryonic  mass. 

Dorsiventral  symmetry  in  most  cases  is  not  established  at  the  meristem 
itself  but  has  its  origin  in  changes  which  arise  later.  Almost  all  meristems 
or  terminal  embryonic  regions  are  radially  symmetrical.  Dorsiventrality 
may  arise  from  these  in  the  process  of  normal  development.  This  is  some- 
times due  to  the  influence  of  external  factors  such  as  light  or  gravity.  It 
is  sometimes  the  result  of  position  in  the  general  plant  body,  as  when  a 
branch  becomes  dorsiventral  in  symmetry.  It  is  sometimes  associated  with 
particular  stages  in  the  life  cycle.  In  plants  that  are  dorsiventral  through- 
out the  mature  plant  body  the  seedlings  are  usually  radial.  In  Hedera,  the 
vegetative  stage  of  the  life  cycle  is  dorsiventral  but  the  flowering  shoots 
are  radially  symmetrical  (p.  213).  Such  changes  are  evidently  due  to 
alterations  in  the  internal  environment. 

Such  modifications  of  symmetry,  particularly  the  change  from  the 
radial  to  the  dorsiventral  type,  involve  not  local  regions  but  the  entire 


180  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

pattern,  which  may  be  deformed  much  in  the  fashion  that  D'Arcy  Thomp- 
son has  demonstrated  (p.  424).  This  can  be  seen  by  comparing  the  dorsi- 
ventral  maple  shoot  in  Fig.  7-10  with  one  growing  vertically. 

SYMMETRY  AND  FORM 

An  analysis  like  this  emphasizes  the  close  relationship  that  exists  be- 
tween symmetry  and  organic  form  in  general.  Such  form  results  from  the 
symmetrical  distribution  of  material  around  an  axis  in  a  specific  pattern. 
An  important  part  of  this  pattern  lies  in  its  symmetry.  As  we  have  seen, 
certain  portions  of  the  pattern  (as  the  lateral  leaves  of  the  maple  shoot 
in  Fig.  7-10)  appear  by  themselves  to  be  asymmetrical,  but  they  never- 
theless constitute  a  part  of  a  larger  pattern  of  symmetry  which  may  be 
modified  in  various  ways.  A  second  part  of  the  pattern  is  polar  axiation, 
affecting  the  lengthenings  or  shortenings  of  the  axis  and  the  steepness  of 
gradients  along  it.  A  third  is  the  tendency  toward  spirality  already  em- 
phasized. Organic  form  results  from  the  genetic  and  environmental 
modification  of  these  three  developmental  tendencies. 


CHAPTER    8 

Differentiation 


At  the  beginning  of  its  development  the  young  plant,  as  it  grows  from  a 
fertilized  egg  or  from  some  larger  embryonic  mass,  is  relatively  simple 
and  homogeneous.  A  characteristic  feature  of  the  developmental  process, 
however,  is  the  origin  of  differences  in  the  amount,  character,  and  loca- 
tion of  growth  which  lead  to  differences  between  the  various  parts  of  an 
individual.  Such  structural  or  functional  differentiation  and  its  origin  in 
development  constitute  one  of  the  chief  problems  of  morphogenesis. 

Differentiation  is  the  manifestation  of  that  "division  of  labor"  which  is 
so  conspicuous  a  characteristic  of  living  things.  Organs  are  differenti- 
ated. Tissues  in  their  development  become  unlike  each  other.  Cells  grow 
very  diverse  in  character.  Even  the  contents  of  a  single  cell  are  divided 
into  nucleus  and  cytoplasm,  and  each  of  these  possesses  a  considerable 
diversity  of  its  own.  There  is  evidence  that  even  the  clearest  cytoplasm 
possesses  submicroscopic  differentiation.  Strictly  speaking,  there  is 
probably  no  really  undifferentiated  structure  in  a  plant.  Protoplasm  is 
an  organized  system,  not  a  homogeneous  material,  and  this  implies  a 
degree  of  physical  and  chemical  diversity.  Furthermore,  because  of  the 
dynamic  quality  of  protoplasm,  differentiation  in  living  cells  can  never 
be  entirely  stable  but  is  subject  to  change  under  changing  conditions. 

Differentiation  occurs  wherever  a  true  development  is  taking  place  and 
may  be  expressed  in  many  ways.  At  a  terminal  meristem  like  that  of  a  typi- 
cal shoot,  the  primordia  of  leaves,  buds,  and  flowers  early  become  dis- 
tinguishable. From  cambium  cells,  uniform  in  character,  there  differen- 
tiate sieve  tubes,  fibers,  tracheids,  vessels,  and  other  cell  types.  In  the 
primordium  of  a  fruit,  where  growth  is  diffuse  and  determinate,  internal 
differences  of  many  sorts  begin  to  manifest  themselves  throughout  the 
mass.  In  regenerative  development  a  single  cell  or  group  of  cells  may 
dedifferentiate  (p.  232)  and  become  meristematic,  and  from  this  embryonic 
center  a  new  series  of  structures  then  differentiates.  Many  differences  have 
no  visible  expression  in  structure  but  involve  physical,  chemical,  or 
physiological    distinctions    only.    During    ontogeny    the    course    of    dif- 

181 


182  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

ferentiation  often  changes,  not  only  as  to  the  structure  of  the  parts  de- 
veloped but  as  to  their  reactivity  and  developmental  potency. 

An  important  aspect  of  the  process  of  differentiation  is  that  it  seems 
not  to  involve  genetic  diversity.  The  regeneration  of  an  entire  normal 
plant  is  sometimes  possible  from  a  single  cell,  which  may  come  from 
almost  any  of  the  parts  of  the  plant  body,  and  from  various  tissues  (p. 
253),  a  fact  which  suggests  that  every  cell  of  the  plant  is  totipotent  and 
identical  genetically  with  all  the  rest.  This  conclusion  is  supported  by 
the  common  observation  that  the  number  and  character  of  the  chromo- 
somes, and  thus  presumably  of  the  genes,  are  the  same  in  all  cells,  save 
for  the  occurrence  of  somatic  polyploidy.  Although  the  process  of  dif- 
ferentiation is  doubtless  under  genetic  control,  this  cannot  operate,  as 
Weismann  and  others  once  suggested,  by  a  parceling  out  of  genetic  "de- 
terminers" during  development.  The  conclusion  seems  obvious  that  in 
these  processes  that  part  of  the  cell  must  be  involved  which  is  not 
identical  everywhere  in  the  body,  namely,  the  cytoplasm.  The  origin  of 
structural  diversity  in  the  midst  of  genetic  identity  is  the  chief  problem 
that  faces  students  of  differentiation. 

GROWTH  AND  DIFFERENTIATION 

Although  growth  and  differentiation  usually  proceed  together,  they 
seem  to  be  distinct  processes,  each  more  or  less  independent  of  the  other. 
Growth  may  occur  without  differentiation  by  a  simple  multiplicative 
process,  as  in  large  parenchymatous  masses  such  as  the  endosperm  of  a 
seed,  in  the  tissue  of  an  amorphous  gall,  or  in  tissue  culture.  In  the  early 
stages  of  many  embryos,  on  the  other  hand,  in  the  development  of  the 
female  gametophyte  in  certain  lower  vascular  plants,  and  in  similar  cases 
there  is  differentiation  without  growth.  A  notable  example  of  this  is  fur- 
nished by  the  Acrasiaceae,  a  family  of  slime  molds  (p.  223).  Here  the  en- 
tire vegetative  growth  occurs  while  the  individuals  are  myxamoebae,  and 
the  elaborate  differentiation  of  the  colonial  sorocarp  does  not  begin 
until  this  vegetative  phase  is  over.  Animal  embryology,  particularly 
in  the  early  cleavage  stages  from  large  eggs,  provides  many  similar 
cases. 

The  independence  of  these  two  major  developmental  processes  is 
further  emphasized  by  the  fact  that  conditions  which  favor  one  tend  to 
be  different  from  those  which  favor  the  other.  In  general,  abundance  of 
water  and  available  nitrogen  tend  to  induce  growth,  whereas  abundance 
of  accumulated  carbohydrates,  with  less  nitrogen  and  water,  promotes 
differentiation  (Loomis,  1932).  Red  rays  of  the  spectrum  tend  to  pro- 
mote growth  and  blue  rays  differentiation  (p.  313).  Under  one  photo- 
period   a   given   species   will   produce   nothing   but   vegetative   growth 


Differentiation  183 

whereas  another  photoperiod  will  stimulate  the  differentiation  of  re- 
productive structures  ( p.  315 ) . 

When  the  cycle  of  differentiation  is  complete,  growth  usually  ceases. 
Thus,  after  the  formation  of  reproductive  organs  in  one  of  the  higher 
plants  has  begun,  growth  of  the  plant  as  a  whole  is  reduced  and  finally 
stops.  When  a  fruit  is  fully  differentiated,  its  growth  in  volume  ceases, 
though  dry  weight  may  continue  to  increase  for  some  time.  The  two 
processes  of  growth  and  differentiation  may  go  on  at  different  rates,  and 
therefore  their  relative  rates  are  important  in  determining  differences  in 
size.  Where  growth  is  relatively  rapid,  a  large  size  will  be  attained  before 
the  completion  of  the  cycle  of  differentiation  stops;  where  it  is  slow,  the 
cycle  will  be  complete  before  much  growth  has  occurred  and  the  struc- 
ture will  be  much  smaller.  This  is  well  illustrated  by  the  analyses  of 
inherited  size  differences  in  gourd  fruits  (p.  20).  The  balance  between 
these  two  major  processes  in  development— the  addition  of  new  material 
and  its  differential  distribution— is  of  much  significance. 

The  process  of  differentiation  and  the  problems  it  presents  may  be  ex- 
amined from  several  different  points  of  view. 

1.  Differentiation  may  be  studied  in  plant  structure,  for  it  is  here  that 
differences  can  most  readily  be  seen.  For  purposes  of  convenience  we 
may  distinguish  between  external  differentiation,  which  involves  the  out- 
ward structure  and  configuration  of  the  plant,  and  internal  differentiation, 
which  involves  the  cells  and  tissue  systems  of  which  the  plant  body  is 
composed. 

2.  Differentiation  may  be  considered  in  its  ontogenetic  aspects.  It  is  not 
a  static  process,  evident  in  mature  structures  alone,  but  often  changes  its 
expression  during  development.  Differentiation  in  a  young  plant  is  unlike 
that  in  a  mature  one,  and  these  changes  proceed  in  an  orderly  cycle 
of  development  both  of  the  plant  as  a  whole  and  of  each  of  its  com- 
ponents. Such  differences  are  not  in  structure  alone  but  in  the  reactivity 
and  developmental  potency  of  its  parts. 

3.  What  course  differentiation  will  take  is  determined  not  only  by  the 
genetic  constitution  of  the  plant  but  by  the  particular  environment  in 
which  development  takes  place.  External  factors  of  many  sorts  affect  the 
character  of  the  structures  which  arise  in  the  process  of  differentiation. 

4.  The  ultimate  basis  of  differentiation  must  be  in  physiological 
changes  in  the  living  material  itself.  Most  of  these  express  themselves 
sooner  or  later  in  visible  structural  diversity,  but  there  are  many  cases  in 
which  cells,  structurally  alike,  can  be  shown  to  differ  physically,  chemi- 
cally, or  in  physiological  activity. 

Examples  of  these  four  aspects  of  the  process  of  differentiation,  and  the 
problems  they  involve,  will  be  considered  in  the  present  chapter. 


184  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

DIFFERENTIATION  AS  EXPRESSED  IN  STRUCTURE 

External  Differentiation 

One  of  the  most  obvious  examples  of  differentiation  is  that  which 
arises  between  the  ends  of  a  polar  axis  (p.  116).  In  all  but  the  simplest 
axes  the  structures  that  are  developed  at  the  two  ends  are  quite  unlike. 
The  most  familiar  instance  is  the  differentiation  of  the  shoot  and  root  in 
higher  plants.  These  two  systems  are  set  apart  very  early,  almost  at  the 
beginning  of  embryonic  development,  and  are  fundamentally  unlike  in 
structure,  function,  and  method  of  growth.  Roots  frequently  develop 
from  shoots  but  shoots  less  commonly  from  roots.  Berger  and  Witkus 
(1954)  have  reported  that  in  Xanthisma  texanum  the  cells  of  the  root 
always  have  four  pairs  of  chromosomes  but  in  those  of  the  shoot,  some 
plants  have  four  pairs  and  some  have  five.  The  two  types  of  plants  are 
morphologically  indistinguishable.  How  this  difference  in  chromosome 
number  arises  in  development  is  not  known,  but  it  is  present  in  young 
seedlings. 

Another  conspicuous  instance  of  differentiation  in  structure  is  that  be- 
tween the  vegetative  and  reproductive  phases  of  the  life  cycle.  In  its 
early  stages,  the  plant  is  becoming  established.  Its  roots  and  leaves  are 
formed  or  its  vegetative  thallus  developed,  and  its  career  as  a  food-pro- 
ducing or  food-acquiring  organism  is  begun.  Few  plants,  however,  are 
permanently  vegetative.  When  a  certain  stage  is  reached,  growth  no 
longer  produces  exclusively  vegetative  structures.  Flower  buds  appear 
at  the  meristem,  or  in  lower  plants  reproductive  organs  of  various  sorts 
begin  to  develop.  These  usually  are  formed  as  the  result  of  internal 
metabolic  changes  in  the  plant,  such  as  the  accumulation  of  carbohy- 
drates or  the  production  of  specific  substances.  The  onset  of  the  reproduc- 
tive phase,  however,  is  often  closely  related,  as  to  time  and  extent,  with 
certain  environmental  factors,  notably  light  (p.  315).  Short-day  plants  will 
flower  only  when  the  daily  period  of  illumination  is  relatively  short,  and 
long-day  ones  only  when  it  is  longer.  Some  plants  may  never  flower,  and 
others  may  do  so  when  they  have  hardly  begun  to  develop.  The  balance 
between  vegetation  and  reproduction  may  be  tipped  in  various  ways  but 
the  potency  for  reproduction  is  always  present  in  the  genetic  constitution. 
This  may  not  always  be  for  sexual  reproduction.  In  species  which  repro- 
duce chiefly  by  vegetative  means  flowers  may  be  present  but  fail  to 
function  (as  in  the  potato),  may  be  much  reduced  (as  in  the  banana), 
or  may  even  be  quite  absent.  Reproduction  of  some  sort  obviously  is 
necessary,  and  the  alternation  of  vegetative  and  reproductive  phases, 
each  essential  in  the  life  of  the  plant,  is  an  important  manifestation  of 
differentiation. 


Differentiation  185 

The  difference  between  these  two  types  of  structure  begins  at  the 
meristem  and  may  often  be  recognized  there  by  the  presence  of  a  large 
number  of  axillary  buds  which  are  destined  to  be  flower  buds.  The  de- 
velopment of  the  floral  apex  has  been  studied  by  many  workers  (p.  67). 
A  single  flower  is  a  modified  axis,  and  its  parts  arise  from  primordia 
which,  although  limited  in  number,  are  distributed  in  a  precise  pattern. 
The  differentiation  between  them  takes  place  early  and  produces  sepals, 
petals,  stamens,  and  carpels.  The  origin  of  these  parts  from  particular 
layers  of  the  meristem  has  been  worked  out,  through  the  aid  of  chimeras, 
by  Satina  and  Blakeslee  ( p.  272 ) .  In  abnormal  growth  some  floral  organs 
may  be  so  modified  that  they  resemble  others,  as  in  the  conversion,  partial 
or  complete,  of  petals  to  stamens  or  sepals  to  leaves  (p.  277). 

In  many  trees  the  differentiation  of  flower  buds  begins  very  early, 
usually  in  the  season  before  the  flowers  are  borne.  This  is  an  important 
matter  for  horticulturalists  and  has  been  extensively  studied  (Zeller, 
1954,  and  others),  since  environmental  conditions  favoring  flower  pro- 
duction must  be  provided  early.  Whether  a  tree  will  flower  (and 
fruit)  well  in  a  given  season  is  often  determined  in  June  of  the  year 
before. 

Implicit  in  the  process  of  reproduction  is  the  differentiation  between 
the  sexes.  In  plants  with  perfect  flowers  this  is  evident  only  in  the  dif- 
ference between  stamens  and  pistils.  In  monoecious  plants,  there  are  two 
kinds  of  flowers  on  the  same  plant  and  in  dioecious  ones  these  are  on  dif- 
ferent plants.  The  significance  of  such  differences  lies  in  the  various 
mechanisms  that  tend  to  accomplish  pollination,  in  many  cases  cross- 
pollination.  A  genetic  basis  has  been  found  for  some  of  these  and  is 
doubtless  present  in  others.  Environmental  factors  of  various  sorts  are 
also  operative  here,  notably  nutrition  and  light.  It  is  sometimes  possible, 
for  example,  to  change  a  staminate  into  a  pistillate  plant  by  altering  the 
photoperiod  (p.  317).  The  existence  of  sexual  reproduction  itself,  in  con- 
trast with  the  much  less  precarious  method  of  vegetative  reproduction,  is 
based  on  the  presumptive  advantage  of  the  higher  variability  that  results 
from  the  recombination  of  genetic  potencies  following  svngamy  and 
meiosis. 

Other  traits  are  sometimes  associated  with  the  fundamental  difference 
between  the  sexes,  as  observed  in  Mercurialis  annua  (Basarman,  1946), 
Valeriana  dioica  (Moewus,  1947),  Urtica  dioica,  and  Rumex  acetosa 
(Umrath,  1953;  Fig.  8-1).  In  general,  the  female  plants  are  larger  and 
are  also  different  from  the  males  in  the  size  and  shape  of  their  leaves. 

A  conspicuous  example  of  external  differentiation,  since  it  involves  an 
entire  plant  body,  is  that  between  the  gametophyte  and  the  sporophyte. 
In  many  of  the  simpler  plants  the  two  generations  are  very  much  alike, 
but  they  are  markedly  different  in  bryophytes  and  vascular  plants.  The 


186  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

advantage  of  this  differentiation  into  sexual  and  nonsexual  plants  may 
lie  in  the  possibility  of  the  extensive  multiplication  of  the  products  of  a 
single  sexual  union.  Among  flowering  plants,  where  mechanisms  for 
effecting  fertilization  are  more  efficient  than  in  many  lower  ones,  the 
differentiation  into  two  generations  has  almost  disappeared. 

A  gametophyte,  coming  from  a  spore  produced  by  meiosis,  typically 
has  the  haploid  number  of  chromosomes,  and  the  sporophyte  has  the 
diploid  number.  Many  haploid  plants  are  now  known,  however,  which 
are  undoubtedly  sporophytes,  and  diploid  gametophytes  may  readily 
be  produced.  Chromosome  number  is  evidently  not  the  cause  of  the 
difference  between  the  two  generations,  but  it  is  difficult  to  see  why  a 
haploid  spore  and  a  haploid  egg  (or  diploids  in  each  case)  should  pro- 


Fig.  8-1.  Bryonia  alba.  Left,  leaf  from  a  shoot  bearing  male  flowers;  right,  one  from 
a  shoot  bearing  female  flowers.  ( From  Umrath. ) 

duce  two  structures  as  unlike  as  the  prothallus  and  the  sporophyte  of 
a  fern.  The  difference  is  probably  attributable  to  the  very  different  en- 
vironments in  which  these  two  cells  develop. 

Origin  of  Differences.  In  most  cases  the  origin  of  an  organ  or  part  is 
first  evident  as  a  group  of  meristematic  cells  which,  by  growing  more 
rapidly  in  certain  dimensions  than  in  others,  produces  a  definite  form. 
For  an  analysis  of  such  specific  differentiation,  however,  it  is  necessary 
to  determine  how  such  a  developing  organ  originates  and  the  successive 
steps  by  which  it  becomes  distinct  from  others.  Sometimes  this  is 
relatively  easy.  In  leptosporangiate  ferns,  for  example,  the  sporangium 
can  be  shown  to  arise  from  a  single  cell  of  the  epidermis.  In  eusporangiate 
forms,   like   some   of  the  ferns   and   all   higher  plants,   the   sporangium 


Differentiation  187 

initial  can  be  traced  to  a  cell  of  the  subepidermal  layer.  Analysis  of 
differentiation  in  terms  of  cell  lineage  can  often  be  carried  further. 

The  development  of  larger  organs  involves  more  than  a  single  cell 
lineage.  It  may  be  studied  in  the  differentiation  of  lateral  organs  in  the 
apical  regions  of  both  root  and  shoot.  From  the  root  there  grow  only 
lateral  roots,  which  arise  in  the  pericycle  and  push  out  through  the  cortex. 
The  shoot  meristem,  however,  is  more  complex  ( p.  89 ) .  At  the  base  of  the 
terminal  dome  of  cells  arises  a  series  of  minute  protuberances,  the  early 
leaf  primordia,  arranged  in  a  precise  order. 

The  cause  of  the  differentiation  of  these  primordia  from  the  rest  of  the 
apical  meristem  is  not  known.  Schiiepp  ( 1952 )  suggested  that,  since  cell 
division  in  the  outer  layer  of  the  meristem  is  always  anticlinal  but  in  the 
tissue  below  may  be  in  various  directions,  this  surface  layer  will  expand 
more  rapidly  than  the  surface  of  the  underlying  tissues  and  will  thus 
tend  to  buckle  or  pucker,  starting  the  formation  of  primordia.  This  would 
not  explain  the  very  regular  pattern  in  which  these  arise,  however,  and 
it  can  also  be  shown  that  the  initial  bulge  results  from  division  in  a  group 
of  cells  just  beneath  the  surface  layer.  Snow  and  Snow  (1947)  have  sub- 
mitted this  theory  to  experimental  test  by  making  shallow  incisions  at 
the  surface  of  the  meristem.  Instead  of  closing  up,  as  they  would  do  if 
the  outer  layers  were  under  pressure,  these  gaps  open,  indicating  that  this 
region  is  actually  under  tension. 

The  fate  of  a  small  lateral  primordium  may  not  always  be  to  grow  into 
a  leaf.  Wardlaw  and  his  students  (p.  71)  have  performed  various  experi- 
ments on  the  meristems  of  ferns  in  which,  by  deep  cuts,  they  were  able  to 
isolate  from  the  apex  a  young  primordium  or  a  region  that  was  about  to 
develop  into  a  primordium.  In  most  cases  this  structure,  instead  of  form- 
ing a  dorsiventral  leaf,  developed  into  a  radially  symmetrical  bud-like  or- 
gan which,  in  culture,  was  capable  of  growing  into  a  whole  plant.  Factors 
in  the  surrounding  meristematic  tissue  evidently  help  determine  into  what 
sort  of  structure  a  given  primordium  will  differentiate. 

The  growth  of  the  leaf  primordium  into  a  mature  leaf  has  been  studied 
by  many  workers  (p.  90,  and  Foster,  1936).  In  general,  the  upper  and 
lower  epidermis  is  continuous  with  the  outer  layer  of  the  meristem,  and 
what  will  later  form  the  palisade  and  spongy  layers  is  continuous  with 
the  subepidermal  layer.  The  veins  usually  arise  from  a  layer  just  below 
this.  The  differentiation  of  the  leaf  of  tobacco  has  been  described  by 
Avery  (1933)  and  of  Linum  by  Girolami  (1954;  Fig.  8-2).  Foster  (1952) 
has  reviewed  the  development  of  foliar  venation.  The  mode  of  develop- 
ment and  differentiation  in  certain  leaves  of  unusual  shape,  as  in 
Podophyllum  and  Sarracenia,  is  described  by  Roth  ( 1957 ) .  The  growth 
of  a  fern  frond,  at  least  for  some  time,  takes  place  by  the  activity  of  an 
apical  cell  (Steeves  and  Briggs,  and  Briggs  and  Steeves,  1958). 


188  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

An  important  morphogenetic  problem  here  is  how  far  the  development 
of  such  a  lateral  structure  depends  on  factors  in  the  meristem  from 
which  it  grew  and  how  far  it  is  independent.  Steeves  and  Sussex  ( 1957 ) 
removed  primordia  of  several  sizes  and  ages  from  the  meristem  of 
Osmunda  and  other  ferns  and  grew  them  in  sterile  culture.  These  de- 
veloped normally  into  mature  leaves  just  as  they  would  have  done  if  at- 
tached to  the  plant,  except  for  being  smaller.  Evidently  after  a  certain 
stage  is  reached  the  control  of  development  is  within  the  leaf  itself.  This 


Fig.  8-2.  Early  stages  in  development  of  the  leaf  of  Linum.  SI,  subapical  initial;  x, 
procambial  elements.  ( From  Girolami. ) 

self-differentiation  has  been  found  in  other  cases  and  shows  that  the 
organization  of  the  plant  is  not  as  tight  as  it  is  in  animals  but  that  there 
is  some  degree  of  independent  control  of  differentiation  in  individual 
organs. 

A  branch  or  secondary  axis  differentiates  by  the  activity  of  a  bud  aris- 
ing in  the  axil  of  a  leaf  primordium  (Garrison,  1955).  In  herbaceous 
plants  such  a  bud  develops  directly  but  in  woody  ones  it  has  a  dormant 
period  and  is  covered  by  bud  scales,  or  cataphylls.  Bud  development  in 
pine  has  been  studied  by  Sacher  (1955)  and  in  angiosperms  by  Foster 


Differentiation  189 

(1931).  In  inflorescences  the  leaves  may  be  reduced  to  bracts.  Foliage 
leaves,  bracts,  and  cataphylls  are  presumably  equivalent  morphologically, 
and  the  development  of  a  primordium  into  one  or  the  other  depends  on 
its  function.  Primordia  at  a  meristem  are  thus  multipotent  (Foster), 
since  they  may  form  several  kinds  of  structures. 

How  a  given  structure  differentiates  is  closely  related  to  the  position 
that  it  occupies  in  the  developmental  pattern.  Not  all  morphologically 
equivalent  organs  develop  alike.  In  Ginkgo  the  axis  is  differentiated 
into  short  shoots  and  long  shoots  (Gunckel  and  Wetmore,  1949).  All 
buds  form  short  shoots  but  some  of  these  will  grow  into  long  ones.  The 
ratio  of  the  two  affects  the  form  of  the  tree.  A  somewhat  similar  situation 
occurs  in  Cercidiphyllum  (Titman  and  Wetmore,  1955). 

The  vertical  axis  of  a  tree  and  the  lateral  axes  ( branches )  that  it  bears 
also  may  differ  markedly,  the  former  being  radially  symmetrical  and 
orthotropic,  the  latter  more  or  less  dorsiventral  and  plagiotropic.  Conifer- 
ous trees  offer  familiar  examples,  where  the  lateral  branches  are  much 
flattened  and  branches  of  the  second  order  occur  in  two  lateral  ranks.  In 
Abies  and  Picea  this  is  evidently  related  to  gravity,  for  if  the  terminal 
bud  or  branch  is  removed,  a  lateral  branch  will  bend  upward  and  replace 
it.  In  Araucaria  excelsa,  however,  this  difference  is  so  deeply  seated  that 
if  cuttings  are  made  from  the  lateral  branches,  the  flattened  character 
now  persists  in  the  new  plant  even  if  the  cutting  is  oriented  vertically. 
Not  only  structure  but  physiological  behavior  may  be  permanently 
altered,  for  such  lateral  branches  will  grow  horizontally  in  whatever  posi- 
tion they  may  now  be  placed.  Carvalho,  Krug,  and  Mendes  (1950) 
report  a  similar  behavior  in  Coffea.  There  are  many  other  examples  of 
such  topophysis  (p.  212). 

The  differentiation  of  particular  organs— root,  stem,  leaf,  flower— 
during  development  is  markedly  influenced  by  growth  substances  of 
various  sorts  (Chap.  18). 

Internal  Differentiation 

Visible  differentiation  involving  external  diversity  in  organs  and  their 
parts  is  accompanied  in  most  plant  structures  by  a  high  degree  of  internal 
diversity.  This  involves  differentiation  among  various  types  of  cells  and 
tissues. 

Histological  differentiation  presents  two  chief  problems :  ( 1 )  How  do 
cells  become  different  from  one  another  and  (2)  what  is  the  origin 
of  the  various  tissue  patterns  found  in  the  internal  structure  of  plant 
organs? 

Origin  of  Cellular  Differences.  Cells  differ  from  each  other  in  many 
ways.  Frequently  it  is  possible  to  determine  the  exact  cell  division  at 
which  such  a  difference  becomes  evident.  In  young  roots  of  certain  grasses 


190  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

(p.  131),  for  example,  the  last  division  of  many  (sometimes  of  all)  of 
the  surface  cells  results  in  a  small  daughter  cell  at  the  apical  end  and  a 
larger  one  at  the  basal  end.  This  initial  difference  is  intensified  during 
the  later  development  of  these  cells,  for  the  smaller  cell  (a  trichoblast) 
sends  out  from  its  surface  an  elongate  sac  which  becomes  a  root  hair. 
Such  a  structure  is  lacking  in  the  larger  cell  (Cormack,  1949).  The 
beginning  of  this  difference  may  be  seen  even  before  the  last  division, 
for  the  cytoplasm  at  the  apical  end  of  the  mother  cell  becomes  much 
more  dense  than  that  at  the  basal  end.  Differentiation  between  the  two 
daughter  cells  is  thus  related  to  the  strongly  polar  character  of  the  mother 


Fig.  8-3.  Section  through  developing  liverwort  sporangium  showing  differentiation  of 
alternating  spores  and  elater  cells.  ( From  Goebel. ) 


cell.  In  Phalaris  the  epidermal  cells  contain  a  natural  red  pigment  which 
is  deeper  in  color  in  the  prospective  root-hair  cells,  and  they  can  be 
distinguished  early  for  this  reason  (Bloch,  1943b).  In  many  plants  the 
surface  cells  of  the  root  are  all  potentially  alike,  and  the  differentiation 
of  some  cells  into  root  hairs  and  others  into  hairless  cells  is  not  de- 
termined at  a  differential  cell  division  but  by  environmental  factors.  The 
difference  between  these  two  types  of  root-hair  determination  may  be 
related  to  anatomical  characters  (Cormack,  1947).  A  close  relation  exists 
between  the  distribution  of  cellulose-forming  enzymes  and  the  location 
of  the  root  hair  on  a  surface  cell  ( Boysen-Jensen,  1950 ) . 

There  are  many  somewhat  similar  cases  of  cellular  differentiation.  In 


Differentiation  191 

Ricinus  the  secretory  cells  are  formed,  in  the  young  meristem  or  in  later 
development,  by  differential  cell  division  (Bloch,  1948),  though  conform- 
ing to  no  sharp  pattern.  Once  formed,  these  cells  continue  to  divide,  pro- 
ducing rows  of  similar  cells  in  a  cell  lineage.  This  may  even  persist  in 
tissue  culture. 

The  differentiation  between  chlorophyll-bearing  and  colorless  cells  in 
the  leaf  of  Sphagnum  results  from  a  differential  division,  preceded  by  a 
polar  movement  of  the  cytoplasm  (Zepf,  1952).  The  origin  of  elaters  in 


Fig.  8-4.   Trochodendron.   Section  of  leaf  with  a  large  branching  sclereid.    (From 
Foster. ) 

the  capsule  of  liverworts  is  similar,  a  cell  of  the  archesporial  tissue  divid- 
ing into  a  spore  mother  cell  and  an  elater  cell  ( Fig.  8-3 ) . 

Certain  trichosclereids  develop  in  much  the  same  manner.  These  cells, 
which  in  Monstera  become  very  long  and  thick-walled,  are  set  apart  at 
the  last  division  of  certain  cells  of  the  meristematic  cortex.  The  smaller 
daughter  cell  (this  time  at  the  basal  end),  possessing  a  relatively  larger 
nucleus,  develops  into  the  sclereid  and  the  other  into  a  typical  parenchyma 
cell.  Although  the  sclereid  begins  in  this  case  as  the  smaller  daughter  cell, 
it  soon  sends  out  one  or  more  processes  which  grow  longitudinally  be- 


192  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

tween  neighboring  cells  and  often  become  very  long  (Bloch,  1946).  A 
study  of  the  origin  of  such  idioblasts  ( cells  distinctly  different  from  their 
neighbors)  (Fig.  8-4)  may  throw  light  on  problems  of  cellular  dif- 
ferentiation ( Foster,  1956,  and  others ) . 

Stomatal  initials  are  set  apart  by  differential  cell  divisions  ( Bunning  and 
Biegert,  1953 ) .  A  smaller,  more  densely  cytoplasmic  cell  and  a  larger  one 
are  formed  by  a  late  division  of  a  surface  cell.  The  former  divides  again, 
this  time  equally  and  longitudinally,  to  form  the  guard  cells,  the  contents 
of  which  soon  become  markedly  different  from  those  of  the  other  epidermal 
cells.  In  monocotyledonous  plants  like  this,  where  the  cells  are  in  regular 
longitudinal  rows,  the  stomatal  initials  are  cut  off  at  the  ends  of  elongate 
cells.  In  most  dicotyledons,  where  the  cells  of  the  developing  epidermis 
are  more  nearly  isodiametric,  the  initial  is  cut  out  of  a  corner  of  the  cell 
and  divides  again  to  form  the  guard  cells. 

A  number  of  cases  have  been  reported  where  the  differentiation  of  one 
type  of  cell  evidently  induces  changes  in  the  character  of  adjacent  ones. 
Thus  in  Sedum  there  are  groups  of  cells  that  form  tannin,  and  in  these 
regions  stomata  do  not  differentiate  (Sagromsky,  1949).  In  Potamogeton 
roots  those  cells  of  the  exodermis  that  are  just  under  the  already  dif- 
ferentiated trichocytes  divide  several  times,  unlike  the  other  cells  in  this 
layer,  and  so  form  groups  of  small  cells,  one  below  each  trichocyte 
( Tschermak-Woess  and  Hasitschka,  1953b ) .  In  a  species  of  Begonia  where 
there  are  silver  spots  on  the  leaf  surface,  there  is  a  hair  formed  in  each 
spot  save  the  very  small  ones,  and  the  larger  the  spot,  the  longer  the  hair 
(Neel,  1940). 

Cell  Size  (p.  29).  Some  of  the  most  conspicuous  differences  between 
cells  are  in  their  size.  Meristematic  cells  in  most  cases  are  small,  and  after 
the  final  division  the  daughter  cells  increase  considerably  in  size.  The 
extent  of  this  increase  is  determined  by  the  time  in  development  when 
division  ceases  in  that  particular  cell  lineage  and  by  the  position  of  the 
cell  in  the  general  histological  pattern.  Pith  cells  are  usually  large  be- 
cause they  have  had  a  long  period  of  enlargement  since  their  last  division, 
and  epidermal  cells  relatively  small  since  division  there  lasted  longest. 
Many  size  differences,  however,  such  as  those  between  the  large  vessels 
of  ring-porous  woods  and  the  small  elements  around  them,  are  due  to 
local  differential  factors,  since  the  cambial  initials  are  alike. 

One  type  of  cellular  differentiation  is  unlike  all  others  in  that  it  in- 
volves fundamental  alteration  of  the  cell  itself.  Many  instances  are  now 
known  in  which  mature  cells,  aroused  to  division  by  various  agents,  are 
found  to  have  twice  as  many  chromosomes  (or  more)  as  they  did  at 
their  last  preceding  mitosis.  During  the  differentiation  of  such  a  cell 
from  meristematic  condition  to  maturity  a  doubling  of  the  chromosome 
complement  must  have  taken  place.  Such  a  change,  though  not  directly 


Differentiation  193 

observable  in  the  cell,  is  usually  reflected  in  increased  cell  size  and  may 
be  a  factor  in  other  changes  which  occur  during  differentiation.  How 
important  this  factor  is  in  cellular  differentiation  is  not  known.  It  may 
account  for  some  of  the  diversity  in  cell  size  but  probably  has  little  to  do 
with  other  aspects  of  differentiation  ( p.  441 ) . 

The  Cell  Wall.  Some  of  the  most  distinctive  ways  in  which  cells  differ 
are  concerned  with  the  cell  wall.  The  wall  is  of  much  greater  variety  and 
significance  in  plant  cells  than  in  animal  cells,  and  the  key  to  cellular 
differentiation  in  plants  is  often  to  be  found  in  it.  Walls  may  differ  greatly 
in  thickness,  chemical  composition,  and  structure,  depending  upon  the 
function  of  the  cells  of  which  they  are  parts.  In  certain  tissues  the  cells 
die  early,  and  only  the  thickened  walls  which  they  formed  remain.  The 
size  and  shape  of  the  cell  and  the  manner  of  its  growth  seem  often  to 
be  dependent  primarily  upon  the  character  of  the  wall.  Studies  of  the 
chemistry  and  fine  structure  of  the  wall  show  how  complex  its  consti- 
tution may  be  and  make  clear  that  any  detailed  analysis  of  cellular  dif- 
ferentiation must  pay  attention  to  changes  not  only  in  the  living  material 
of  the  cell— the  true  protoplast— but  in  the  wall  that  is  the  result  of  its 
activity  (Bailey  and  Kerr,  1935;  Frey-Wyssling,  1955). 

In  a  few  cases  the  origin  of  differentiation  in  the  wall  may  be  observed, 
especially  where  sculpturing  occurs,  as  in  the  ringed,  spiral,  and  retic- 
ulate cells  of  the  xylem  and  in  other  tissues  with  similarly  unequal 
wall  thickening.  Criiger  (1855)  and  Dippel  (1867)  many  years  ago 
showed  that  the  first  indication  of  where  such  thickenings  were  to  occur 
in  developing  cells  was  the  accumulation  of  cytoplasm,  more  densely 
granular  than  the  rest,  in  a  definite  pattern.  The  thickenings  of  the 
wall  (rings,  reticulations,  or  others)  were  laid  down  in  close  relation  to 
this  cytoplasmic  pattern  (Barkley,  1927).  Strasburger  (1882)  observed 
streaming  of  cytoplasm  along  these  strands.  Large  and  vacuolate  paren- 
chyma cells  that  are  being  redifferentiated  as  reticulate  xylem  cells  in  re- 
generation are  particularly  good  material  in  which  to  observe  the 
cytoplasmic  network  upon  which  the  wall  reticulum  is  being  built  ( Sin- 
nott  and  Bloch,  1945;  Fig.  8-5).  Kiister  ( 1931)  called  attention  to  the  simi- 
larity between  such  cytoplasmic  configurations  and  Liesegang  rings. 
Denham  (p.  166)  reports  that  in  many  cells  the  directions  of  cytoplasmic 
streaming  has  a  definite  relation  to  the  micellar  configuration  of  the  wall. 

Differentiation  and  Position.  In  all  the  cases  of  cellular  differentiation 
here  described,  the  position  of  the  cell  in  the  developing  system  is  evi- 
dently closely  concerned  with  the  type  of  differentiation  that  it  under- 
goes. A  notable  example  is  the  formation  of  reaction  wood,  which  dif- 
ferentiates in  the  precise  position  where  it  will  tend  to  bring  a  terminal 
or  lateral  axis  into  a  specific  orientation  in  the  pattern  of  the  whole 
(p.  356). 


194  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

We  may  distinguish  position  with  reference  to  the  external  environ- 
ment (light,  oxygen,  chemical  stimuli,  and  many  others),  with  refer- 
ence to  various  factors  in  the  internal  environment  (surfaces,  air  spaces, 
conducting  strands,  and  cells  previously  differentiated),  and  with  refer- 
ence to  the  autogenously  unfolding  and  genetically  controlled  pattern  of 
development.  To  distinguish  these  aspects  of  position  is  often  diffi- 
cult or  impossible.  The  important  fact  is  that  in  the  organized  system 
specific  parts  are  markedly  unlike  each  other  and  that  these  differences, 
which  in  the  aggregate  distinguish  the  system,  may  arise  from  various 
causes. 


Fig.  8-5.  Portion  of  a  regenerating  xylem  strand  in  Coleus,  showing  pattern  of  wall 
thickenings  laid  down  along  bands  of  granular  cytoplasm.  Earlier  stage  at  right. 
( From  Sinnott  and  Bloch. ) 

Intracellular  Differentiation.  The  parts  of  a  single  cell  often  show  a 
high  degree  of  diversity.  The  distinction  between  nucleus  and  cytoplasm 
is  present  even  in  embryonic  cells,  but  as  the  differentiation  of  the 
cell  takes  place,  the  protoplast  may  exhibit  a  wide  range  of  structures. 
Conspicuous  among  these  are  the  plastids.  In  the  algae  (as  Spirogyra), 
these  may  be  represented  by  large  and  often  complex  chromatophores. 
Much  more  minute  bodies,  the  mitochondria,  occur  and  multiply  (Soro- 
kin,  1955;  Hackett,  1955).  Bodies  similar  to  the  Golgi  apparatus  of 
animal  cells  have  been  reported  (Weier,  1932),  but  their  general  oc- 
currence is  doubtful. 


Differentiation  195 

The  proportions  of  these  intracellular  structures  often  change  during 
differentiation.  Thus  in  moss  protonemata  the  nucleus  increases  in  size 
from  the  tip  of  the  caulonema  backward  but  the  nucleolus  decreases  for 
the  first  few  cells.  The  nucleus  also  gradually  changes  from  a  spherical  to 
a  spindle  shape,  and  other  changes  are  evident  (Bopp,  1955).  Intra- 
cellular diversity  is  particularly  conspicuous  in  the  differentiation  of  large 
coenocvtic  bodies,  as  in  certain  algae. 

Differentiation  of  Histological  Patterns.  Differentiated  cells  rarely  occur 
separately  but  are  grouped  into  tissues.  Endodermis,  vascular  tissues, 
and  many  others  are  familiar  examples.  These  tissue  patterns  begin 
to  appear  in  the  embryo  (Miller  and  Wetmore,  1945;  Fig.  8-6;  Spurr, 
1949;  Esau,  1954),  grow  more  diverse  in  the  seedling,  and  reach  their 
maximum  differentiation  in  the  mature  plant.  Nowhere  else  are  the  com- 
plexities of  differentiation   so  evident  as  in  the  development  of  these 


O.OMM 


Fig.  8-6.  Beginnings  of  differentiation  in  early  embryo  of  Phlox.  Successive  stages, 
showing  origin  of  central  procambial  core.   (From  Miller  and  Wetmore.) 

histological  patterns.  Specialized  as  these  may  be,  each  constitutes  an 
element  in  an  integrated  whole. 

Wall  Relationships.  One  of  the  basic  elements  in  histological  pattern 
is  the  relationship  of  cells  to  each  other.  This  is  determined  primarily  by 
the  position  of  new  walls  in  dividing  cells  relative  to  walls  in  adjacent 
cells.  In  most  tissues  a  new  wall  is  so  placed  that  it  does  not  come  op- 
posite a  neighboring  cell  partition,  and  the  cells  are  thus  "staggered" 
in  position,  like  bricks  in  a  building  (p.  47).  In  a  few  cases,  however, 
walls  in  adjacent  cells  are  exactly  opposite,  so  that  they  extend  in  con- 
tinuous lines  across  the  tissue  (Fig.  8-7).  This  is  particularly  evident  in 
cork  and  in  regenerating  tissue  at  wounds.  This  arrangement  lends  itself 
well  to  the  development  of  aerenchyma,  since  when  such  cells  pull 
apart  at  their  corners  a  larger  volume  of  intercellular  space  results  than  if 
the  walls  were  staggered.  The  two  types  of  pattern  may  well  be  seen 


196 


The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 


Fig.  8-7.  Partition  walls  opposite  adjacent  ones.  At  left,  dividing  cells  in  tissue  of 
wounded  petiole  of  Bryophyllum,  the  walls  being  laid  down  directly  opposite  those 
in  adjacent  cells.  At  right,  similar  divisions  in  more  mature  tissue  below  wound 
surface.  ( From  Sinnott  and  Block. ) 

in  the  transverse  section  of  certain  roots,  where  the  inner  cortex  is  radially 
concentric,  with  opposite  walls,  but  the  outer  cortex  shows  the  alter- 
nating arrangement  typical  of  ordinary  parenchyma  ( Fig.  8-8 ) . 

Endodermis.  One  of  the  simplest  of  these  tissue  patterns  is  shown  by 
the  endodermis.  This  is  a  single  layer  of  cells  differentiated  in  a  specific 
way,  as  by  special  thickenings  in  the  walls  or  the  presence  of  a  Casparian 
strip.  It  separates  the  vascular  cylinder  from  the  cortex.  The  position 
it  occupies  is  usually  a  very  definite  one,  and  in  such  plants  as  Equisetum 
its  particular  pattern  with  reference  to  the  bundles  is  specific  enough  to 
be  valuable  for  taxonomic  purposes. 


Fig.  8-8.  Transverse  sections  of  two  roots.  Left,  Sporobolus,  in  which  there  are  three 
layers  of  radially  concentric  cells  in  the  cortex,  the  walls  having  been  laid  down 
directly  opposite  those  in  adjacent  cells.  Air  spaces  later  appear  at  intersections.  Right, 
Agrostis,  in  which  the  cell  walls  in  the  cortex  always  avoid  adjacent  ones.  (From 
Sinnott  and  Bloch. ) 


Differentiation 


197 


The  exact  localization  of  the  endodermis  makes  it  of  particular  interest 
morphogenetically.  Light  is  important  in  its  development,  for  it  is  well 
differentiated  in  roots  and  etiolated  stems  and  much  more  poorly  de- 
veloped in  the  light  (Bond,  1935).  Venning  (1953),  however,  finds  that 
factors  other  than  light  are  responsible  for  the  formation  of  a  typical 
endodermis.  Van  Fleet  in  a  series  of  papers  has  studied  differentiation 
histochemically  ( 1954a  and  b ) ,  with  particular  reference  to  the  position 
of  the  endodermis  on  an  oxidation-reduction  gradient  as  well  as  to  the 
distribution  of  various  enzymes.  He  has  stressed  the  importance  of  histo- 
chemical  determination  of  enzyme  distribution  (1952)  as  a  means  of  dis- 
covering chemical  differentiation  before  it  is  evident  in  structure  (Fig. 
8-9). 


Fig.  8-9.  Chemical  differentiation  of  the  endodermis.  Its  cells  stain  differently  from 
those  of  adjacent  tissues.  ( From  Van  Fleet. ) 


Fiber  Patterns.  An  example  of  the  differentiation  of  a  somewhat  more 
complex  pattern  but  one  consisting  of  a  single  type  of  cells  is  provided 
by  the  development  of  a  system  of  fiber  strands  such  as  that  found  in  the 
pericarp  of  the  cucurbit  fruit,  and  especially  well  developed  in  the 
"dishcloth"  gourd,  Luff  a  (Sinnott  and  Bloch,  1943).  Here  the  pericarp 
tissue  in  the  early  ovary  primordium  consists  of  longitudinal  rows  of 
squarish  parenchyma  cells  with  most  of  the  divisions  at  right  angles  to 
the  axis  of  the  young  ovary  or  parallel  to  it.  Here  and  there  begin  to 
occur  divisions  not  in  these  two  orientations  but  obliquely  at  various 
angles  (Fig.  8-10).  Parallel  to  each  such  division  is  a  series  of  others  so 
that  in  a  given  cell  or  its  neighbors  several  elongate  and  parallel  cells 
are  cut  out.  This  group  becomes  connected  with  other  groups  in  a  con- 
tinuous series,  though  successive  members  of  this  series  may  arise  at 
somewhat  different  angles.  The  result  is  that  strands  of  cells  are  formed, 
twisting   about   through    the    original    rectangular    cellular   system    and 


198  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

connected  in  an  interwoven  pattern.  These  small  elongate  cells  expand 
with  the  growth  of  their  parenchymatous  neighbors  and  develop  into 
long  sclerenchymatous  cells  aggregated  into  strands  a  fraction  of  a  milli- 
meter wide  which  are  organized  into  the  complex  fibrous  "sponge."  This 
sponge  is  not  a  random  mass  of  fibers  but  has  an  organization  of  its  own, 
for  the  outer  members  of  it  are  arranged  in  rows  transverse  to  the  axis 
of  the  fruit  and  most  of  the  inner  ones  extend  lengthwise.  They  are 
united  into  a  continuous  system.  This  system  seems  to  be  the  expression 
of  a  histological  pattern  superposed  upon  the  fundamentally  different 
system  of  regularly  arranged  parenchyma  cells  of  the  early  ovary.  How 
the  course  of  its  interconnected  but  continuous  strands  is  established  is 
a  baffling  problem.  In  somewhat  the  same  way  as  these  sclerenchym- 
atous strands  develop,  the  young  bundle  initials  of  the  veins  arise  in 


Fig.  8-10.  Young  ovary  of  Luff  a.  Successive  early  stages  in  the  origin  of  a  fiber  strand 
differentiating  in  ground  parenchyma.  ( From  Sinnott  and  Bloch. ) 

the  mesophyll  of  a  developing  leaf  blade,  as  described  by  Meeuse  ( 1938; 
Fig.  8-11). 

Cambium.  A  familiar  example  of  a  complex  pattern  of  differential  de- 
velopment is  that  of  the  vascular  cambium  and  its  products  (p.  84).  The 
typical  cambium  consists  of  a  continuous  tangential  layer  of  elongate 
initials  in  which  most  of  the  divisions  are  in  the  tangential  plane.  The 
cells  cut  off  on  the  inside  develop  into  tracheids,  fibers,  vessels,  paren- 
chyma, and  ray  cells  of  the  xylem,  and  those  on  the  outside  into  sieve 
tubes,  companion  cells,  fibers,  and  other  phloem  cells.  There  are  pro- 
found differences  between  a  huge  vessel  element  in  oak  wood  and  a 
small  parenchyma  cell  beside  it  but  both  come  from  similar  cambium 
cells. 

There  are  a  number  of  morphogenetic  problems  presented  by  a  study 
of  this  development  of  secondary  vascular  tissues. 


Differentiation  199 

1.  What  determines  the  relative  frequency  of  divisions  on  the  inside  of 
the  cambial  initials  to  those  on  the  outside,  the  relative  amount  of 
xylem  and  phloem? 

2.  What  determines  how  cambium  derivatives  differentiate  into  the 
widely  diverse  sorts  of  cells  found  in  the  mature  tissues? 

3.  What  maintains  so  perfectly  the  anatomical  pattern  of  the  xylem 
and  phloem? 

Bannan  and  others  (p.  81 )  have  shown  that  many  radial  files  of  cells  are 
begun  at  the  cambium  and  then  die  out  and  that  many  rays  are  initiated 
only  to  disappear,  the  net  result  being  a  very  precise  distribution  of  rays 
and  vertical  elements  with  reference  to  each  other.  The  files  of  tracheids 
remain  at  a  constant  width,  and  the  rays  are  evenly  spaced  with  reference 
to  each  other,  as  can  be  seen  in  a  tangential  section  of  wood.  These  rela- 


Fig.  8-11.  Portion  of  transverse  section  of  leaf  of  Sanseviera.  Bundle  of  fibers  be- 
ginning to  differentiate  in  the  midst  of  fundamental  tissue.  Compare  with  Fig.  8-10. 
( From  Meeuse. ) 

tionships  are  so  constant  and  specific  that  they  are  used  as  taxonomic 
characters. 

This  same  problem  of  a  specifically  patterned  distribution  of  structures 
meets  us  in  many  other  places,  such  as  in  the  spacing  of  bundles  in  cross 
sections  of  the  stems  of  monocotyledons,  of  stomata  in  the  leaf  epidermis, 
of  root  hairs,  or  of  developing  sclereids  in  the  cortex.  Biinning  has  ex- 
plored this  problem  (1948,  pp.  173-179).  He  suggests  that  a  specific 
developing  structure  prevents  the  differentiation  of  another  like  it  within 
a  certain  distance  of  itself  and  cites  some  experimental  evidence  in  sup- 
port of  this  idea  (Biinning  and  Sagromsky,  1948).  In  the  cells  immediately 
around  a  young  stoma  initial,  the  nuclei  always  lie  on  the  side  of  the 
cell  next  to  the  initial,  as  if  in  response  to  a  chemotactic  stimulus  (Fig. 
8-12).  A  few  cells  farther  out,  they  have  normal  positions.  Biinning  be- 
lieves that  a  hormonal  substance  passes  out  from  the  young  stomatal  cells 
which  stimulates  cell  division,  as  shown  by  the  production  of  accessory 


200  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

cells  and  others,  and  thus  inhibits  differentiation  of  stomata  (and  some- 
times of  hairs  or  glands).  Near  wounds,  cell  division  occurs  but  stomata 
are  not  differentiated.  If  auxin  paste  or  juice  from  crushed  tissue,  pre- 
sumably containing  wound  hormones  (p.  402),  is  applied  to  the  young 


Fig.  8-12.  Relation  of  nuclei  to  stomata.  Nuclei  of  cells  adjacent  to  stomatal  initials, 
in  young  and  developing  leaves,  are  pressed  closely  to  these  initials  as  if  chemically 
attracted  to  them.  ( From  Biinning  and  Sagromsky. ) 

leaf,  cell  divisions  are  plentiful  but  stomata  do  not  develop  (Fig.  8-13). 
This  suggestion  is  of  much  interest  in  relation  to  the  differentiation  of 
other  evenly  spaced  structures,  but  it  does  not  explain  how  the  inhibiting 
center  itself  is  initiated  in  the  first  place.  This  is  a  promising  point,  how- 
ever, at  which  to  attack  the  problem  of  organic  pattern. 

In  the  histological  pattern  that  originates  back  of  the  apical  meristem, 
Biinning  ( 1952# )  believes  that  the  meristem  itself  inhibits  differentiation 
within  a  certain  distance.  Farther  back,  each  bundle  initial,  which  is  in  the 


Fig.  8-13.  Left,  epidermis  of  developing  leaf  two  weeks  after  treatment  with  auxin 
paste.  Stomata  are  almost  absent.  Right,  epidermis  of  untreated  half  of  the  same 
leaf.  ( From  Biinning  and  Sagromsky. ) 


Differentiation  201 

process  of  growth  but  is  not  part  of  the  meristem  proper  and  which  he 
terms  a  meristemoid,  inhibits  the  development  of  others  near  it. 

The  differentiation  of  tissues  produced  by  the  vascular  cambium  has 
been  studied  by  Linnemann  (1953),  who  observed  that  in  beech  the 
proportion  of  rays  is  greater  in  the  wood  of  isolated  trees  than  in  dense 
stands  but  that  it  does  not  vary  consistently  with  age  or  as  between 
trunk  and  branches.  Rays  tend  to  increase  in  width  during  an  annual 
ring  and  to  be  wider  in  the  narrower  rings. 

The  fact  that  vessel  elements  occur  in  longitudinal  series  to  form  a 
duct  indicates  the  operation  of  a  continuous  stimulus  longitudinally 
along  the  axis.  Priestley,  Scott,  and  Malins  (1935)  have  shown  that  a 
single  duct  differentiates  almost  simultaneously  throughout  a  long  extent 
of  trunk.  A  leaf  trace  passing  down  into  a  young  stem  exerts  a  consider- 
able correlative  influence  upon  vessel  differentiation  below  it.  Alexandrov 
and  Abessadze  (1934)  found  that  there  are  fewer  vessels  in  a  segment 
just  below  a  leaf  trace  and  that  they  appear  earliest  next  the  rays  that  de- 
limit the  trace.  The  vessel-forming  stimulus  clearly  moves  downward, 
thus  suggesting  the  operation  of  a  hormonal  control. 

That  auxin  has  a  role  in  the  initiation  of  the  ring-porous  condition  is 
suggested  by  the  work  of  Wareing  (1951),  and  Chowdhury  (1953)  has 
analyzed  some  of  the  factors  responsible  for  the  transformation  of 
diffuse-porous  to  ring-porous  structure  in  Gmelina. 

Continuity  in  differentiation  of  similar  cells  is  also  shown  by  the  cork 
cambium,  or  phellogen  (p.  88),  in  old  cortex  or  phloem.  Here  it  arises 
as  a  series  of  almost  simultaneous  divisions  which,  as  seen  in  transverse 
section,  somewhat  resemble  those  described  for  the  Luffa  strands,  since 
they  are  connected  to  one  another  in  a  series  and  often  follow  a  somewhat 
irregular  course  through  the  tissue  in  which  they  arise.  They  form  a 
continuous  sheet  of  meristematic  cells,  often  in  localized  patches,  which 
cut  off  elements  from  their  outer  faces.  Their  cells  suberize  later,  thus 
sealing  off  the  outside  tissues.  The  origin  of  these  phellogens  is  the  more 
interesting  because  they  have  their  beginning  in  tissues  where  the  cells 
are  mature  and  intermixed  with  dead  or  necrotic  ones.  Their  origin 
after  wounding  is  related  to  the  operation  of  wound  hormones. 

A  notable  example  of  the  differentiation  of  a  histological  pattern  is 
furnished  by  the  system  of  lignified  thickenings  (the  "reseau  de  soutien" 
of  van  Tieghem,  1888)  in  the  air  roots  of  certain  orchids,  which  is  pre- 
sumably concerned  with  providing  rigidity  for  tissue  otherwise  soft  and 
easily  collapsed.  These  arise  as  bands  of  lignified  wall  thickenings  which 
surround  individual  cells.  They  may  occasionally  fork.  It  is  noteworthy 
that  the  band  in  a  given  cell  is  directly  contiguous  to  that  in  an  adjacent 
cell,  so  that  a  continuous  patterned  network  of  thickened  strands  is 
established  (Fig.  8-14).  This  reminds  one  of  the  way  in  which  the  ringed 


202  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

thickenings  in  protoxylem  and  regenerating  xylem  cells  are  directly  op- 
posite those  in  adjacent  ones. 

In  all  these  examples  of  the  differentiation  of  histological  pattern  it 
is  evident  that  the  pattern  as  a  whole  transcends  cellular  boundaries  and 
involves  an  extensive  and  correlated  series  of  changes.  This  poses  in  most 
direct  fashion  the  problem  of  pattern  in  general. 

More  Complex  Patterns.  In  most  cases  an  anatomical  pattern  consists 
of  more  than  one  type  of  tissue  and  thus  is  much  more  complex  than 
the  ones  just  described.  In  plants  that  grow  by  a  large  apical  cell  at 
the  meristem,  differentiation  of  the  various  tissues  from  particular  cells 
cut  off  from  this  apical  cell  may  be  traced.  Thus  in  Selaginella  (p.  58), 


^° 


NC  s 


H 


Fig.  8-14.  Continuity  in  the  differentiation  of  various  wall  thickenings.  Left,  rings 
and  spirals  in  protoxylem  of  Zea.  Center,  thickenings  in  reticulate  vessel  elements 
that  have  developed  from  parenchyma  cells  in  bundle  regeneration.  Right,  lignified 
bands  (reseau  de  soutien)  in  cortex  of  air  root  of  an  orchid.  In  all  these  cases  the 
thickenings  form  a  continuous  pattern  across  cell  boundaries.  {From  Sinnott  and 
Bloch. ) 

the  apical  cell,  by  an  unequal  division  parallel  to  one  of  its  faces,  pro- 
duces on  its  apical  side  a  large  cell,  the  continuing  apical  initial,  and 
on  its  basal  one  a  cell  which,  seen  in  section,  has  parallel  anticlinal  walls 
(Barclay,  1931;  Fig.  4-4).  This  cell  divides  into  two  by  a  wall  at  right 
angles  to  the  first  division.  Each  daughter  cell  divides  again  into  two 
in  the  same  way.  Thus  a  row  of  four  cells  is  produced.  Proceeding  down 
the  shoot  axis,  in  a  longitudinal  section,  one  can  observe  the  fate  of  simi- 
lar rows  of  four  cells  which  had  been  cut  off  by  previous  divisions  of  the 
apical  cell.  The  outermost  of  the  four  becomes  a  cell  of  the  epidermis. 
The  second  (by  later  divisions)  produces  the  cortex.  Descendants  of  the 
third  and  fourth  form  the  innermost  tissues.  Thus  the  progress  of  dif- 
ferentiation can  usually  be  followed  in  various  lineages  of  cells.  Specific 


Differentiation  203 

types  of  differentiation  seem  to  be  related  to  specific  lineages,  almost  as 
though  "determiners"  were  being  parceled  out  at  each  division.  The  same 
type  of  differentiation  has  been  described  by  Bartoo  (1930)  in  Schizaea. 
In  these  cases  differentiation  is  a  true  development,  the  unfolding  of  an 
internally  directed  pattern,  with  each  division  evidently  related  to  the 
polarity  of  the  cell.  Cell  division  here  seems  a  dominant  factor  in  the 
determination  of  pattern.  It  should  be  noted,  however,  that  there  are 
often  irregularities  in  this  progression  and  that  it  is  by  no  means  always 
so  precise. 

In  many  other  plants,  especially  those  with  large  apical  cells,  differen- 
tiation also  follows  a  rather  regular  course  like  that  just  described.  Chara, 
Fontinalis,  and  some  species  of  Equisetum  (Fig.  4-3)  are  examples.  In 
others,  however,  such  precise  relationship  between  a  specific  type  of  dif- 
ferentiation and  cell  lineage  does  not  occur,  for  a  particular  tissue  may 
sometimes  have  one  cell  ancestry  and  sometimes  another.  The  origin  of 
root,  stem,  leaf,  and  foot  from  the  quadrants  of  a  young  fern  embryo,  for 
example,  is  not  rigidly  determined. 

In  higher  vascular  plants  where  an  apical  cell  has  been  replaced  by  a 
mass  of  meristematic  tissue,  in  most  cases  it  becomes  impossible  to  trace 
the  origin  of  a  group  of  differentiated  cells  from  a  single  ancestor  or  to 
determine  the  precise  divisions  at  which  a  fundamental  difference  be- 
tween two  cells  (or  their  descendants)  originates.  Such  divisions  may 
occur,  but  in  these  there  is  no  great  difference  between  daughter  cells 
nor  is  regularity  of  lineage  usually  observable.  It  is  probably  true  that  in 
very  many  instances  differentiation  is  the  result  of  factors  of  environment 
or  position  and  is  not  related  at  all  to  differential  cell  division. 

There  is,  however,  a  good  deal  of  cellular  differentiation  to  be  seen  in 
the  apex  of  shoot  and  root,  either  as  layers  or  zones  (p.  62 )  and  these  often 
bear  a  close  relation  to  the  structures  that  develop  from  them.  Thus  in 
periclinal  chimeras  ( p.  272 )  it  is  possible  to  determine  with  much  accuracy 
the  derivation  of  particular  tissues  from  particular  layers  at  the  apex. 
Nevertheless,  in  forms  without  meristematic  layering  ( as  in  some  gymno- 
sperms)  differentiation  of  tissues  takes  place  equally  well.  The  problem 
of  how  the  histogens  become  distinct  from  each  other,  in  forms  which 
show  them,  is  one  which  for  its  solution  must  go  back  to  the  young 
embryo. 

In  the  mass  of  relatively  undifferentiated  tissue  below  the  apex  arise 
the  beginnings  of  vascular  tissue.  The  distinction  between  the  procambial 
or  provascular  cells  (those  which  are  to  give  rise  to  the  primary  vascular 
tissue)  and  the  cells  of  the  fundamental  tissue  begins  to  make  its  appear- 
ance early  in  development  near  the  tip  of  the  meristem.  The  first  differ- 
ence to  be  observed  here  often  is  not  a  structural  one  but  a  difference  in 
the  staining  reaction  of  the  cells.  The  earliest  structural  difference  to  be 


204  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

seen,  in  most  cases,  is  the  elongate  form  of  the  procambial  cells  in  longi- 
tudinal section.  This  form  is  due  either  to  fewer  transverse  divisions  in 
these  cells  as  compared  with  their  neighbors  or  to  more  frequent  longi- 
tudinal ones.  From  groups  of  these  elongated  provascular  cells  arise  the 
vascular  bundles  of  the  stem.  There  is  a  close  relation  between  the  differ- 
entiation of  these  bundles  and  of  the  leaf  primordia  near  the  apex,  for  the 
young  leaf  traces  that  enter  the  base  of  each  primordium  are  continuous 
with  the  differentiated  vascular  tissue  below. 

There  has  been  some  difference  of  opinion  as  to  just  how  the  pattern 
of  vascular  differentiation  originates.  It  is  now  rather  generally  agreed 
(Esau,  1953Z? )  that  the  procambial  strands  develop  acropetally,  continu- 
ous with  the  mature  vascular  tissue  below  and  pushing  up  into  the  bases 
of  the  primordia  themselves.  In  a  transverse  section  of  the  axis,  the  pro- 
cambium  forms  a  ring  which  may  be  continuous  or  consist  of  a  series  of 
bundles.  On  the  outside  of  a  procambial  strand  the  first  phloem  differen- 
tiates, and  on  the  inside,  the  first  xylem.  The  developmental  history  of 
these  tissues  is  different,  however.  The  phloem,  like  the  procambium, 
develops  continuously  from  the  base  toward  the  tip.  The  xylem,  on  the 
contrary,  differentiates  first  in  the  base  of  the  enlarging  leaf  primordium 
and  then  both  upward  and  downward.  In  its  downward  course  it  meets 
the  upward  developing  xylem  in  the  axis  below  (Miller  and  Wetmore, 
1946).  Jacobs  and  Morrow  (1957)  traced  the  downward  differentiating 
xylem  strands  and  found  that  they  did  not  always  make  connection  with 
the  normally  opposite  ones  below.  In  the  root,  the  procambium,  phloem, 
and  xylem  all  differentiate  acropetally  and  continuously  ( Heimsch,  1951; 
Popham,  1955k). 

The  physiological  significance  of  these  facts  is  not  clear,  but  morpho- 
genetically  they  are  concerned  with  the  important  question  as  to  whether 
the  course  of  initiation  and  development  of  structures  at  the  apical  meri- 
stem,  notably  the  position  of  the  leaf  primordia  and  the  pattern  of  internal 
differentiation,  results  from  stimuli  proceeding  up  from  the  mature  struc- 
tures below  or  whether  in  its  development  the  tip  is  independent  of  what 
has  gone  before.  This  problem  is  discussed  elsewhere  in  the  light  of  some 
experimental  results  (p.  238).  Torrey  (1955),  working  with  root  tips  cut 
off  and  grown  in  culture,  presents  evidence  that  the  pattern  of  vascular 
differentiation  (triarch,  diarch,  or  monarch)  just  back  of  the  tip  is  not 
induced  by  the  tissue  farther  back  but  is  related  to  the  dimensions  of  the 
apical  meristem  at  the  time  the  cylinder  is  differentiated. 

Much  work  has  been  done  on  this  problem  of  differentiation  at  the 
apical  meristems,  and  it  is  well  covered  by  Esau  ( 1953b ) .  Among  other 
recent  publications  are  an  extensive  review  by  Esau  ( 1954 )  and  papers 
by  Rathfelder  (1954),  Young  (1954),  Wetmore  and  Sorokin  (1955), 
McGahan  (1955),  and  Jacobs  and  Morrow  (1957). 


Differentiation  205 


DIFFERENTIATION  DURING  ONTOGENY 

Differentiation,  like  most  problems  of  morphogenesis,  must  be  studied 
not  only  as  it  is  found  in  the  structure  of  the  mature  plant  but  as  it  arises 
during  development.  The  mature  plant  is  obviously  very  different  from 
the  embryo  and  the  seedling,  but  an  important  question,  still  far  from 
settlement,  is  whether  the  changes  that  take  place  here  are  simply  the 
result  of  increased  size  and  the  effects  of  environment  or  are  internal 
modifications  arising  during  development  and  becoming  manifest  in  the 
progressive  differentiation  of  the  individual  as  its  life  cycle  unfolds. 

It  is  obvious  that  environment  is  of  great  importance  in  determining 
the  differences  that  arise,  and  most  of  the  experimental  work  in  morpho- 
genesis is  concerned  with  a  manipulation  of  environmental  factors.  It  is 
also  clear  that  the  specific  response  to  an  environment  depends  on  the 
innate  genetic  constitution  of  the  individual.  What  is  not  so  evident,  how- 
ever, is  whether  this  response  always  remains  the  same  or  changes  as  the 
organism  grows  older. 

There  is  a  good  deal  of  evidence  that  changes  in  the  plant,  independent 
of  environmental  conditions,  do  indeed  occur  as  development  proceeds. 
Juvenile  stages  are  often  very  different  from  adult  ones.  That  these  are 
real  and  often  irreversible  differences  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  they  can 
be  perpetuated  by  cuttings.  Progressive  changes  in  the  shape  and  char- 
acter of  organs,  especially  leaves,  at  successive  points  along  the  stem  have 
often  been  observed  and  by  some  biologists  are  attributed  to  advancing 
maturity  or  physiological  aging.  The  onset  of  actual  senescence  has  been 
reported  in  some  cases.  A  considerable  school  of  physiologists  believe  that 
the  life  history  of  a  plant,  particularly  up  to  the  time  of  flowering,  consists 
of  a  series  of  successive  phases,  each  the  necessary  precursor  of  the  next 
but  independent  of  the  amount  of  growth  attained.  This  concept  has  come 
in  part  from  the  idea  of  vernalization  ( p.  339 ) . 

In  such  phasic  development  the  major  change  is  the  onset  of  the  repro- 
ductive period  after  one  of  purely  vegetative  development.  This  appar- 
ently begins  by  a  physiological  change,  the  "ripeness  to  flower,"  as  Klebs 
called  it.  Only  after  this  has  begun  do  the  floral  primordia  appear  at  the 
meristem.  They  may  not  be  the  first  visible  evidence  of  the  onset  of  repro- 
duction. Roberts  and  Struckmeyer  ( 1948  and  other  papers )  have  shown 
that  the  induction  of  the  flowering  phase  is  very  early  indicated  by  a 
number  of  anatomical  changes.  Root  growth  is  much  reduced,  cambial 
activity  almost  ceases,  and  the  vascular  tissues  tend  rapidly  to  complete 
their  full  differentiation.  In  other  words,  the  plant  structures  become  ma- 
ture. Reproduction  is  a  sign  of  maturity,  and  these  anatomical  changes  are 
evidence  of  a  more  general  one  that  is  about  to  take  place.  Many  factors 


206  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

are  involved  here,  either  as  causes  or  concomitants.  There  seems  to  be  a 
major  physiological  change  involved  in  this  shift  from  vegetation  to  repro- 
duction. An  important  problem  in  both  physiology  and  morphogenesis  is 
to  find  what  is  involved  in  this  shift.  To  solve  it  would  throw  light  on  one 
of  the  major  formative  processes  in  the  plant. 

Embryology  and  Juvenile  Stages.  The  science  of  embryology  in  the 
higher  plants,  in  the  sense  in  which  it  has  been  developed  in  animals,  can 
hardly  be  said  to  exist.  The  early  embryo  is  relatively  inaccessible  and 
is  simple  in  structure.  The  divisions  immediately  following  fertilization 
have  been  studied  for  many  plants  by  Soueges  (1939)  and  Johansen 
( 1950;  Fig.  8-15)  and  show  differences  in  certain  groups,  but  little  as  pre- 
cise as  the  early  stages  in  animal  embryology  is  to  be  seen.  Toward  the 
micropylar  end  of  the  ovule  the  young  radicle  begins  to  differentiate  and 
forms  an  apical  meristem  at  its  tip.  At  the  other  pole,  in  gymnosperms  and 
dicotyledons,  arise  the  cotyledons,  with  the  first  bud  between  them.  The 
monocotyledons  have  a  somewhat  more  complex  structure  here  but  it 
follows  the  same  general  course. 

Especially  important  to  students  of  morphogenesis  is  Wardlaw's  book 
on  Embryogenesis  (1955a),  which  discusses  embryogeny  throughout  the 
plant  kingdom,  with  particular  emphasis  on  the  factors  that  determine 
development.  Maheshwari  (1950)  has  written  a  general  survey  of  angio- 
sperm  embryology,  including  a  useful  discussion  of  experimental  embryo 
culture.  The  ability  to  take  embryos  out  of  the  ovule  at  a  very  early  stage 
and  grow  them  in  culture  has  opened  up  a  wide  field  of  investigation 
which  should  be  fruitful  for  morphogenesis. 

Several  facts  of  significance,  particularly  for  regeneration,  have  come 
from  a  study  of  plant  embryos.  In  a  number  of  cases  the  young  embryo 
may  spontaneously  divide  into  several  parts  each  of  which  apparently  has 
the  capacity  to  develop  into  a  whole  plant.  Such  cleavage  polyembryony 
has  been  studied  by  Buchholz  and  others  (p.  235).  In  certain  plants, 
notably  some  members  of  the  citrus  family,  embryos  may  arise  not  only 
through  a  sexual  process  but  by  budding  from  the  tissues  of  the  nucellus. 
Such  nucellar  embryos  are  important  for  genetics  as  well  as  for  morpho- 
genesis. 

Of  particular  interest,  however,  are  those  forms  in  which  the  early  struc- 
tures are  markedlv  different  from  later  ones  and  in  which  characteristic 
"juvenile"  stages  can  be  seen.  This  type  of  development  has  been  termed 
heteroblastic  by  Goebel  in  contrast  to  the  more  gradual  homoblastic  type. 
The  difference  is  particularly  conspicuous  in  the  character  of  the  leaves, 
which  in  the  seedling  are  often  quite  unlike  those  of  the  mature  plant. 
The  first  pair  of  leaves  in  the  Eucalyptus  seedling,  for  example,  are  hori- 
zontally oriented  and  dorsiventral  in  structure  though  all  later  foliage  is 
characteristically  pendulous  and  bifacial.  The  juvenile  leaves  of  Acacia 


Fig.  8-15.  Development  of  the  embryo  of  Capsella  bursa-pastoris 
from  the  first  division  of  the  fertilized  egg  to  the  mature  embrvo. 
( From  Johansen,  after  Soueges  and  Schuffner. ) 

207 


208  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

are  pinnately  compound  but  the  adult  ones  are  reduced  to  phyllodes 
(Fig.  8-16).  In  pine,  the  seedling  leaves  are  not  in  fascicles  but  are  borne 
singly.  The  young  plant  of  Phyllocladus  has  needle-like  leaves,  common 
in  most  other  conifers,  but  the  adult  plant  bears  phylloclads  only.  Seed- 
lings of  cacti  have  leaves  but  these  are  absent  in  adult  plants.  Many  more 
such  examples  could  be  cited  (Jackson,  1899). 

There  are  some  cases  in  which  the  internal  structure  is  markedly  dif- 
ferent in  young  plant  and  adult,  usually  being  simpler  in  character  in  the 


Fig.  8-16.  Juvenile  leaves  of  Acacia  seedling  (pinnately  compound)  contrasted  with 
the  flattened  phyllodes  that  constitute  the  adult  foliage.  (After  Velenovsky.) 

former.  Thus  in  ferns  which  have  a  complex  vascular  system  in  the  ma- 
ture plant,  the  young  sporeling  possesses  a  relatively  simple  protostele  or 
siphonostele.  Species  with  many-bundled  leaf  traces  usually  have  only 
three  in  the  seedling.  Secondary  tissues  are  also  less  complex  in  young 
plants.  Schramm  ( 1912)  finds  that  juvenile  leaves  generally  resemble  adult 
shade  leaves  in  structure.  There  are  differences,  particularly  as  to  vena- 
tion, between  the  early,  deeply  pinnatifid  leaves  of  Lacunaria  and  the 
simple  mature  type  ( Foster,  1951 ) .  Robbelen  ( 1957 )  finds  that  in  chloro- 
phyll-defective mutants  the  juvenile  form  of  leaf  is  retained  later  than 


Differentiation 


209 


normally  and  has  a  relatively  small  meristem.  Normal  leaves  are  not  pro- 
duced until  the  meristem  reaches  a  diameter  of  80  to  90  /*. 

Schaffalitzky  de  Muckadell  (1954)  has  reviewed  the  literature  on  ju- 
venile stages. 

Juvenile  traits  often  resemble  those  of  plant  types  presumably  an- 
cestral for  the  stock  in  question  (Sahni,  1925,  and  others).  This  seems 
evident  in  many  of  the  examples  cited.  Most  Leguminosae  other  than 
Acacia  have  leaves  and  not  phyllodes,  and  most  Myrtaceae  other  than 
Eucalyptus  have  dorsiventral  leaves.  These  facts  suggest  that  the  seedling 
repeats  or  recapitulates  ancestral  traits,  much  as  the  animal  embryo  has 


LEAVES     AT    NODES     1-5 


A-8 


A-24        A-20 


A-9 


A-24XA-8 
Fi 

Fig.  8-17.  Changes  in  leaf  shape  in  cotton  at  five  successive  nodes  above  the  cotyle- 
dons, in  four  varieties  of  cotton  and  an  Fi.  ( From  Dorothy  Hammond. ) 


been  thought  to  do.  There  is  much  doubt  in  many  cases,  however,  as  to 
what  the  course  of  evolution  actually  has  been  and  so  much  variation  in 
early  ontogeny  in  many  plants  that  it  is  impossible  to  establish  the  doc- 
trine of  recapitulation  as  an  invariably  useful  guide  to  phylogeny. 

Progressive  Developmental  Changes.  More  common  than  these  con- 
spicuous cases  of  differentiated  juvenile  stages  are  those  where  there  is 
not  a  sharp  distinction  between  juvenile  and  later  forms  but  a  gradual 
change  from  the  younger  part  of  the  plant  to  older  ones.  Many  examples 
of  this  are  reported  in  the  literature.  Goebel  (1896)  described  eight  suc- 
cessive leaf  types  in  the  climbing  aroid  Anadendrum  medium  which 
occurred  at  different  levels  and  showed  an  increasing  degree  of  com- 


210  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

plexity.  Hammond  (1941;  Fig.  8-17)  and  Stephens  (1944)  have  described 
similar  changes  in  leaf  shape  in  cotton,  and  Montfort  and  Miiller  ( 1951 ) 
in  mistletoe.  Von  Maltzahn  (1957;  Fig.  8-18)  has  compared  leaf  char- 
acters throughout  plant  development  in  large  and  small  races  of  Cucur- 
bita  and  the  hybrid  between  them. 

Similar  alterations  have  also  been  found  in  reproductive  structures.  In 
Chamaecyparis  there  is  a  gradient  of  sexuality  in  the  branches,  the  tips 
being  sterile,  with  female  cones  below  and  male  ones  still  farther  back 
(Courtot  and  Baillaud,  1955).  There  is  a  flower  bud  in  the  axil  of  each 
leaf  of  Cucurbita  pepo  but  the  type  of  flower  produced  by  it  tends  to  vary 
with  the  position  of  the  leaf  on  the  plant,  in  the  following  sequence: 
underdeveloped  male,  normal  male,  normal  female,  inhibited  male,  and 
parthenocarpic  female  (Fig.  8-19).  The  order  of  these  steps  in  progressive 
feminization  is  constant  but  the  length  of  each  is  affected  by  temperature 


Fig.  8-18.  Change  of  leaf  size  during 
plant  growth.  Lamina  length  of  succes- 
sive leaves  in  cucurbit  plants  of  small- 
fruited  and  large-fruited  types  and  the  Fi 
between  them.  ( From  von  Maltzahn. ) 


I     3     5     7    9    I  I    13  15  I  7  19  21 


and  day-length,  high  temperatures  and  long  days  extending  the  male 
phase  and  delaying  the  female  one  ( Nitsch,  Kurtz,  Liverman,  and  Went, 
1952). 

Leaves  are  especially  good  material  in  which  to  study  such  changes, 
and  Ashby  ( 1948/?,  1950a,  and  Ashby  and  Wangermann,  1950)  has  made  a 
thorough  investigation  of  the  changing  character  of  the  leaves  in  Ipomoea, 
describing  the  progressive  differences  in  their  size  and  shape  and  in  the 
size  and  number  of  their  cells  from  lower  nodes  to  upper  ones  (Fig. 
8-20).  He  presents  evidence  that  these  changes  are  not  primarily  due  to 
environmental  factors  (although  such  are  operative)  but  to  alteration  of 
inner  conditions.  In  his  1948  papers  Ashby  reviews  this  field  and  discusses 
at  some  length  Krenke's  theory  (1940)  that  such  changes  are  due  to  the 
physiological  age  of  the  plant,  as  contrasted  to  its  age  in  time.  Krenke 
regards  aging  as  progress  toward  maturity,  particularly  reproductive  ma- 
turity, which  is  sometimes  followed  by  further  changes,  in  a  cycle.  At 
points  along  this  progression  rejuvenescence  may  occur,  as  on  shoots 
grown  from  lateral  buds.  Successive  nodes  are  units  in  a  developmental 


Differentiation 


211 


scale,  and  the  form  of  the  leaf  is  a  quantitative  criterion  of  physiological 
age.  In  cotton,  maximum  lobing  of  the  leaf  is  reached  at  flowering,  earlier 
and  later  leaves  being  less  lobed.  The  cyclical  change  proceeds  more 
rapidly  in  early-flowering  than  in  late-flowering  types,  and  conditions  that 
hasten  flowering  hasten  lobing.  Krenke  believes  that  rate  of  change  in 
leaf  shape  is  inherited  and  that  early-maturing  varieties  may  thus  be  dis- 
tinguished in  the  seedling  stage. 

PARTHENOCAKP1C 


FEMALE 
FLOWERS 


^ 


GIANT    FEMALE 
AND    INHIBITED 
MALE    FLOWERS 


Fig.  8-19.  Cucurbita.  Sequence  of  flower 
types  on  a  plant  of  the  acom  squash. 
( From  Nitsch,  Kurtz,  Liverman,  and 
Went.) 


OJ 


NORMAL 

MALE   8  FEMALE 

FLOWERS 


NORMAL 
MALE    FLOWERS 


UNDERDEVELOPED 
MALE    FLOWERS 


Ashby  has  confirmed  some  of  Krenke's  conclusions  but  finds  others  very 
doubtful.  The  possibility,  however,  of  relating  successive  morphological 
changes  to  physiological  ones  has  important  implications  for  the  problem 
of  form  determination.  One  may  question  Krenke's  assertion  that  his 
hypothesis  is  based  on  dialectical  materialism,  but  the  hypothesis  itself 
should  be  explored  as  one  hopeful  approach  to  morphogenetic  problems. 

The  bearing  of  Krenke's  ideas  on  the  problem  of  senescence  is  of  in- 


212  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

terest.  Attention  has  already  been  called  (p.  38)  to  Benedict's  work  on 
progressive  reduction  in  size  of  structural  units  (cells  and  vein  islets)  in 
vegetatively  propagated  clones  as  they  grow  older,  presumably  the  result 
of  loss  of  vigor.  This  conclusion  is  still  open  to  doubt,  however. 

Topophysis.  The  changes  so  far  discussed  have  been  either  juvenile  ones 
or  those  distributed  through  most  of  the  life  cycle.  In  many  plants,  how- 
ever, the  contrast  in  differentiation  does  not  come  until  the  onset  of  repro- 
ductive maturity.  Diels  ( 1906)  observed  that  environmental  factors  which 
promote  flowering  also  hasten  the  transition  from  juvenile  to  adult  foliage. 


z 
o 


CO 


1X1 
LU 


NODES  NUMBERED  FROM  BASE 


T 


~l 1 1 1 1 1 «  ■      »  TTT1 

2    3    4      5        6       7  8  n-8    n-7  n-6  n. 

Fig.  8-20.  Change  in  leaf  shape  at  successive  internodes  from  base  to  tip  in  Ipomoea 
caerulea.   (From  Ashby.) 

The  reproductive  stage  is  marked  by  characteristic  changes  at  the  meri- 
stem,  especially  in  the  shape  of  its  terminal  dome.  In  the  vegetative  phase 
this  is  typically  low  and  rounded,  but  when  flower  buds  are  to  be  differ- 
entiated it  assumes  a  much  steeper  and  more  elongate  form.  The  produc- 
tion of  reproductive  organs  marks  for  most  plants  a  radical  reorganization 
of  their  developmental  processes  (p.  184)  and  is  often  accompanied  by 
changes  so  profound  that  they  are  irreversible.  This  is  of  especial  morpho- 
genetic  significance. 

In  most  cases  these  changes  have  little  effect  on  the  character  of  the 
vegetative  organs,  but  such  cases  are  sometimes  found.  In  the  conifer 


Differentiation  213 

Dacrydium  ciipressinam,  for  example,  needle-like  foliage  (resembling 
that  of  seedlings  in  many  species  with  scaly  leaves )  occurs  not  only  in  the 
seedling  but  throughout  the  early  life  of  the  tree.  Only  when  it  begins  to 
bear  reproductive  organs,  at  the  age  of  20  years  or  more,  does  the  foliage 
assume  the  scale-like  character  which  then  continues  throughout  the  rest 
of  its  life.  This  may  be  interpreted  as  the  persistence  of  a  juvenile  con- 
dition until  the  period  of  reproduction. 

A  more  conspicuous  example  and  one  which  has  been  widely  studied 
is  that  of  the  English  ivy,  Hedera  helix  ( Fig.  8-21 ) .  The  vegetative  phase 
of  this  plant  is  a  vine  with  five-lobed  leaves  climbing  by  adventitious  roots 


Fig.  8-21.  Hedera  helix.  Flowering  shoot  with  ovate,  entire  leaves,  and  a  single  leaf 
of  the  vegetative  "juvenile"  region.  (From  Goebel.) 

and  flattened  against  its  support  and  often  is  the  only  form  of  this  species 
to  be  seen.  After  some  time  and  under  conditions  favorable  for  reproduc- 
tion, however,  flower-bearing  shoots  arise  and  will  grow  for  many  years. 
Their  tropistic  behavior  is  changed,  for  they  no  longer  climb  but  grow 
directly  outward  toward  the  light  and  away  from  their  support.  Their 
structure  is  also  much  altered,  for  the  leaves  are  now  oval  rather  than 
lobed  and  are  spirally  arranged.  The  lobed  climbing  form  may  be  re- 
garded as  a  persistent  juvenile  condition. 

The  reorganization  of  the  pattern  of  differentiation  in  the  transition 
from  seedling  to  adult  or  from  the  vegetative  to  the  reproductive  phase 


214  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

of  the  ontogenetic  cycle  is  usually  reversible  in  the  sense  that  cuttings 
taken  from  any  part  of  the  shoot  system  or  at  any  stage  of  development 
will,  by  regeneration,  produce  a  normal  plant.  In  some  cases,  however, 
changes  at  the  growing  point  have  been  so  great  that  the  newly  developed 
structures  seem  to  have  undergone  irreversible  modification.  A  notable 
example  of  this  is  the  English  ivy  described  in  the  preceding  paragraph, 
for  in  this  plant  cuttings  made  from  the  flowering  shoot  rarely  revert  to 
the  climbing  form  but  instead  produce  upright,  radially  symmetrical 
plants,  the  variety  arborea  of  horticulture.  These  are  often  used  as  dwarf, 
tree-like  ornamentals  but  usually  die  after  a  few  years.  No  genetic  change 
is  involved  here,  for  seeds  produce  the  climbing,  lobed  form  again.  There 
has  been  a  good  deal  of  debate  as  to  the  complete  irreversibility  of  this 
change  (Bruhn,  1910;  Furlani,  1914),  but  the  usual  behavior  is  the  one 
just  described.  Kranz  (1931),  however,  finds  that  the  transition  from 
juvenile  to  adult  foliage  is  often  not  a  sudden  one  but  that  the  five-lobed 
type  gives  place  to  a  three-lobed  one  before  the  mature,  ovate  leaves  are 
formed.  Robbins  (1957)  was  able  to  change  the  adult  form  of  foliage  to 
the  juvenile  one  by  treatment  with  gibberellic  acid. 

A  somewhat  similar  case  is  the  persistence  of  juvenile  structures  which 
can  sometimes  be  induced  by  growing  cuttings  from  the  seedling  stem. 
The  most  notable  example  of  this  is  found  in  certain  of  the  cypress-like 
conifers,  where  the  seedling  leaves  are  needle-like  but  are  soon  followed 
by  the  scale-like  foliage  characteristic  of  the  species.  If  cuttings  are  made 
from  the  lateral  branches  arising  just  above  the  cotyledons  in  Thuja,  for 
example,  they  will  produce  plants,  often  growing  to  small  trees,  which 
bear  nothing  but  the  needle-like  juvenile  foliage,  the  horticultural  variety 
"Retinospora"  (Beissner,  1930).  Such  plants  do  not  flower  and  are  rela- 
tively short-lived.  In  some  way,  severance  of  the  juvenile  shoot  from  its 
roots  seems  to  have  prevented  completion  of  the  normal  ontogenetic 
cycle.  Other  cases  have  been  reported  in  which  seedlings  used  as  cuttings 
grow  very  differently  from  those  which  are  left  on  their  own  roots 
(M.  R.  Jacobs,  1939).  Beissner's  results  were  challenged  by  Woycicki 
(1954),  who  grew  cuttings  from  seedlings  of  Thuja,  Chamaecyparis,  and 
Biota  but  found  that  the  juvenile  foliage  did  not  persist.  He  believes  that 
the  Retinospora  forms  arose  by  spontaneous  mutations  in  seedlings  or 
young  shoots. 

Whatever  the  facts  in  this  case  may  be,  others  have  been  reported  in 
which  it  is  certain  that  cuttings  taken  from  various  parts  of  the  plant 
produce  individuals  different  from  the  normal  type  and  like  the  part  of 
the  plant  from  which  they  came  and  in  which  these  differences  persist 
during  the  life  of  the  cutting,  or  at  least  for  a  long  time,  but  do  not  involve 
genetic  change.  This  phenomenon  Molisch  ( 1930 )  termed  topophysis.  A 
familiar  example  occurs  in  Araucaria  (p.  189),  where  the  flattened,  dor- 


Differentiation  215 

siventral  character  of  the  lateral  branches  persists  in  cuttings  made  from 
these  branches.  All  these  cases  of  persistent  differentiation  are  of  particu- 
lar interest  in  providing  material  for  a  study  of  the  cause  and  character  of 
differential  change. 

The  origin  of  differences  arising  at  different  times  in  a  repeated  cycle, 
rather  than  at  a  different  place  on  the  plant,  Seeliger  (1924)  has  termed 
cyclophysis. 

DIFFERENTIATION  IN  RELATION  TO  ENVIRONMENT 

Most  of  the  examples  of  differentiation  thus  far  cited  seem  to  be  pri- 
marily the  expression  of  a  developmental  pattern  controlled  by  the  genetic 
constitution  of  the  individual.  Obviously  such  a  constitution  cannot  op- 
erate except  in  an  environment  of  some  sort,  for  genes  control  specific 
differences  in  reaction  to  specific  environmental  factors.  It  is  therefore  to 
be  expected  that  differentiation  should  be  greatly  influenced  by  the  en- 
vironment, both  internal  and  external. 

The  basis  for  differentiation  itself  is  provided  by  the  environment,  for 
the  most  important  contribution  that  the  physical  environment  makes, 
morphogenetically,  is  to  set  up  a  gradient  in  the  organism.  This  cannot 
be  done  unless  the  environment  itself  displays  a  gradient  in  direction  or 
intensity.  Fern  prothallia,  for  example,  grown  in  culture  on  a  shaking 
machine,  and  thus  exposed  equally  to  gravity  on  all  sides,  or  on  a  revolv- 
ing table,  and  thus  exposed  equally  to  light  on  all  sides  (p.  137),  are  in  a 
homogeneous  environment  which  has  no  gradients,  no  single  direction  of 
gravity  or  light.  As  a  consequence  the  organism  produces  an  amorphous 
mass  of  tissue  for  it  is  without  a  polar  axis,  the  basis  for  its  differentiation. 
Such  an  axis  must  be  induced,  at  least  at  the  very  start,  by  an  asym- 
metrical environment. 

Environment  and  External  Differentiation.  The  most  obvious  relation 
between  environment  and  differentiation  is  in  the  effect  that  external 
factors  have  on  the  form  and  character  of  plant  organs.  Most  of  the  final 
part  of  this  book  will  be  concerned  with  the  morphogenetic  effects  of  such 
factors.  Light  influences  the  differentiation  of  reproductive  and  other 
structures  by  its  intensity,  its  wave  length,  and  the  duration  of  its  photo- 
period.  The  amount  of  available  water  is  important  in  the  induction  of 
xeromorphic  structures.  Temperature,  particularly  in  early  development, 
seems  to  affect  the  rate  of  certain  processes  that  are  precursors  to  flower- 
ing. Chemical  agents,  notably  growth  substances,  have  a  marked  influence 
on  differentiation  of  all  sorts.  The  discussion  of  these  problems  must  wait 
until  later  pages.  There  are  a  few  conspicuous  instances,  however,  where 
differentiation  obviously  is  dependent  on  environmental  factors  which  can 
best  be  described  here. 


216  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

One  is  the  general  phenomenon  of  heterophylly,  where  two  or  more 
widely  different  types  of  leaves,  usually  without  intermediate  forms,  may 
occur  on  the  same  plant.  This  difference  is  most  commonly,  though  not 
always,  associated  with  the  plant's  ability  to  live  either  submersed  in 
water  or  rooted  in  the  ground  with  its  shoots  in  the  air  ( Gliick,  1924,  and 
p.  330 ) .  This  may  be  interpreted  as  a  case  of  heteroblastic  development  in 
which  the  manifestations  are  reversible.  It  is  related  to  the  problems  of 
juvenile  stages  and  progressive  development  discussed  in  the  preceding 
section. 

In  many  species  of  the  pondweeds  (Potamogeton)  the  floating  leaves, 
which  rest  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  are  relatively  broad  and  have  an 
internal  structure  not  unlike  ordinary  herbaceous  foliage,  whereas  the 
leaves  borne  under  water  are  long,  narrow,  and  membranous,  thus  being 
adapted  to  live  as  submerged  organs.  Somewhat  similar  differences  may 
be  seen  in  various  "amphibious"  plants  (p.  332),  such  as  the  water  butter- 
cup (Ranunculus  aquatilis)  and  the  mermaid  weed  (Proserpinaca  palus- 
tris ) .  These  species  live  in  environments  where  part  of  their  foliage  grows 
in  air  and  part  is  submersed  under  water.  Under  the  former  condition, 
the  leaves  are  relatively  broad  and  well  provided  with  stomata  and  inter- 
cellular air  chambers.  In  the  latter  they  are  much  dissected  and  thinner. 
These  effects  of  the  environment  on  water  buttercup  were  observed  by 
Lamarck  and  played  an  important  part  in  the  development  of  his  theory 
of  evolution.  The  relation  of  differences  between  the  "water"  and  "land" 
forms  in  such  plants  to  those  between  juvenile  and  adult  stages  has  been 
discussed  by  various  workers.  Burns  (1904)  believes  that  the  "water" 
form  of  Proserpinaca  is  the  juvenile  stage,  associated  with  unfavorable 
conditions,  and  the  "land"  form  the  adult  type  and  associated  with  flower- 
ing. He  found  that  only  the  broad,  entire  leaves  were  formed  in  the 
flowering  season  and  only  the  dissected  ones  in  the  winter.  Whether  all 
such  cases  of  heterophylly  may  thus  be  interpreted  is  a  question.  Vischer 
( 1915 )  has  called  attention  to  the  close  relation  between  certain  environ- 
mental factors  (such  as  removal  of  leaves,  weak  light,  damp  air,  deple- 
tion of  carbohydrate  reserves,  and  increased  soil  fertility )  and  the  produc- 
tion of  juvenile  foliage  (see  also  p.  206).  Factors  which  favor  reproduction 
tend  to  produce  adult  foliage.  Under  certain  conditions  a  return  to  the 
juvenile  condition  may  be  induced  (Woltereck,  1928).  There  is  no  evi- 
dence that  the  ribbon-like  submersed  leaves  of  Potamogeton  are  juvenile 
in  type,  however.  Arber  (1919)  points  out  that  in  Sagittaria  (another 
"amphibious"  plant)  the  first  leaves  are  thin  and  ribbon-like  even  when 
the  plant  is  growing  out  of  the  water  and  that  they  appear  at  maturity 
whenever  the  plant  grows  weakly.  She  believes  that  an  aquatic  environ- 
ment is  not  responsible  for  heterophylly  but  that  the  occurrence  of  hetero- 


Differentiation  217 

phylly  is  a  necessary  prerequisite  for  the  ability  of  a  plant  to  live  in  both 
aquatic  and  terrestrial  habitats. 

Pearsall  and  Hanbv  (1925)  have  evidence  that  leaf  variation  in  Pota- 
mogeton  is  due,  at  least  in  part,  to  chemical  differences  in  the  soil,  and 
Gessner  ( 1940 )  and  Bauer  ( 1952 )  relate  it  to  rate  of  metabolism  in  the 
buds.  McCallum  (1902)  thought  that  in  Proserpinaca  the  water  type  of 
leaf  arose  primarily  because  of  reduction  in  transpiration.  H.  Jones  ( 1955) 
has  made  extensive  studies  of  the  differences  in  development  of  the  pri- 
mordia  that  produce  the  linear  and  the  ovate  leaves  of  Callitriche  and 
the  conditions  under  which  these  are  formed. 

There  are  many  instances  where,  instead  of  the  permanent  induction 
of  structures  at  certain  ontogenetic  levels,  there  may  be  reversion  to  earlier 
stages  under  certain  environmental  conditions.  This  is  especially  frequent 
in  those  cases  where  juvenile  stages  are  adapted  to  different  environments 
than  are  the  adult  ones.  A  commonly  cited  example  is  that  of  Campanula 
rotundifolia,  which  has  rounded  juvenile  leaves  adapted  to  weak  light, 
although  the  mature  leaves  are  linear.  A  mature  plant  grown  in  low 
illumination  will  often  revert  to  the  juvenile  type  of  foliage.  Seedlings, 
even  in  strong  light,  however,  bear  nothing  but  juvenile  foliage.  Often 
wounding  will  bring  about  such  reversion,  as  in  shoots  growing  from  in- 
jured regions  of  certain  pines,  which  for  a  time  bear  foliage  like  that  of 
the  seedling.  With  many  perennials  there  is  a  partial  return  to  the  juvenile 
stage  at  the  beginning  of  each  growing  season. 

Frank  and  Renner  (1956)  found  that  in  Hedera  helix  chemical  treat- 
ments of  various  sorts  did  not  induce  reversion  to  the  juvenile  state  but 
that  cold  shocks  and  X  irradiation  did  so.  De  Zeeuw  and  Leopold  ( 1956 ) 
were  able  to  induce  flowering  by  auxin  treatment  in  juvenile  plants  that 
otherwise  would  not  have  flowered.  They  suggest  that  the  completion  of 
the  juvenile  phase  may  be  due  to  the  accumulation  of  a  sufficient  auxin 
level.  Robbins  ( 1957 )  has  shown  the  effectiveness  of  gibberellin  in  ju- 
venile reversion.  Allsopp  ( 1955 )  attributes  heteroblastic  differentiation 
in  general  to  changes,  chiefly  of  size,  in  the  shoot  apex  following  alter- 
ation of  the  water  balance  ( p.  332) . 

Environment  and  Internal  Differentiation.  Internal  differentiation,  also, 
may  be  greatly  affected  by  environmental  factors.  It  is  important  to  recog- 
nize that  changes  that  take  place  in  this  process  are  part  of  an  underlying 
pattern  of  relationships  among  the  cells  and  between  them  and  the  en- 
vironment. 

This  fact  is  made  clear  whenever  such  relationships  are  disturbed.  If 
tissue  like  the  cortex,  for  example,  is  exposed  to  the  outside  air  by  re- 
moval of  the  outer  cell  layers,  structures  tend  to  differentiate  at  the  new 
surface  which  are  characteristic  for  such  a  position.  Thus  when  Vochting 


218  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

( 1908 )  sliced  off  a  portion  of  a  kohlrabi  tuber,  the  living  cells  at  the  new 
surface  differentiated  into  a  rather  typical  epidermis  in  which  even 
stomata  were  formed.  In  roots  of  the  Araceae  and  air  roots  of  orchids, 
where  there  is  no  cell  division  after  an  injury,  parenchyma  cells  near  a 
newly  exposed  surface  redifferentiate  into  thick-walled  ones  essentially 
like  those  of  a  normal  hypodermis. 

Even  more  complex  patterns  may  be  reconstituted  under  the  influence 
of  a  different  environment.  In  the  roots  of  Philodendron  Glaziovii  there  is 
a  row  of  brachysclereids  a  few  cell  layers  below  the  surface.  After  the 
experimental  removal  of  the  outer  tissues,  a  similar  row  of  thick-walled 
cells  differentiates  at  about  the  same  distance  below  the  new  surface 
( Bloch,  1926 ) .  In  the  air  root  of  Monstera,  the  cells  of  the  cortex  normally 
remain  undifferentiated  for  a  considerable  distance  back  from  the  tip. 


Fig.  8-22.  Air  root  of  Philodendron.  Below  arrow, 
normal  hypodermal  tissue  pattern,  with  layer  of 
brachysclereids.  Above,  regeneration  of  similar 
layer  below  wound.  (From  Bloch.) 


At  this  point,  however,  the  four  or  five  cell  rows  next  the  outside  often 
form  thick,  lignified  walls  and  develop  into  brachysclereids.  The  differ- 
ence between  these  cells  and  their  unlignified  neighbors  is  not  evident  at 
the  last  cell  division  nor  can  it  be  traced  through  any  cell  lineage.  It  arises 
as  these  two  types  of  cells  become  mature.  The  occurrence  of  lignification 
is  apparently  related  to  the  position  of  cells  with  reference  to  the  surface 
of  the  root  and  thus  probably  to  such  an  environmental  factor  as  an 
oxygen  or  water  gradient.  When  a  root  of  Monstera  is  wounded  in  such  a 
manner  that  the  parenchyma  cells  of  the  inner  cortex  are  now  exposed  to 
a  new,  artificially  produced  surface,  they  become  thick-walled  brachy- 
sclereids (Bloch,  1944;  Fig.  8-22).  When  Wardlaw  isolated  the  central 
core  of  the  shoot  meristem  by  vertical  incisions,  he  observed  that  the 
cylinder  of  vascular  tissue  regenerating  inside  the  core  developed  at  a 
constant  distance  from  the  new  surface  made  by  the  cuts  ( p.  238 ) . 
In  a  few  instances  where  the  normal  ontogeny  may  be  completed  under 


Differentiation  219 

a  given  environment,  exceptionally  favorable  conditions  will  enable  the 
plant  to  realize  developmental  potencies  which  it  never  would  display 
otherwise.  Thus  Bloch  (1935/?)  has  shown  that  in  Tradescantia  flumi- 
nensis,  which  typically  has  bundle  sheaths  with  only  thin-walled  cells, 
wounding  may  so  stimulate  differentiation  that  thick-walled  sheath  cells, 
similar  to  those  in  related  species  of  Tradescantia,  may  be  formed.  Here 
the  ontogenetic  cycle  has  been  extended  beyond  its  normal  course,  either 
in  reversion  to  a  former  evolutionary  level  or  toward  the  realization  of 
developmental  potencies  not  yet  normally  expressed  by  this  species, 
though  common  in  related  ones. 

Often  the  whole  histological  pattern  may  be  affected.  In  air  roots  of 
orchids  growing  freely,  adventitious  roots  are  produced  on  all  sides;  but 
if  the  root  is  in  contact  with  a  support,  these  lateral  roots  are  formed  only 
next  the  support,  presumably  because  of  differences  in  moisture  or  other 
factors  on  the  two  sides  (Bloch,  1935«).  Anatomical  differences  are  also 
evident  in  these  two  root  sectors. 

In  differentiation,  the  role  of  specific  substances,  particularly  growth 
substances,  is  important  (p.  390).  Root-forming  substances,  shoot-forming 
substances,  flower-forming  substances,  and  others  have  been  postulated. 
That  a  substance  by  itself  has  a  specific  organ-forming  character  is  prob- 
ably too  naive  a  conception,  but  certainly  auxin  and  various  other  hor- 
mones and  growth  substances  are  effective  as  stimuli  which  call  forth 
specific  morphogenetic  responses  in  the  plant.  Auxin  influences  the  growth 
of  cambium,  the  development  of  vessels,  and  other  histological  processes. 
It  also  inhibits  certain  activities.  Beneath  epidermal  cells  that  regenerate 
new  shoots  (p.  245)  vascular  tissue  often  differentiates,  presumably  because 
of  a  substance  coming  from  the  young  bud,  which  thus  is  able  to  estab- 
lish a  connection  with  the  main  vascular  system.  Camus  has  shown  that 
buds  grafted  to  pieces  of  fleshy  root  in  tissue  culture  induce  the  differen- 
tiation of  vascular  tissue  in  parenchyma  cells  beneath  them,  and  Wetmore 
found  that  auxin  alone  does  the  same  thing  ( p.  405 ) . 

In  general,  environmental  factors  seem  chiefly  to  affect  the  later  stages 
in  cellular  differentiation  and  especially  the  character  of  the  cell  wall.  The 
fundamental  pattern  of  a  structure  is  less  affected  than  are  its  quantitative 
expression  and  the  size  and  character  of  the  cells  that  compose  it. 

What  a  cell  or  tissue  will  do  depends  in  part  upon  its  innate  genetic 
potentialities  and  in  part  upon  the  environment  in  which  it  happens  to  be. 
Cells  possess  different  degrees  of  reactivity  to  environmental  differences. 
In  some,  this  is  small,  and  the  fate  of  the  cell  is  therefore  rather  fixed  and 
limited,  regardless  of  its  environment.  In  others  its  developmental  reper- 
toire is  much  wider,  and  it  may  be  greatly  influenced  by  the  conditions 
which  surround  it.  It  should  be  remembered  that  the  degree  of  a  cell's 
reactivity  is  not  constant  but  that  it  may  vary  with  the  position  that  the 


220  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

cell  occupies  in  the  whole  developmental  pattern  and  in  the  ontogeny 
of  the  individual  and  especially  that  it  depends  upon  the  point  that  the 
cell  has  reached  in  its  own  cycle  of  maturity.  The  developmental  expres- 
sion of  the  genetic  constitution  of  a  plant  and  of  its  various  parts  is  there- 
fore not  fixed  and  constant  but  is  continually  changing. 

PHYSIOLOGICAL  DIFFERENTIATION 

All  differentiation,  of  course,  has  its  basis  in  the  physiological  activities 
of  living  substance,  but  it  can  usually  be  recognized  most  readily  when 
these  activities  result  in  the  production  of  visible  differences  in  structure. 
It  is  such  differences  that  have  chiefly  been  considered  in  the  preceding 
pages.  Physiological  differentiation  itself,  however,  can  often  be  demon- 
strated, and  experiments  in  this  field  offer  hope  for  the  solution  of  many 
developmental  problems.  A  few  typical  examples  will  be  discussed  briefly 
here  and  others  in  later  pages. 

The  diversities  in  structure  between  root  and  shoot  are  doubtless  the 
expressions  of  fundamental  physiological  differences.  One  of  the  most  con- 
spicuous of  these  is  in  vitamin  synthesis.  By  culture  methods  it  is  possible 
to  grow  roots  indefinitely  from  a  bit  of  root  tip.  Such  root  cultures  must 
be  provided  with  the  necessary  mineral  salts  and  also  with  a  source  of 
carbohydrates  (usually  sucrose).  These  alone  prove  to  be  not  enough  to 
secure  indefinite  growth,  and  they  must  be  supplemented  by  small 
amounts  of  certain  vitamins,  in  most  cases  thiamin.  It  is  clear,  therefore, 
that  such  roots  are  unable  to  synthesize  this  vitamin.  Since  thiamin  is 
known  to  be  present  in  the  shoots  of  plants,  this  is  evidently  the  region 
in  which  it  is  produced.  In  nature,  roots  must  obtain  their  supply  from 
the  shoots.  Just  when  this  physiological  differentiation  first  occurs  is  not 
known,  but  it  is  probably  at  the  time  when  root  and  shoot  are  set  apart 
in  early  embryology. 

It  has  been  shown  that  root  and  shoot  also  differ  in  their  ability  to 
synthesize  certain  alkaloids.  Tobacco  shoots  can  be  grafted  onto  tomato 
roots,  and  leaves  and  stems  of  such  shoots  are  free  from  nicotine  (Daw- 
son, 1942).  If  tomato  shoots  are  grafted  on  tobacco  roots,  however,  the 
tomato  tissues  contain  large  quantities  of  this  alkaloid.  It  is  therefore 
obvious  that  in  such  cases  the  capacity  to  synthesize  nicotine  is  confined 
to  the  tobacco  root  and  is  not  possessed  by  its  leaves,  as  has  commonly 
been  assumed.  Certain  other  alkaloids  (as  quinine)  can  be  shown  by  such 
experiments  to  be  synthesized  in  both  roots  and  shoots.  The  fact  that  a 
substance  occurs  in  a  certain  part  of  the  plant  is  evidently  no  proof  that 
it  is  formed  there.  This  technique  of  reciprocal  grafting  provides  a  useful 
tool  for  the  demonstration  of  physiological  differentiation  of  this  sort. 


Differentiation  221 

Studies  of  geotropic  reaction  of  typical  roots  and  stems  show  that  they 
are  also  different  in  their  response  to  auxin,  the  growth  of  roots  being 
inhibited  by  concentrations  which  stimulate  growth  of  stems,  a  fact  which 
explains  the  geotropic  reactions  characteristic  of  these  two  organs.  They 
differ  physiologically  in  other  respects,  for  Collander  ( 1941 )  has  shown 
that  certain  cations  may  be  differentially  distributed  between  root  and 
shoot,  sodium  and  manganese  being  more  abundant  in  the  former  and 
calcium,  strontium,  and  lithium  in  the  latter. 

Differences  between  vegetative  and  reproductive  phases  of  the  life 
cycle  are  sometimes  physiological  as  well  as  structural.  Many  early  workers 
(Sachs,  1880,  1882)  noticed  the  difference  between  "blind"  and  "flower- 
ing" stems,  the  former  when  used  as  cuttings  producing  vegetative  growth 
only  and  the  latter,  flowering  shoots.  This  difference  has  now  been  shown 
to  be  related  to  the  presence  of  some  substance  or  substances  which 
induce  flowering  (p.  397).  Torrey  (1953)  reports  that  three  synthetic 
substances  which  inhibit  root  elongation  have  specific  effects  on  the  ac- 
celeration or  retardation  of  the  differentiation  of  xylem  and  of  phloem. 

Physiological  differentiation  must  evidently  be  important  in  sex  deter- 
mination, and  chemical  differences  between  the  sexes  have  been  found 
by  several  workers.  By  the  Manoilov  reaction,  for  example,  staminate 
and  pistillate  plants  of  poplar  can  be  distinguished,  as  well  as  "plus"  and 
"minus"  strains  of  Mucor  ( Satina  and  Blakeslee,  1926 ) .  Stanfield  ( 1944 ) 
has  described  chemical  differences  between  staminate  and  pistillate 
plants  of  Lychnis  dioica.  Aitchison  (1953)  found  that  in  several  genera 
the  sexes  were  unlike  in  oxidase  activity,  this  being  greater  in  some  cases 
in  males  and  in  others  in  females.  Hoxmeier  (1953),  working  with  Canna- 
bis and  Spinacia,  reports  that  the  tissue  fluids  of  staminate  plants  are  more 
acid  than  those  of  pistillate  ones.  In  Cannabis,  Cheuvart  (1954)  observed 
differences  between  the  sexes  in  chlorophyll  content,  especially  in  the  rate 
at  which  this  is  reduced  at  the  time  of  flowering.  Reinders-Gouwentak 
and  van  der  Veen  ( 1953 )  found  that  in  poplar  the  female  catkins  tended 
to  stimulate  wood  formation  on  the  stem  below  them  whereas  males  did 
not,  suggesting  a  difference  between  the  sexes  here  in  the  production  of 
a  growth  substance. 

Regular  changes  in  the  physiological  activity  of  the  series  of  successive 
leaves  on  a  plant,  related  to  both  position  and  age,  have  been  observed 
by  various  workers.  Dormer  ( 1951 )  determined  the  dry  weight  per  unit 
of  length  in  successive  internodes  of  Vicia  from  the  apex  downward  and 
found  that  during  the  unfolding  of  the  ninth  leaf  there  was  a  sudden 
change  in  the  distribution  of  the  dry-weight  increment.  The  nutritional 
history  of  an  internode  thus  seems  to  be  a  function  of  its  position  in  the 
stem.  The  developing  seedling  has  also  been  shown  to  change  in  its  physi- 


222  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

ological  character.  Rietsma,  Satina,  and  Blakeslee  (1953a),  by  growing 
Datura  embrvos  in  tissue  culture,  have  shown  that  the  minimal  sucrose 
requirement  falls  steadily  from  the  earliest  stages  to  the  mature  em- 
bryo. 

A  notable  example  of  physiological  ontogeny  has  been  reported  by  Wet- 
more  (1954).  In  the  developing  fern  sporeling  the  first  leaves  are  two- 
lobed.  These  are  followed  by  three-lobed  ones  and  finally  by  pinnate 
leaves  in  which  an  apical  cell  has  appeared.  Shoot  apices  from  small  fern 
sporelings,  cultured  in  mineral  nutrients  and  various  concentrations  of 
sucrose,  grew  into  whole  plants.  Where  the  concentration  was  low,  only 
two-lobed  leaves  were  formed.  Higher  concentrations  produced  three- 
lobed  ones  and  still  higher,  pinnate  ones.  The  normal  ontogenetic  progres- 
sion here  thus  seems  to  be  related  to  an  increasing  supply  of  sucrose. 

Metabolic  gradients  are  marked  by  various  physiological  differences, 
especially  as  to  the  rates  of  reactions.  Prevot  ( 1940)  observed  that  respira- 
tion in  the  apical  region  of  the  root  of  several  genera  was  greater  than 
in  the  more  distal  regions.  This  is  not  always  the  case,  however,  in  shoot 
meristems  (p.  73). 

Wardlaw  (1952c)  has  found  that  the  nutritional  status  of  the  apical 
region  in  ferns  has  an  important  effect  on  the  size  and  character  of  the 
leaves  and  stelar  structure.  Apices  that  normally  produce  large  and  com- 
plex leaves  and  an  elaborate  vascular  system,  if  reduced  in  size  by  poor 
nutrition,  will  form  "juvenile"  leaves  and  simpler  stelar  patterns. 

Biochemical  differences  of  many  sorts,  presumably  indicating  physi- 
ological diversity,  can  be  shown  in  cells  and  tissues.  Differential  staining 
reactions  are  familiar  examples  of  this.  Differences  in  hydrogen-ion  con- 
centration between  cells  visibly  alike  can  be  shown  by  the  use  of  indi- 
cators. Blakeslee  (1921)  demonstrated  the  presence  of  two  chemically 
different  areas  of  cells  in  the  petals  of  certain  races  of  Rudbeckia  with 
solid  petal  color  by  dipping  the  petals  into  phenolphthalein.  Sometimes 
differentiation  is  shown  by  the  occurrence  of  natural  pigments,  as  in  the 
root  tips  of  Phalaris  arundinacea  where  the  trichoblasts  are  pigmented 
but  the  cells  that  are  not  to  produce  root  hairs  are  colorless.  Van  Fleet's 
work  on  the  histochemical  differentiation  of  the  developing  endodermis 
has  been  mentioned  (p.  197).  Microchemical  tests  of  various  sorts  being 
out  differences  between  many  kinds  of  cells,  even  in  early  development, 
such  as  tannin  cells,  crystal  cells,  and  latex  ducts.  Spectrometric  demon- 
stration of  differences  in  distribution  of  the  nucleic  acids  are  among 
notable  recent  examples  of  this  sort  of  analysis. 

Less  work  has  been  done  in  demonstrating  physical  differences  be- 
tween cells.  In  fern  prothallia  Akdik  (1938)  and  Gratzy-Wardengg  (p. 
121 )  found  a  definite  pattern  of  differences  in  osmotic  concentration  over 
the  surface  of  the  prothallus,  and  this  seems  to  be  related  to  differences  in 


Differentiation  223 

behavior  of  these  regions  in  regeneration.  In  iris  leaves  Weber  ( 1941 ) 
showed  that  the  first  indication  of  differentiation  of  stomatal  mother  cells 
is  a  difference  in  osmotic  concentration. 

Much  cellular  differentiation  is  due  to  changes  in  the  cell  wall.  Boysen- 
Jensen  ( 1957 )  in  a  series  of  papers  has  demonstrated  various  wall  changes 
in  the  differentiation  of  root  hairs  with  particular  references  to  the  action 
of  enzymes. 

These  and  many  other  observations  show  that  morphological  differen- 
tiation has  its  physiological  concomitants.  To  explain  how  these  arise  dur- 
ing development  is  a  major  task  of  the  student  of  differentiation. 

DIFFERENTIATION  WITHOUT  GROWTH 

There  are  a  number  of  instances  among  the  fungi  where  development 
of  the  fruiting  structures  does  not  take  place  until  the  vegetative  phase 
of  the  life  cycle  has  ended  and  no  more  food  is  absorbed  from  the  en- 
vironment. Growth,  in  the  broader  sense  of  the  term,  is  therefore  com- 
pleted before  differentiation  begins,  and  the  latter  process  can  be  studied 
without  the  complications  that  are  usually  involved  when  growth  accom- 
panies it.  One  of  the  .most  notable  examples  of  this  is  furnished  by  the 
Acrasiaceae,  a  family  of  the  slime  molds. 

The  vegetative  individual  in  these  plants  is  a  single  amoeboid  cell,  or 
7ni/xamoeba.  These  multiply  profusely  by  simple  division  and  live  chiefly 
on  several  species  of  bacteria.  They  can  readily  be  grown  in  culture.  After 
vegetative  life  has  gone  on  for  some  time  and  when  external  conditions 
are  favorable,  a  large  number  of  these  myxamoebae,  in  a  group  of  from 
several  thousand  to  about  150,000,  begin  to  move  toward  a  center  of 
aggregation,  streaming  in  from  all  sides  and  piling  up  into  a  mass  of  cells, 
the  pseud oplasmodium  (Fig.  8-23).  This  is  a  millimeter  or  two  in  length, 
is  elongate  in  form,  and  somewhat  resembles  a  small  grub.  It  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  thin  sheet  of  slime.  By  the  time  that  this  aggregation  begins, 
all  vegetative  growth  has  ceased,  so  that  in  the  life  cycle  of  these  plants 
growth  (in  the  sense  of  increase  by  assimilation)  and  differentiation  are 
separate  from  each  other  in  time. 

The  process  of  aggregation  seems  to  be  controlled  by  the  production 
of  a  chemotactically  active  substance,  acrasin.  The  timing  and  mechanism 
of  this  process  have  been  discussed  by  Shaffer  ( 1957 ) .  As  to  what  deter- 
mines the  origin  of  these  centers  of  aggregation,  however,  there  is  some 
difference  of  opinion.  Sussman  (1952)  believes  that  a  few  initiator  cells 
appear  in  the  population  and  attract  their  neighbors  into  a  many-celled 
aggregate. 

Wilson  (1952)  presents  evidence  that  aggregation  has  its  origin  in  a 
sexual  process,  two  myxamoebae  fusing  early  in  aggregation  and  estab- 


224  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

lishing  a  center.  Other  fusions  occur  later  and  are  followed  by  meiosis. 
The  zygotes  can  be  distinguished  by  their  greater  size. 

In  the  pseudoplasmodium  the  myxamoebae  do  not  fuse  but  each  cir- 
culates freely  among  its  neighbors,  and  the  whole  mass  moves  over  the 
surface  of  the  substratum  by  means  that  are  not  yet  clearly  understood. 
This  body  of  separate  cells,  however,  is  not  without  some  degree  of  differ- 
entiation. It  is  elongated  in  the  direction  of  its  movement,  which  is  toward 
the  light.  The  apical  end  is  slightly  pointed  and  lifted  above  the  rest  and 
is  richer  in  acrasin  than  the  other  regions.  It  is  the  part  of  the  mass  that  is 


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Fig.  8-23.   Dictyostelium.   Stages  in  aggregation  of  myxamoebae  into  a  pseudoplas- 
modium. ( From  J.  T.  Bonner. ) 


sensitive  to  the  stimulation  of  light  and  seems  to  serve  as  a  directive 
center  for  the  whole.  A  pseudoplasmodium  from  which  the  apex  has  been 
removed  will  stop  its  motion  and  settle  down  at  once  to  form  a  fruiting 
body. 

Two  groups  of  cells  may  be  distinguished  in  the  pseudoplasmodium. 
Those  near  the  apex  and  destined  to  form  the  stalk  of  the  sorocarp  are 
somewhat  larger  than  the  ones  in  the  posterior  region,  which  will  later 
form  spores.  The  proportion  between  these  two  types  is  maintained  by 
a  regulatory  process  irrespective  of  the  size  of  the  whole  mass.  Some  cell 
division  continues  in  the  pseudoplasmodium  but  the  rate  is  different  in  its 


Differentiation  225 

two  regions.  If  the  apical  and  the  basal  halves  of  the  pseudoplasmodium 
are  experimentally  separated,  each  will  form  a  sorocarp,  but  the  one  from 
the  apical  half  produces  the  larger  spores.  Despite  these  evidences  of 
the  beginning  of  differentiation,  cells  in  one  group  can  be  changed  to 
resemble  those  of  the  other,  and  every  cell  apparently  is  totipotent.  If  a 
few  cells  are  removed  from  the  mass  they  are  no  longer  subject  to  its 
organizing  control,  and  if  food  is  present,  they  will  become  vegetative 
cells  again  and  proceed  to  multiply. 

That  the  pseudoplasmodial  axis  is  polarized  is  shown  not  only  by  the 
difference  in  structure  of  its  two  ends  but  by  their  behavior.  K.  Raper 
(1940Z?)  performed  a  series  of  grafting  experiments  between  plasmodia 
that  could  be  distinguished  by  their  color,  one  group  having  fed  on  red 
bacteria.  The  apex,  if  cut  off  and  placed  at  the  rear  of  another  plasmo- 


DICTYOSTELIUM    DISCOIDtUM 


Fig.  8-24.  Migration  of  the  pseudoplasmodium  and  formation  of  the  sorus  in  Dictyo- 
stelium  discoideum.  (From  ].  T.  Bonner.) 


dium,  will  not  fuse  with  this  one  but  will  start  off  by  itself.  It  fuses 
with  the  apical  end  of  a  decapitated  plasmodium  (Fig.  6-15).  If  an 
apex  is  cut  off  and  placed  next  the  side  of  an  intact  plasmodial  mass  it 
will  attach  itself  there  and  finally  draw  off  a  considerable  mass  of  cells 
and  establish  a  separate  plasmodium.  The  tip  of  the  mass  sometimes 
splits,  and  in  this  case  two  are  formed.  If  two  happen  to  come  together, 
they  may  fuse  into  a  single  one  of  double  size. 

Morphogenetically  the  most  significant  part  of  the  life  history  is  the 
formation  of  the  stalked  fruiting  body,  or  sorocarp.  After  a  few  hours  of 
migration,  or  when  a  pseudoplasmodium  reaches  drier  surroundings,  it 
stops  moving  and  attaches  itself  firmly  to  the  substratum  by  a  disk  of  dif- 
ferentiated cells  (Fig.  8-24).  The  cells  of  the  apical  region,  from  which 
the  stalk  is  to  be  formed,  become  large  and  vacuolate  and  each  is  en- 
closed in  a  cellulose  sheath.  As  this  is  happening,  they  are  pushed  down 
into  the  pseudoplasmodium  by  other  prestalk  cells  climbing  up  around 


226  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

them  which  in  turn  become  stalk  cells  (Fig.  8-25).  As  Bonner  describes 
it,  "The  process  is  the  reverse  of  a  fountain;  the  cells  pour  up  the  outside 
to  become  trapped  and  solidified  in  the  central  core  which  is  the  stalk. 
In  so  doing  the  whole  structure  rises  into  the  air  until  all  the  prestalk 
cells  have  been  used  up."  This  description  applies  to  the  species  most 
commonly  studied,  Dictyostelium  discoideum.  In  D.  mucoroides  and  D. 
purpureum,  however,  the  stalk  begins  to  be  formed  during  the  brief 
migration  of  the  pseudoplasmodium. 

About  10  per  cent  of  the  myxamoebae  take  part  in  the  formation  of 
disk  and  stalk.  The  others,  still  moving  freely  over  one  another,  follow 
the  growing  tip  of  the  stalk  upward  in  a  body  and  (in  Dictyostelium) 


O  Undrfferer*oled 
©  Supportive 
Spores 


n 


Fig.  8-25.  Dictyostelium  discoideum.  Diagram  of  sorocarp  formation.  A,  B,  migrating 
pseudoplasmodium.  ( From  J.  T.  Bonner. ) 


form  a  spherical  mass  of  cells,  the  sorus,  at  its  summit.  Here  each  myxa- 
moeba  rounds  up  to  make  a  dry  spore,  and  these  spores  are  later  carried 
away  by  air  currents,  each  now  capable  of  developing  into  a  myxamoeba. 
Wilson  presents  evidence  that  some  mitotic  division  occurs  before  spore 
formation. 

In  the  genus  Polysphondylium  there  is  not  only  an  apical  sorus  but 
several  whorls  of  lateral  stalks  along  the  main  one,  each  terminating  in 
a  smaller  sorus,  so  that  the  sorocarp  becomes  a  structure  of  considerable 
complexity. 

These  plants,  though  so  unlike  higher  ones,  have  constant  generic  and 
specific  differences  ( Fig.  8-26 ) .  If  myxamoebae  belonging  to  two  species 
grow  intermingled  in  the  same  culture  or  if  pseudoplasmodia  of  two 
species  are  crushed  and  experimentally  mixed,  the  cells  in  time  sort  them- 


Differentiation 


227 


Polysphon  dylium 
violaceum 


P.  pallidum 


D.  purpureum 
Dictyostelium 
mucoroides 

Fig.  8-26.  Sorocarps  of  various  members  of  the  Acrasiaceae.  (From  K.  B.  Raper.) 


selves  out  and  form  sorocarps  typical  of  each  species.  The  specific  char- 
acter of  the  sorocarp  can  be  shown  to  be  carried  by  its  spores. 

Sussman  ( 1955 )  has  found  a  number  of  mutants  of  Dictyostelium  dis- 
coideum  in  which  the  aggregating  groups,  and  consequently  the  size  of 
the  sorocarps  they  form,  is  much  smaller  than  normal.  In  some  of  these 
the  fruiting  body  consists  of  as  few  as  12  cells  but  it  still  retains  the  form, 


228  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

proportions,  and  cellular  structure  of  the  larger  ones,  surely  a  remarkable 
example  of  the  inherent  formativeness  of  these  cells.  Here  form  deter- 
mination finds  one  of  its  simplest  expressions.  The  behavior  of  the  myxa- 
moebae  in  the  Acrasiaceae  reminds  one  of  the  well-known  instance  among 
the  sponges  where  the  entire  body  may  be  separated  into  its  constituent 
cells  and  these  later  will  come  together  and  re-form  the  body  of  the 
sponge.  The  mechanism  by  which  such  morphogenetic  movements  occur 
in  the  slime  molds  and  sponges  presents  some  of  the  most  baffling  prob- 
lems in  biology. 

The  Acrasiaceae  have  been  studied  intensively  in  recent  years.  For  more 
detailed  accounts  of  experimental  work  on  them  the  reader  is  referred  to 
the  publications  of  Bonner,  Raper,  Shaffer,  Sussman,  and  Wilson,  some 
of  which  are  listed  in  the  bibliography.  The  field  has  been  reviewed  by 
J.  T.  Bonner  (1959). 

A  somewhat  similar  example  of  the  differentiation  of  a  formed  struc- 
ture by  a  mass  of  undifferentiated  cells  is  shown  by  a  specialized  family 
of  bacteria,  the  Myxobacteriaceae.  This  is  a  group  in  which  the  individual 
is  a  rod-like  cell  which  divides  by  transverse  fission,  it  lives  on  other 
bacteria.  In  the  vegetative  period  these  cells  may  be  distributed  through- 
out a  colonial  mass  or  may  occur  in  radiating  strands  or  ridges.  Myxo- 
bacteria  do  not  possess  flagella,  but  their  gliding  or  creeping  movements 
are  in  some  way  associated  with  the  abundant  slime  that  they  secrete.  In 
the  fruiting  phase  the  individuals  aggregate  into  masses,  probably  under 
the  chemotactic  influence  of  an  acrasin-like  substance,  but  no  true  pseudo- 
plasmodium  is  formed.  In  simple  types  the  aggregates  are  merely  rounded 
mounds,  but  in  forms  like  Chondromyces  crocatus  complex  stalked  and 
branching  systems  are  formed.  Here,  as  the  rods  move  upward,  piling  on 
top  of  one  another,  the  mass  is  constricted  at  the  base  and  the  layer  of 
slime  secreted  by  the  advancing  rods  hardens  into  a  stalk.  The  apical 
mass  of  cells  continues  to  move  upward  and  divides  to  form  branches 
which  culminate  in  multicellular  cysts.  In  the  production  of  these  com- 
plex fruiting  structures  by  the  migration  of  individual  cells,  and  in  the 
specific  character  which  these  structures  display,  the  Myxobacteriaceae 
resemble  the  Acrasiaceae,  though  the  groups  are  not  closely  related.  The 
same  morphogenetic  problem  as  to  how  a  specifically  formed  structure  is 
produced  by  independent  and  undifferentiated  cells  is  presented  by  both 
groups  of  plants. 

A  general  account  of  the  Myxobacteriaceae  has  been  written  by  Quin- 
lan  and  Raper  for  Volume  XV  of  the  "Encyclopedia  of  Plant  Physiology." 

Another  case  resembling  these  but  involving  much  larger  size  and  a 
higher  level  of  organization  is  to  be  found  in  the  development  of  the  fruit- 
ing body  in  the  fleshy  fungi,  such  as  the  common  mushroom,  Agaricus 
campestris.  The  vegetative  body  here  is  a  much  branched  mycelium  which 


Differentiation  229 

absorbs  food  from  the  organic  matter  in  the  soil.  When  it  has  a  good 
supply  of  this,  and  other  conditions  are  also  favorable,  the  mycelial  mate- 
rial is  mobilized  into  a  rounded  mass  just  below  the  surface  of  the  ground. 
This  develops  into  a  "button"  and  then  into  the  familiar  mushroom  fructi- 
fication, with  its  high  degree  of  differentiation.  This  is  composed  not  of 
a  mass  of  cells  that  are  attached  in  a  firm  tissue,  as  in  the  higher  plants, 
but  of  a  body  of  tangled  hyphae,  free  to  slide  past  each  other.  As  the 
stalk  increases  in  length,  these  hyphae  tend  to  be  oriented  parallel  to 
its  axis,  though  at  the  base  and  in  the  pileus  ("umbrella")  they  remain 
much  tangled.  Growth  takes  place  primarily  by  elongation  of  the  cells  of 
the  hyphae  and  is  entirely  at  the  expense  of  food  already  available  in  the 
mycelium.  How,  from  such  an  apparent  chaos  of  snarled  threads,  the 
very  precisely  formed  fruiting  body  of  the  fungus  grows  and  differen- 
tiates poses  the  same  difficult  problem  as  does  the  development  of  the 
sorocarp  in  the  Acrasiaceae,  and  one  lying  at  the  heart  of  the  morpho- 
genetic  process.  Bonner,  Kane,  and  Levey  (1956)  have  reexamined  the 
development  of  Agaricus  and  confirmed  and  extended  the  results  of  the 
classic  studies  of  de  Bary,  Atkinson,  and  Magnus,  but  the  problem  has 
attracted  relatively  little  attention  in  recent  years.  The  development  of 
these  fungus  fruiting  bodies,  however,  offers  to  the  student  of  the  prob- 
lems of  differentiation  and  form  determination  some  of  the  most  promising 
material  available  for  his  work. 


CHAPTER    9 

Regeneration 


In  the  preceding  chapters  there  have  been  considered  those  morpho- 
genetic  phenomena  which  manifest  themselves  in  normal  development. 
Polarity,  symmetry,  differentiation,  and  the  wide  variety  of  correlative 
manifestations  evident  as  the  plant  and  its  parts  progress  from  embryo  to 
maturity  are  all  indications  of  the  orderly  control  of  growth  processes 
which  is  the  visible  aspect  of  biological  organization.  But  the  progress  of 
development  is  not  always  unimpeded.  Accident  and  injuries  of  various 
sorts  may  happen  to  the  growing  plant  which  remove  a  part  of  its  tissues 
or  divide  it  into  two  or  more  incomplete  portions.  In  nature  this  may 
result  from  the  attacks  of  fungi,  insects,  or  higher  animals;  from  mechani- 
cal injuries  of  many  sorts;  or  from  unfavorable  conditions  which  impede 
the  functions  of  its  organs.  The  changes  that  follow  such  injuries,  losses, 
or  functional  disturbances  often  throw  much  light  on  morphogenetic 
activities,  and  one  of  the  most  fruitful  methods  of  studying  developmental 
processes  has  been  to  observe  the  consequences  which  follow  their  ex- 
perimental disturbance.  Indeed,  this  is  the  only  way  at  present  by  which 
many  of  these  processes  can  be  investigated  at  all. 

This  field  of  morphogenetic  research  is  not  as  active  today  as  it  was  in 
earlier  years,  and  many  of  the  most  important  papers  in  it  go  back  to 
some  decades  ago.  For  a  review  of  the  earlier  literature  the  student  is 
referred  to  McCallum  (1905),  Kupfer  (1907),  and  Goebel  (1908).  Ban- 
ning ( 1955 )  has  discussed  some  of  the  recent  work. 

An  important  fact  which  such  studies  reveal  is  that  the  organism  shows 
a  tendency  to  restore  or  replace  parts  that  have  been  removed  and  thus 
to  produce  again  a  complete  individual.  To  this  general  process,  which 
includes  a  wide  range  of  developmental  phenomena,  the  term  regenera- 
tion is  commonly  applied.  Regenerative  activities  are  much  more  common 
in  plants,  with  their  less  highly  organized  bodies,  than  in  animals  and  can 
often  be  subjected  to  a  more  complete  developmental  analysis. 

Regeneration  can  be  brought  about  not  only  by  the  removal  of  a  part 
but  by  isolating  it  physiologically  from  the  rest  of  the  plant.  In  a  young 

230 


Regeneration  231 

bean  plant,  for  example,  if  the  epicotyl  is  decapitated  the  buds  in  the 
axils  of  the  cotyledons  will  grow  into  shoots,  thus  replacing  the  leafy 
shoot  that  would  have  grown  from  the  epicotyl;  but  these  buds  may  also 
be  induced  to  grow  by  chilling  a  portion  of  the  epicotyledonary  stem  and 
thus  preventing  the  interchange  of  stimuli  or  substances  between  it  and 
the  tissues  below  ( Child  and  Bellamy,  1919 ) . 

In  general,  the  more  simple  and  undifferentiated  a  plant  is,  the  more 
completely  will  it  restore  missing  parts;  and  the  more  specialized  and 
differentiated  it  is,  the  less  regenerative  capacity  it  will  show.  Early  devel- 
opmental stages  are  thus  more  likely  to  regenerate  readily  than  later  ones, 
and  groups  lower  in  the  phylogenetic  scale  than  those  of  higher  position. 
Ability  to  regenerate  is  often  completely  lost. 

The  origin  of  regenerative  powers  in  plants  and  animals  is  sometimes 
explained  as  the  result  of  natural  selection,  much  as  in  the  case  of  other 
traits.  That  a  long  process  of  competition  and  selection  conferred  the  ability 
to  repair  almost  every  type  of  injury  seems  unlikely.  However  this  may 
be,  the  developmental  activities  in  regeneration  are  not  essentially  dif- 
ferent in  their  origin  and  control  from  those  which  occur  in  normal  de- 
velopment. In  both,  the  production  of  a  single,  complete  individual  is  the 
final  result.  The  factors  involved  in  regeneration  seem  neither  more  nor 
less  difficult  to  understand  than  those  in  normal  ontogeny,  nor  do  they 
require  a  fundamentally  different  explanation.  Both  are  manifestations  of 
general  developmental  control,  a  fundamental  self-regulation  in  the  indi- 
vidual. Both  seem  to  be  the  result  of  the  same  formative  process. 

Begeneration  is  a  term  that  has  been  variously  defined.  The  author  pro- 
poses to  use  it  here  in  the  broadest  sense,  as  the  tendency  shown  by  a 
developing  organism  to  restore  any  part  of  it  which  has  been  removed  or 
physiologically  isolated  and  thus  to  produce  a  complete  whole.  This 
covers  processes  from  wound-healing  to  the  reproduction  of  adventive 
structures  and  vegetative  multiplication,  in  which  many  different  activ- 
ities are  involved. 

In  general,  the  method  of  restoration  of  lost  parts  is  different  in  plants 
and  in  animals.  Animal  tissues  are  composed  of  thin-walled  cells,  usually 
able  to  divide  and  often  to  migrate.  Most  plant  cells  at  maturity  are 
relatively  thick-walled  and  ordinarily  do  not  divide  or  grow  further, 
though  it  has  been  shown  that  many  retain  the  power  to  do  so.  Begenera- 
tion in  animals,  therefore,  consists  largely  in  a  reorganization  of  the  re- 
maining portion  of  the  organ  or  body.  In  plants,  on  the  contrary,  this  type 
of  regeneration  is  limited  to  meristematic  or  rapidly  growing  regions  or 
to  the  relatively  rare  cases  where  cells  become  embryonic  again.  Much 
more  commonly,  at  least  in  the  higher  types,  replacement  of  lost  parts 
results  from  the  growth  of  dormant  buds  or  primordia  or  the  development 
of  new  ones.  Such  primordia  arise  from  cells  in  the  plant  body  which 


232  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

remain  alive  and  are  potentially  meristematic.  These  primordia,  often  very 
numerous,  remain  dormant  under  ordinary  conditions. 

This  fact  raises  the  question  of  what  it  is,  if  these  primordia  are 
capable  of  growing  and  forming  new  organs,  that  prevents  them  from 
doing  so.  The  concept  of  the  organism  as  a  balance  between  stimulatory 
and  inhibitory  factors  suggests  itself  here,  but  the  problem  remains  as  to 
what  localizes  and  correlates  the  activitv  of  these  factors  so  that  a  specific 
organic  system  is  established,  maintained,  and  restored,  and  what  stops 
the  regenerative  process  when  this  has  been  accomplished. 

It  should  be  remembered  that,  in  spite  of  modifications  acquired  during 
the  process  of  differentiation,  all  the  cells  are  probably  identical  geneti- 
cally, save  for  occasional  polyploidy.  The  potentially  meristematic  cells 
thus  serve,  so  to  speak,  as  a  "germ  plasm"  or  genetic  reserve  which  can 
direct  the  processes  of  regeneration  and  further  development.  Each  cell, 
at  least  in  theory,  is  capable  of  producing  an  entire  individual. 

In  regeneration,  mature  or  nearly  mature  cells  may  sometimes  become 
embryonic  again  and  then  undergo  changes  that  restore  a  disturbed  tissue 
pattern.  How  this  is  accomplished  is  of  much  interest  for  morphogenesis. 
In  it  the  first  visible  step  is  usually  a  marked  increase  in  the  amount  of 
cytoplasm  and  in  the  size  of  the  nucleus  and  an  acceleration  of  metabolic 
activity.  The  wall  also  tends  to  become  thinner.  This  process,  commonly 
termed  dedifferentiation,  has  been  described  and  the  literature  reviewed 
by  Buvat  ( 1944,  1945,  1950 ) .  Dedifferentiated  cells  assume  the  character 
of  meristematic  ones  and  can  divide  and  grow.  The  tissue  thus  formed 
may  then  differentiate  again  in  conformity  with  its  new  function  or 
position  in  the  regenerated  structure. 

REGENERATION  IN  THE  LOWER  PLANTS 

Among  the  thallophytes  and  bryophytes,  with  their  simpler  bodies  and 
lower  level  of  organization,  regeneration  is  relatively  common.  It  will  be 
discussed  briefly  in  these  groups  before  taking  up  the  more  complex 
aspects  of  it  that  vascular  plants  display. 

In  most  of  the  lower  plants  single  cells  or  groups  of  cells  have  the 
ability  to  develop  readily  into  a  whole  plant,  and  in  many  instances  they 
do  so  regularly  as  a  means  of  vegetative  reproduction.  Extreme  instances 
of  this  are  the  conversion  of  vegetative  cells  into  specialized  nonsexual 
reproductive  cells  such  as  zoospores  and  others. 

Even  when  not  thus  differentiated  for  reproduction,  the  cells  of  many 
algae  are  readily  separable  from  the  loosely  organized  thallus  and  grow 
into  new  plants,  as  in  Callithamnion  (Weide,  1938)  and  Cladophora 
(Schoser,  1956).  In  the  last  genus  the  cells  may  be  separated  from  one 


Regeneration  233 

another  by  plasmolysis,  and  each  then  grows  into  a  new  plant.  Among 
simpler  fungi  almost  any  adult  cell  on  isolation  will  give  rise  to  a  new 
mycelium.  Kerl  (1937)  found  that  single  cells  from  the  surface  of 
Pi/ronema  confluens  would  do  this.  Such  instances  could  be  multiplied 
almost  indefinitely. 

Individual  cells,  if  injured,  will  often  restore  themselves,  especially  large 
ones  like  those  of  Vaucheria  ( Weissenbock,  1939 ) ,  Dasijcladus  ( Figdor, 
1910),  and  Acetabutoria  (Hammerling,  1936)  or  the  coenocytes  of  Bryop- 
sis  and  Caulerpa  ( Janse,  1910;  Winkler,  1900;  Dostal,  1926).  In  such  algae 
as  S-phacelaria,  which  grow  by  an  apical  cell,  this  cell  may  be  replaced, 
if  injured,  by  the  cell  next  below  it,  which  first  undergoes  considerable 
reorganization  (Zimmermann,  1923).  Other  cases  have  been  described. 
Hofler  (1934)  observed  in  the  filamentous  alga  Griffithsia  that,  if  a  cell 
dies,  the  one  above  it  will  send  a  tube  either  through  it  or  around  it 
which  makes  connection  with  the  cell  below  and  thus  restores  the  con- 
tinuity of  the  living  filament. 

In  the  early  development  of  certain  animal  embryos,  if  one  of  the  first 
two  blastomeres  is  killed,  the  other  develops  into  an  entire  organism.  A 
somewhat  similar  instance  in  plants  occurs  in  Fucus.  Here,  after  the  fer- 
tilized egg  has  formed  two  cells,  an  apical  and  a  basal  (rhizoidal)  one, 
the  apical  cell  will  produce  a  new  rhizoid  at  the  basal  pole  if  the  first  is 
destroyed  (Kniep,  1907).  Setchell  (1905)  in  his  studies  of  the  kelps  de- 
scribes the  way  in  which  a  stipe,  if  the  blade  is  cut  off  from  its  tip,  will 
regenerate  a  new  one  from  the  cut  surface.  This  commonly  happens  in 
nature  where  these  plants  are  buffeted  by  the  waves,  for  there  has  devel- 
oped an  intercalary  meristem  near  the  leaf  base  which  becomes  active 
when  the  blade  is  removed.  Killian  ( 1911 )  describes  the  way  in  which  an 
injured  stem  is  reconstituted  in  Laminaria  digitata. 

Some  of  the  most  remarkable  cases  of  regeneration  occur  in  the  fruiting 
bodies  of  the  fleshy  fungi— toadstools,  mushrooms,  bracket  fungi,  and 
similar  types.  These  are  formed  from  masses  of  tangled  hyphae  which  do 
not  adhere  to  their  neighbors  as  do  cells  in  higher  plants  but  are  merely 
packed  together  in  a  weft  of  tangled  threads.  Even  so,  they  tend,  if  in- 
jured, to  restore  the  missing  portions  and  produce  a  normal  sporophore. 
This  has  been  observed  in  Stereum  by  Goebel  (1908),  in  Agaricus  by 
Magnus  (1906),  and  in  other  fleshy  fungi.  Under  favorable  conditions 
almost  any  part  of  one  of  these  fruiting  bodies  will  restore  portions  of  its 
tissues  that  are  removed.  Such  structures  provide  promising  material  for 
studies  in  regeneration.  Brefeld  and  Weir  maintain  that  every  cell  of 
C&prinus  has  the  potentiality  of  producing  an  entire  sporophore. 

Among  bryophytes,  the  hepatics  regenerate  with  particular  readiness. 
Early  work  with  these  plants  has  been  reviewed  by  Correns  ( 1899 ) .  The 


234  The  Pnenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

process  here  is  a  common  means  of  reproduction.  In  Sphoerocarpos, 
Rickett  (1920)  found  that  regeneration  occurs  from  single  cells  (or  some- 
times groups  of  adjacent  cells)  from  almost  anywhere  on  the  thallus.  At 
first  the  mass  of  cells  is  globular,  cylindrical,  or  ribbon-like  but  it  soon 
develops  into  a  typical  thallus  much  as  does  a  germinating  spore. 

In  a  study  of  vegetative  reproduction  in  Metzgeria,  Evans  (1910)  ob- 
served that  certain  cells  on  the  thallus  dedifferentiate  and  that  each  then 
grows  into  a  gemma  from  which  a  new  plant  arises.  The  distribution  of 
these  regenerative  cells  is  not  a  random  one,  however.  A  robust  thallus 
produces  no  gemmae,  and  they  are  fewer  in  plants  that  bear  sex  organs. 
If  the  apical  region  is  very  active,  there  are  no  gemmae  near  it.  If  a  piece 
of  thallus  is  isolated,  however,  gemmae  arise  in  it  abundantly.  Evidently 
there  are  factors  in  this  plant  that  tend  to  inhibit  regeneration  by  its  cells. 

Plantlets  are  frequently  produced  from  single  cells  in  the  leaves  of 
Jungermanniales,  and  here  they  often,  though  not  always,  develop  much 
as  spores  do.  It  is  sometimes  difficult  to  tell  whether  they  come  from  ordi- 
nary vegetative  cells  or  from  ones  that  are  predisposed  to  produce  them. 
Fulford  ( 1944,  1954 )  has  described  many  cases  of  reproductive  regen- 
eration in  these  plants. 

Many  mosses  also  regenerate  readily.  The  early  work  here  has  been 
reviewed  by  Heald  (1898).  Protonemata  and,  from  these,  new  plants  arise 
on  the  stem  of  some  mosses  but  rarelv  from  the  leaves  unless  the  latter 

J 

are  detached  (Gemmell,  1953).  Here  they  grow  chiefly  from  the  surface 
cells  of  the  midrib. 

Morphogenetically,  the  most  significant  aspect  of  moss  regeneration  is 
that  under  appropriate  conditions  protonemata  develop  not  only  from 
the  gametophyte  but  from  sporophyte  tissue,  both  seta  and  capsule,  and 
thus  are  diploid.  From  these  diploid  gametophytes,  tetraploid  sporophytes 
can  be  produced.  This  possibility  was  first  discovered  by  the  Marchal 
brothers  (1907-1911)  and  opened  up  a  wide  field  for  exploration.  Its 
genetic  and  physiological  aspects  have  been  explored  by  F.  von  Wettstein 
(1924)  and  his  students  (p.  437).  In  several  cases  (as  by  Springer,  1935, 
with  Phascwn )  sporogonia  have  been  observed  to  develop  directly  and 
apogamously  from  diploid  gametophytes  without  a  sexual  process.  Still 
more  remarkable,  Bauer  (1956)  observed  that  diploid  protonemata  of 
another  moss,  Georgia  pellucida,  under  certain  conditions  form  buds 
which  do  not  develop  into  leafy  gametophytes,  as  ordinarily  happens  in 
such  cases,  but  produce  sporogonia  directly.  Spores  in  these  develop 
rarely,  but  when  they  do  they  germinate  into  normal  haploid  protonemata. 

Regeneration  of  diploid  gametophytes  from  sporophytes  of  Anthoceros 
was  accomplished  by  Rink  (1935)  through  cutting  away  portions  of  the 
sporophyte.  Here  the  diploid  thalli  are  smaller  and  more  irregular  in 
shape  than  the  haploid  ones. 


Regeneration  235 


REGENERATION  IN  THE  HIGHER  PLANTS 

Among  vascular  plants  there  is  a  much  higher  degree  of  differentiation 
than  in  lower  forms  and  as  a  consequence  the  processes  of  regeneration 
are  more  complex.  In  these  plants  we  may  recognize,  for  convenience, 
three  rather  different  types  of  regenerative  activities.  Reconstitution,  or 
regeneration  proper,  includes  those  cases  in  which,  as  in  animal  regener- 
ation, there  is  a  reorganization  of  the  embryonic  tissue  by  which  its  orig- 
inal structure  is  re-formed.  This  is  usually  limited  to  truly  embryonic 
regions,  such  as  growing  points  and  young  embryos,  and  to  structures 
where  there  is  a  reorganization  of  the  tissue  pattern  by  dedifferentiation 
and  subsequent  redifferentiation.  Restoration  describes  the  wide  range 
of  cases  where  missing  tissues  or  organs  are  replaced  through  meri- 
stematic  activity  arising  in  adjacent  regions.  This  may  result  from  the 
activation  of  dormant  buds  or  primordia  already  present  or  in  the  forma- 
tion of  new  ones  such  as  occurs  in  the  origin  of  new  roots  and  shoots  in 
the  familiar  processes  of  vegetative  propagation.  Reproductive  regener- 
ation, or  vegetative  reproduction,  involves  the  separation,  by  natural 
means,  of  a  part  of  the  vegetative  body  from  the  rest  and  its  establishment 
as  a  new  plant,  a  process  which  often  occurs  in  the  lower  groups.  Similar 
cases  are  those  where  plantlets  develop  on  the  leaves  and  drop  off  to  form 
new  individuals.  These  are  all  specialized  instances  of  the  ability  of  the 
plant,  under  favorable  conditions,  to  produce  a  new  whole  from  a  part 
of  its  body,  an  ability  that  comes  from  the  totipotency  of  its  various 
members. 

Reconstitution 

This  process,  the  reorganization  of  living  material  by  which  the  normal 
structure  is  restored  when  disturbed  by  outer  circumstances,  is  relatively 
uncommon  in  plants,  since  truly  embryonic  conditions  persist  in  them  for 
only  a  relatively  short  time  before  changing  into  a  mature  state  where 
reorganization  is  difficult.  Such  reconstitution  as  does  occur  is  of  two 
sorts.  In  one,  truly  embryonic  or  meristematic  tissues  may  be  reshaped 
into  a  new  whole.  In  the  other,  tissue  already  well  along  toward  maturity 
may  undergo  a  certain  degree  of  dedifferentiation  and  redifferentiation 
so  that  its  structure  is  reorganized  and  the  original  pattern,  at  least  in 
part,  reconstituted. 

Meristematic  Reconstitution.  Among  the  simplest  cases,  and  one  which 
not  infrequently  occurs  in  nature,  is  cleavage  polyembryony.  In  many 
conifers  (Buchholz,  1926),  though  less  commonly  in  angiosperms,  the 
early  embryo  rudiment,  carried  down  into  the  endosperm  at  the  tip  of 
the  suspensors  and  still  consisting  of  only  a  few  cells,  divides  and  de- 


236  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

velops  into  two  or  more  parts  (Fig.  9-1).  These  all  grow  for  a  time  but 
usually  only  one  survives  and  develops  into  the  embryo  of  the  seed.  A 
portion  of  the  original  embryo  thus  reconstitutes  a  complete  whole.  This 
recalls  the  not  infrequent  cases  among  animals  where  one  fertilized  egg 
produces  two  or  more  individuals  (as  in  identical  twins)  or  where  a 
single  blastomere,  experimentally  isolated,  will  form  a  whole. 


Fig.  9-1.  Cleavage  polyembryony 
in  Torreya.  This  group  of  young 
embryos  have  all  come  from  a  sin- 
gle fertilized  egg  by  cleavage. 
(From  Buchholz.) 


It  is  with  the  terminal  meristems  of  the  older  plant  axis,  however,  that 
most  of  the  experimental  work  on  regeneration  has  been  carried  on.  In 
roots  it  is  generally  agreed  by  observers  that  if  only  the  extreme  tip  is 
removed,  about  y2  to  %  mm.,  a  new  growing  point  will  regenerate  di- 
rectly at  the  wound  surface  from  the  underlying  tissue  of  the  plerome.  If 
a  little  more  is  cut  off,  regeneration  is  only  partial  and  chiefly  by  the  for- 
mation of  new  growing  centers  in  the  outer  portion  of  the  root.  If  still 
more  is  removed,  true  reconstitution  ceases  and  a  callus  is  formed  with 


Regeneration  237 

adventitious  roots  growing  out  from  it.  The  early  papers  of  Prantl  (1874) 
and  Simon  ( 1904 )  on  angiosperms  and  of  Stingl  ( 1905 )  on  gymnosperms 
present  the  basic  facts,  which  have  been  reviewed  by  Nemec  ( 1905 ) . 

More  recently  Torrey  ( 1957Z? )  has  studied  the  regeneration  of  decapi- 
tated roots  grown  in  culture  media  and  as  affected  by  auxin.  If  an  abun- 
dance of  auxin  was  present,  the  vascular  cylinder  of  the  new  roots  was 
hexarch  instead  of  the  normal  triarch.  Such  a  root  reverted  to  triarch 
again  if  returned  to  the  usual  medium.  Torrey  interprets  these  changes 
as  due  to  the  direct  effect  of  auxin  on  the  size  of  the  meristematic  tip, 
the  structure  of  which  evidently  is  not  determined  by  the  mature  tissue 
farther  back. 

If  the  young  root  is  split  lengthwise,  scar  tissue  forms  on  the  inner 
portion  of  the  cut  surface  but  each  tip  will  become  reorganized  into  a 
new  and  complete  meristem  and  will  finally  reconstitute  a  normal  root 
(Lopriore,  1892).  This  argues  against  the  idea  that  there  is  a  single  apical 
cell  in  the  root.  Ball  ( 1956 )  split  the  hypocotyl  tip  of  a  Ginkgo  embryo 
and  found  that  the  effect  of  this  was  evident  for  some  distance  upward 
in  the  epicotyl  in  the  differentiation  there  of  a  divided  vascular  cylinder. 

In  the  shoot  meristem  the  situation  is  complicated  by  the  presence  of 
leaf  primordia.  Only  the  terminal  dome,  about  80  /x  back  of  the  actual  tip, 
will  be  regenerated  if  it  is  removed.  The  earlier  workers  believed  that  a 
new  apex  was  formed  here,  as  in  the  root,  by  direct  growth  from  the  cut 
surface,  and  more  recently  Mirskaja  ( 1929 )  has  reported  that  this  occurs 
in  Tradescantia.  Most  observers,  however,  have  found  that  scar  tissue 
forms  over  the  wound  and  that  one  or  more  new  meristems  arise  at  the 
edges  of  this. 

Several  plants  have  marked  powers  of  meristematic  reconstitution.  In 
the  much  reduced  aquatic  Podostemon  ceratophyllum,  if  the  tip  of  the 
shoot  is  cut  off  a  new  one  arises  from  a  group  of  cells  just  back  of  the 
cut  surface  in  or  around  a  vascular  bundle.  A  decapitated  root  is  recon- 
stituted in  much  the  same  way  (Hammond,  1936).  In  Zamio,  a  new  shoot 
will  often  grow  out  directly  from  the  stump  of  an  old  one,  usuallv  from 
the  region  of  the  central  cylinder  (Coulter  and  Chrysler,  1904).  Such 
simple  and  direct  regeneration  in  plants  is  rare. 

Karzel  ( 1924 )  and  others  split  growing  shoot  tips  and  found  that  each 
half  regenerated  more  or  less  completely,  depending  on  the  species. 
Pilkington  (1929)  split  simply  the  terminal  meristem  itself  and  observed 
the  same  result.  From  the  tissue  of  dodder  which  remains  within  the  host 
plant  after  the  external  portion  of  the  parasite  has  been  experimentally 
removed,  Truscott  (1958)  observed  the  regeneration  of  a  shoot  meristem 
which  pushed  out  through  the  surface  and  developed  into  a  normal 
dodder  shoot. 

Much  experimental  work  on  the  regeneration  of  the  shoot  apex  has 


238  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

been  done  by  Ball  in  Lupinus  and  Tropaeolum  and  by  Wardlaw  in 
Primula  and  several  ferns.  Ball  ( 1948,  1952« )  went  still  further  than 
Pilkington  and  was  able  to  split  the  meristematic  apex  into  four,  and  later 
even  into  six,  strips  ( each  still  connected  basally  with  the  axis )  and  found 
that  each  was  able  to  reconstitute  a  whole  shoot  unless  its  tip  had  been 
reduced  below  a  minimal  size.  Vascular  tissue  tended  to  be  poorly  devel- 
oped in  it  until  leaves  were  formed  by  the  new  shoot. 

Both  Ball  ( 1952/? )  and  Wardlaw  ( 1950 )  isolated  the  central  core  of  the 
shoot  meristem  from  the  rest  of  the  axis  by  three  or  four  longitudinal  in- 
cisions (Fig.  4-14),  thus  leaving  the  meristematic  dome  (or  the  apical 
cell  and  its  neighbors)  connected  with  the  vascular  tissues  below  only 
by  a  plug  of  pith  tissue.  Both  investigators  found  that  this  isolated  tip 
continued  to  grow  and  in  time  produced  procambial  tissue  independent 
of  that  in  the  axis  below.  In  the  flowering  plants  studied  this  differen- 
tiated basipetally  and  finally  joined  the  vascular  system  of  the  main  axis. 
In  the  ferns,  however,  it  did  not  do  so.  At  the  apex  of  the  isolated  core 
new  primordia  were  formed  and  (except  in  ferns)  if  this  core  was  not 
below  a  minimal  size,  it  finally  developed  into  a  normal  leafv  shoot. 
Wardlaw  observed  that  the  phyllotaxy  of  the  new  shoot  in  Primula  was 
continuous  with  that  of  the  original  axis  but  in  Ball's  material  it  was  inde- 
pendent and  often  showed  reversal  of  the  earlier  spiral.  Wardlaw  ob- 
served that  the  vascular  tissue  developing  in  the  central  core  followed  the 
outline  of  the  cut  piece  and  differentiated  at  a  rather  constant  distance 
from  the  cut  surface,  suggesting  that  its  position  was  dependent  on  a 
gradient  of  some  sort  (Fig.  9-2). 

These  experiments  are  of  morphogenetic  interest  since  they  show  that 
the  apical  meristem  is  a  self-determining  region  which  can  produce  a  nor- 
mal shoot  without  any  connection,  other  than  through  undifferentiated 
pith  cells,  with  the  tissues  below.  Furthermore,  Ball  (1946)  and  others 
have  shown  that  small  meristem  tips,  growing  in  tissue  culture,  will  pro- 
duce entire  plants.  All  this  is  not  surprising,  however,  since  many  cases 
are  known  where  a  single  cell  (p.  253),  without  any  vascular  connection 
with  other  tissues  at  first,  develops  into  a  fully  differentiated  plant.  It  is 
to  be  expected  that  an  active  terminal  meristem  would  do  the  same.  Al- 
though the  differentiated  tissues  below  the  meristem  may  not  be  necessary 
for  its  growth,  they  contribute  to  the  character  of  its  development,  for 
through  them  come  water,  nutrients,  and  various  morphogenetically  im- 
portant substances.  The  terminal  meristem  seems  neither  to  be  completely 
self-determining  nor  completely  under  the  control  of  the  rest  of  the  plant, 
but  the  two  act  together  as  an  integrated  system. 

Reconstitution  of  parts  other  than  the  meristems  of  the  axis  has  often 
been  reported.  In  a  number  of  ferns  such  as  Gleichenia,  the  leaf  grows 
at  the  tip  by  a  terminal  meristem,  thus  perhaps  harking  back  to  the  time 


Regeneration  239 

when  the  leaf  was  a  lateral  branch  of  indeterminate  growth.  In  most  fern 
leaves,  unlike  those  of  angiosperms,  growth  continues  longest  at  the  tip 
and  in  some  species  the  leaves  root  readily  there.  It  is  thus  to  be  expected 
that  fern  leaves  should  sometimes  reconstitute  new  tips  if  the  old  ones 
are  injured  or  removed.  Goebel  (1908)  with  Polypodium  and  Figdor 
( 1906)  with  Scolopendrium  cut  away  a  small  bit  of  tissue  from  the  grow- 
ing leaf  tip  and  found  that  this  meristematic  region  was  reconstituted 
but  that  a  double  or  forked  lamina  was  produced. 


Fig.  9-2.  Diagram  of  transverse  section  of  apex  of  Primula  in  which  a  central  plug  of 
pith  was  isolated  by  four  vertical  incisions  ( broken  lines ) .  In  this  plug  a  new  vascular 
cylinder  has  been  regenerated  at  a  constant  distance  from  the  surface.  (From  Ward- 
law.) 

Among  higher  plants,  leaves  of  some  of  the  Gesneriaceae  are  easily  re- 
generated. In  Saintpaulia  and  some  species  of  Streptocarpus,  Figdor 
( 1907 )  split  a  young  leaf  nearly  to  the  base  along  the  midrib  and  found 
that  a  considerable  amount  of  new  lamina  was  regenerated  from  the 
basal  part  of  the  cut  surface,  which  is  the  latest  to  mature.  If  the  blade  is 
removed  from  a  young  primary  leaf  of  Cyclamen,  two  new  blades  re- 
generate by  reconstitution  of  the  meristematic  region  at  the  sides  of  the 
petiole  apex  (Winkler,  1902).  Figdor  also  reported   (1926)  that  if  the 


240  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

terminal  leaflet  of  the  pinnately  compound  leaf  of  Bryophyllum  (Kalan- 
choe )  was  cut  off  when  the  leaf  was  very  small,  it  was  partially  regener- 
ated. Other  cases  of  such  regeneration  have  been  reported,  but  the  leaf, 
doubtless  because  of  its  generally  determinate  growth,  shows  meri- 
stematic  reconstitution  much  less  readily  than  does  root  or  stem. 

Gametophytes  sometimes  display  this  type  of  regeneration.  Albaum 
(1938rt),  confirming  earlier  workers,  found  that  if  the  ordinary  prothal- 
lium  of  certain  ferns  is  cut  transversely  the  anterior  portion,  near  the 
meristematic  notch,  will  re-form  the  typical  heart-shaped  structure  again. 
In  the  posterior  region  this  does  not  happen,  but  new  adventive  pro- 
thallia  are  produced  from  the  cut  surfaces  (p.  121).  Meyer  ( 1953)  reports 
that  the  meristematic  region  in  the  notch  of  the  prothallus,  and  particularly 
its  apical  cell,  seems  to  inhibit  the  formation  of  other  apical  cells;  for  if 
the  prothallus  is  divided  lengthwise  into  three  parts,  the  central  one, 
which  includes  the  apical  cell,  will  regenerate  its  lost  portions  whereas 
the  two  lateral  pieces  will  each  first  produce  a  new  apical  cell  and  then 
proceed  to  develop  into  typical  prothallia.  True  reconstitution  of  a  meri- 
stematic region  thus  seems  to  be  limited  to  very  early  developmental 
stages.  In  later  ones,  even  though  the  tissue  may  still  be  meristematic,  it 
has  lost  some  of  its  morphogenetic  potencies  and  injury  will  result  either 
in  simply  a  wound  reaction  or  in  the  production  of  new  adventitious 
growing  points  rather  than  in  a  remolding  of  the  old  one. 

Reconstitution  of  Tissue  Patterns.  A  somewhat  different  type  of  recon- 
stitution occurs  where  the  structure  that  is  removed  is  not  a  meristem  but 
a  part  already  differentiated,  at  least  to  some  degree.  To  restore  the  dis- 
turbed tissue  pattern  involves  a  more  complex  process  and  is  rarely  as 
complete  as  the  reconstitution  that  occurs  in  a  meristem.  Where  mature 
or  nearly  mature  cells  are  part  of  this  pattern,  some  of  these  cells  must 
evidently  become  embryonic  again  and  assume  a  new  function  in  the 
reorganized  system.  There  are  some  remarkable  examples  of  this  which 
provide  particularly  interesting  morphogenetic  problems. 

The  first  step  in  such  a  reconstitution  is  healing  of  the  wound  itself. 
Wound  reactions  differ  with  the  type  of  plant  and  the  conditions.  Cells 
near  the  wound  surface  generally  become  more  active  and  soon,  under 
the  influence  of  wound  hormones,  cell  division  is  initiated  parallel  to  the 
surface.  A  phellogen  here  develops  which  forms  a  layer  of  protective  cork 
over  the  wound.  In  many  cases  this  is  all  that  happens.  Sometimes  a  callus 
is  formed  here  and  from  it  primordia  of  roots  and  shoots  may  develop. 
The  phenomena  of  wound  reactions  have  been  reviewed  by  Bloch  ( 1941, 
1952).  Fourcroy  (1938)  has  discussed  the  same  subject  and  particularly 
emphasizes  the  accelerating  influence  of  wounding  on  differentiation  and 
its  effects  on  vascular  anatomy. 

In  many  plants,  however,  the  tissues  under  the  wound  may  be  reorgan- 


Regeneration  241 

ized  to  some  degree.  This  is  especially  true  of  the  epidermis.  In  kohlrabi 
Vochting  (1908)  observed  that  when  the  layer  of  wound  cork  was 
sloughed  off  an  epidermis  had  developed  under  it  which  was  essentially 
identical  with  that  of  the  normal  tuber  and  in  which  typical  stomata 
were  present.  Cells  destined  to  be  cortical  in  character  had  been  radically 
altered  to  form  a  tissue  appropriate  for  their  new  position  in  the  system. 


Fig.  9-3.  Vascular  strands  a  and  b  regenerating  in  parenchymatous  tissue  to  connect 
strand  G  with  others;  c,  an  earlier  stage  in  this  process,  where  procambial  strands  are 
being  differentiated.  (From  S.  Simon.) 

Such  reconstitution  has  been  reported  by  others.  The  cuticle  of  epidermal 
cells  may  also  be  regenerated  if  it  has  been  sliced  off  ( Fritz,  1935 ) . 

More  deeply  seated  tissues  may  be  regenerated  by  the  ^differentiation 
of  others,  as  is  the  exodermis  in  air  roots  of  orchids  ( Kiister,  1899;  Bloch, 
1926,  1935b)  and  hypodermal  sclerenchyma  (p.  218)  in  air  roots  of  palms 
and  Araceae  (Bloch,  1937,  1944).  In  every  case  these  newly  developed 


242  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

tissues  are  appropriate  in  character  for  the  place  where  they  now  are  and 
are  much  like  those  normally  present  in  such  regions. 

Somewhat  more  complex  is  the  redifferentiation  of  vascular  bundles 
in  places  where  these  have  been  severed.  Simon  (1908;  Fig.  9-3),  Nemec 
(1905),  Sinnott  and  Bloch  (1945),  and  Jacobs  (1952)  have  studied  this 
in  various  herbaceous  stems.  If  a  bundle  or  group  of  bundles  is  severed 
by  a  lateral  incision  and  the  region  examined  in  longitudinal  section  after 
a  week  or  two,  a  new  vascular  strand  can  be  seen  developing  behind  the 
incision  and  connecting  the  severed  upper  and  lower  ends  of  the  bundle 
( p.  193 ) .  This  strand  is  formed  by  the  conversion  of  large,  squarish  paren- 
chyma cells  of  the  pith  into  xylem  cells  with  reticulate  lignified  thicken- 


Fig.  9-4.  Left,  regeneration  of  connection  between  severed  vascular  bundles  in  stem 
of  Coleus.  Right,  differentiation  of  parenchyma  cells  into  reticulate  xylem  cells  in  the 
development  of  this  strand.  Arrow  shows  the  direction  of  its  development.  Note 
new  walls  parallel  to  it.  ( From  Sinnott  and  Bloch. ) 

ings  (p.  194  and  Fig.  9-4).  Differentiation  seems  always  to  be  basipetal, 
suggesting  the  downward  passage  of  a  morphogenetic  substance,  pre- 
sumably auxin,  from  the  upper  bundle  toward  the  lower.  The  regener- 
ated strand  is  not  directly  at  the  cut  surface  but  about  the  same  distance 
behind  it  that  the  normal  bundles  are  from  the  uninjured  surface.  Jost 
( 1942)  caused  the  plant  to  form  these  vascular  bridges  in  manv  ways  and 
finds  that,  although  their  general  course  is  basipetal,  they  may  develop 
acropetally  for  a  while  in  passing  around  an  obstacle.  They  do  not  always 
take  the  shortest  route.  The  position  of  the  strand  seems  to  be  determined 
by  a  gradient  of  some  sort  from  the  wound  surface  inward.  It  is  significant 
that  the  conversion  of  parenchyma  to  xylem  is  an  "all  or  none"  reaction, 
with  no  cells  intermediate  in  character. 


Regeneration  243 

A  somewhat  similar  regeneration  of  vascular  strands  is  to  be  seen  in 
leaves  where  some  of  the  veins  have  been  cut.  New  strands  are  differen- 
tiated in  the  mesophyll  cells  which  connect  the  severed  ends.  Freundlich 
( 1908 )  studied  the  origin  of  these  xylem  strands,  and  Kaan-Albest  ( 1934 ) 
followed  the  differentiation  of  new  sieve  tubes  (Fig.  9-5).  The  latter  do 
not  arise,  as  do  those  of  the  xylem,  by  conversion  of  whole  parenchyma 
cells,  but  small  cells  are  cut  out  of  the  sides  of  these  larger  elements  and 
join  up  with  one  another,  end  to  end,  from  one  cell  to  the  next.  These 


Fig.  9-5.  Impatiens.  Sieve-tube  connections  developing  between  phloem  bundles,  one 
of  which  has  been  severed.  ( From  Kaan-Albest. ) 


phloem  strands  in  their  development  suggest  the  fiber  strands  of  Luffa 
(p.  197). 

What  are  the  factors,  one  may  ask,  that  impel  the  ^differentiation  of 
a  vascular  system  when  intercommunication  among  its  parts  has  been 
interrupted?  Auxin  may  be  diffusing  from  the  end  of  a  cut  bundle,  but 
how  this  operates  to  convert  a  series  of  parenchyma  cells  into  a  vascular 
strand  is  difficult  to  understand.  Here  is  differentiation  in  very  simple  ex- 
pression. Doubtless  the  same  general  factors  are  involved  as  in  normal 
development  but  the  process  takes  place  here  on  a  greatly  enlarged  scale 
where  it  can  be  more  readily  studied  than  in  the  very  small-celled  tissues 


244  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

near  the  meristem.  Regenerative  tissues  of  this  sort  are  particularly  prom- 
ising material  for  a  study  of  cytological  differentiation. 

These  are  examples  of  the  relatively  simple  reconstitution  of  a  tissue 
pattern.  A  much  more  involved  one  is  that  described  by  Vochting  ( 1908 ) 
in  his  classic  studies  of  regeneration  in  kohlrabi.  If  a  young  and  growing 
tuber  of  this  plant  was  cut  transversely  at  about  half  way  from  the  tip  to 
base,  care  being  taken  not  to  injure  the  leaves  on  the  basal  portion,  the 
cut  surface  of  this  portion  soon  began  to  swell  and  by  the  end  of  the  sea- 
son had  developed  a  convex,  rounded  structure  which  in  some  cases 
restored  the  general  form  of  the  normal  tuber  except  that  no  leaves  de- 
veloped on  its  surface.  Internally,  however,  the  complex  system  of  bundle 
connections  in  the  reconstituted  half  was  hardly  to  be  distinguished  from 
that  of  the  original  portion.  This  provides  the  most  remarkable  example 
so  far  described  of  a  structure  already  well  differentiated  internally  which 
proceeded  to  reorganize  itself  and  reconstitute,  in  almost  its  original  form, 
a  large  mass  of  tissue.  There  was  meristematic  activity  here,  following 
the  dedifferentiation  of  much  of  the  structure  near  the  cut  surface,  but  it 
was  diffuse  meristematic  activity  like  that  of  a  leaf  or  fruit  rather  than 
that  of  a  localized  growing  point.  Studies  on  regeneration  in  this  very 
promising  material  have  been  largely  neglected  in  the  half  century  since 
Vochting's  description  of  his  work  was  published. 

Restoration 

Most  regeneration  in  plants  is  not  due  to  the  reorganization  of  em- 
bryonic regions  but  to  the  onset  of  meristematic  activity  in  regions  ad- 
jacent to  the  place  where  loss  has  occurred.  This  leads  to  the  production 
of  substitute  structures  that  restore  the  original  whole  by  indirect  means. 

These  processes  are  examples  of  compensatory  correlation  (p.  98)  in 
which  the  balance  of  the  organism  is  restored  after  being  disturbed.  As 
redifferentiation  after  injury  often  throws  light  on  the  problems  of  differ- 
entiation and  tissue  pattern,  a  study  of  the  restoration  of  lost  structures 
offers  a  useful  means  of  analysis  of  developmental  potencies  and  the  proc- 
esses of  correlation. 

In  many  cases,  as  the  result  of  wounding,  a  callus  is  produced  (p.  288) 
at  the  cut  end  of  a  stem  or  root.  This  often  originates  from  the  cambium 
but  may  come  from  other  tissues.  From  such  calluses  primordia  of  roots 
and  shoots  commonly  arise.  This  is  the  most  frequent  type  of  regeneration 
in  the  higher  plants  and  underlies  the  horticultural  arts  of  multiplication 
by  vegetative  propagation,  chiefly  the  rooting  of  cuttings.  This  field  has 
been  reviewed  from  the  botanical  point  of  view  by  Priestley  and  Swingle 
(1929)  and  Swingle  (1940,  1952). 

Almost  every  plant  organ  has  been  used  as  a  cutting— stem,  root,  leaf, 
hypocotyl,  floral  axis,  and  flowers— and  all  have  been  found  to  have  some 


Regeneration  245 

ability  to  restore  lost  parts.  The  axial  organs-stem  and  root-are  the  ones 
most  commonly  employed  in  the  practices  of  propagation  and  have  been 
most  thoroughly  studied. 

Stem  Cuttings.  In  stem  cuttings  of  dicotyledons  buds  develop  most  fre- 
quently at  the  apical  end  and  roots  from  the  basal  one  (p.  119)  but  this 
polarity  varies  considerably.  The  buds  may  be  the  usual  axillary  ones, 
many  of  which  would  not  normally  develop,  or  they  may  be  accessory 
buds.  If  these  are  absent,  dormant  primordia  may  grow.  Carlson  (1950) 
has  described  the  origin  and  distribution  of  dormant  root  initials  on 
willow  shoots.  Primordia  may  also  develop  anew,  from  callus  or  from 
the  normal  tissues  of  the  stem.  Adventitious  roots  in  young  stems  usually 
come  from  the  pericycle  but  in  older  ones  they  may  have  a  deeper  origin 
in  the  vascular  cambium  (Plett,  1921).  Mahlstede  and  Watson  (1952) 
found  that  adventitious  roots  in  blueberry  originate  in  cambium  or  phloem 
and  push  out  through  vascular  tissue,  cortex,  and  epidermis.  Priestley 
( 1926a )  stated  a  general  rule  that,  of  the  two  lateral  meristematic  regions 
of  the  axis,  the  phellogen  is  more  likely  to  produce  buds  and  the  vascular 
cambium  to  produce  roots.  Morphogenetic  problems  here  involved  con- 
cern the  causes  of  the  differentiation  of  dormant  or  "reserve"  primordia 
in  particular  places  and  especially  the  factors  that  first  keep  them  dormant 
and  then  stimulate  their  development  in  regeneration. 

Bud  formation  is  frequent  on  hypocotyls  and  has  been  studied  particu- 
larly bv  Rauh  ( 1937 ) .  In  a  few  species  these  buds  normally  develop  into 
shoots.  In  other  cases  they  may  be  present  but  do  not  develop  and  in  still 
others  they  may  be  induced  only  by  the  stimulus  of  regeneration,  after 
the  decapitation  of  the  hypocotyl.  In  Linum  usitatissimum,  the  origin  of 
these  buds  has  been  traced,  in  decapitated  hypocotyls,  to  single  cells  of 
the  epidermis  ( Crooks,  1933;  Link  and  Eggers,  1946a )  in  which  divisions 
begin  to  appear.  A  group  of  cells  is  thus  produced  which  develops  into  a 
bud  initial  and  finally  into  a  shoot.  Several  buds  may  begin  to  grow,  only 
one  of  which  becomes  dominant.  In  undecapitated  hypocotyls  a  few  epi- 
dermal cells  may  divide  but  they  rarely  produce  buds.  Bud  development 
is  induced  more  readily  in  young  hypocotyls  than  in  older  ones.  After  a 
bud  begins  to  grow,  vascular  strands  differentiate  which  connect  it  with 
the  main  vascular  cylinder  (Fig.  9-6).  Van  Tieghem  (1887)  described 
similar  bud  development  in  the  hypocotyl  of  Linaria,  as  did  Bain  ( 1940 ) 
in  cranberry.  Such  hypocotyls  offer  a  good  opportunity  for  the  study  of 
cellular  totipotency  and  the  redifferentiation  of  vascular  tissue. 

So-called  "adventitious  leaves"  (really  reduced  shoots,  Rauh  believes) 
are  produced  abundantly  on  the  decapitated  hypocotyl,  or  seedling  tuber, 
of  Cyclamen  (Boodle,  1920;  Rauh,  1937)  and  develop  there  from  sub- 
epidermal cells.  There  are  transitions  here  from  simple  leaves  to  fully 
developed  buds.  The  great  number  of  these  buds  normally  produced  sug- 


246  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

gests  that  this  is   a   case  of  reproductive  regeneration   rather   than   of 
restoration. 

The  stems  of  most  monocotyledons  lack  a  cambium,  and  this  somewhat 
limits  the  possibilities  of  regeneration  of  lost  parts  in  them.  Axillary  buds 
are  often  present,  however,  and  the  nodes  and  bases  of  leaves  remain 
somewhat  meristematic.  New  roots  commonly  arise  in  these  regions.  Meth- 
ods of  regeneration  and  of  vegetative  reproduction  are  generally  very 
specialized.  Some  members  of  the  Juncaceae  and  Cyperaceae  reproduce 
vegetatively  from  tips  or  nodes  of  culms,  as  in  Eleocharis  rostellata,  where 
buds  grow  from  the  sterile  culm  tips  ( La  Rue,  1935 ) . 


Fig.  9-6.  A  young  adventitious  bud  which  has  grown  from  epidermal  cells  on  a  de- 
capitated hypocotyl  of  flax.  Note  the  cell  divisions  in  the  cortex  which  will  give  rise  to 
a  vascular  connection  with  the  stele.   (From  Crooks.) 

Factors  in  the  rooting  of  conifer  cuttings  have  been  discussed  by 
Deuber  (1940). 

The  physiological  basis  of  such  regenerative  processes  has  been  widely 
investigated.  Gardner  ( 1929 )  observed  that,  in  both  deciduous  and  ever- 
green trees,  cuttings  from  1-year-old  stems  rooted  more  readily  than  those 
from  older  ones.  The  influence  of  auxin  and  of  various  synthetic  growth 
substances  has  been  much  emphasized  ( p.  391 ),  particularly  in  root  forma- 
tion. Van  der  Lek  (1925)  found  that  cuttings  rooted  better  if  there  were 
buds  on  them,  presumably  because  of  the  production  of  root-stimulating 
substances  by  the  buds.  Discovery  of  the  effectiveness  of  various  organic 


Regeneration  247 

acids  in  root  formation  has  made  "root  hormones"  of  importance  in  horti- 
culture. 

Bud  formation,  also,  is  influenced  by  physiological  conditions.  Miller 
and  Skoog  ( 1953 )  report  that  tobacco-stem  segments,  in  sterile  culture, 
form  buds  much  more  readily  if  adenine  is  present  and  that  indoleacetic 
acid  reduces  their  development.  Both  results,  presumably,  are  due  to 
effects  on  nucleic  acid  metabolism.  Ruge  (1952)  and  a  number  of  earlier 
workers  observed  that  a  functioning  chlorophyll  apparatus  is  necessary 
for  the  successful  rooting  of  most  cuttings.  Shoots  with  variegated  leaves 
or  in  the  dark  root  poorly.  Whether  this  is  owing  to  the  production  by 
the  leaves  of  food  or  of  a  growth  substance  is  not  clear,  but  van  Overbeek, 
Gordon,  and  Gregory  ( 1946fo )  believe  that  the  main  function  of  leaves  in 
the  rooting  of  cuttings  is  simply  to  supply  nutrition. 

Hereditary  tendencies  may  also  influence  the  character  of  regeneration, 
as  in  the  conversion  of  axillary  buds  into  tubers  in  the  potato  (Isbell, 

1931). 

Root  Cuttings.  Under  natural  conditions  shoots  are  produced  by  roots 
rather  infrequently  and  chiefly  in  woody  plants.  In  many  cases  roots  may 
be  used  as  cuttings,  however.  Here  the  restoration  of  lost  structures  by 
the  production  of  adventitious  roots  or  shoots  occurs  much  as  in  the  stem, 
shoots  tending  to  be  restored  at  the  basal  (proximal)  end  and  roots  at 
the  apical  ( distal )  one.  Most  growth  is  from  callus.  Roots  show  a  greater 
tendency  to  form  adventitious  buds  than  do  stems.  Naylor  ( 1941 )  finds 
that  both  structures  arise  from  meristematic  tissue  produced  by  paren- 
chyma cells  in  the  younger  phloem  and  not  from  the  cambium.  The  polar 
development  of  regenerating  structures  on  fleshy  roots  has  been  studied 
by  various  workers  (p.  124). 

Way  ( 1954 )  investigated  regeneration  on  apple  roots  of  different  sizes. 
In  some  varieties  the  larger  ones  ( 8  to  12  mm.  in  diameter )  produced  only 
shoots  and  the  smaller  (3  mm.)  only  roots.  When  both  were  formed,  the 
zone  of  shoot  production  ( at  the  proximal  end )  extended  farther  distally 
in  the  wider  roots,  and  that  of  root  production  (at  the  distal  end)  ex- 
tended farther  proximally  in  the  narrower  ones.  Way  interprets  these  dif- 
ferences as  due  to  auxin  gradients,  with  different  concentrations  in  large 
and  small  roots. 

Buds  on  roots  are  usually  endogenous  in  origin.  In  Bryophylhim  they 
arise  from  the  subepidermal  layer  (Ossenbeck,  1927),  and  Rauh  finds 
them  originating  at  the  scars  of  the  delicate  branch  roots.  In  Aristolochia 
and  the  Podostemaceae  they  grow  from  the  cortex.  Carlson  ( 1938 )  reports 
that  in  the  orchid  Pogonia  an  adventitious  shoot  arises  by  enlargement 
and  division  of  the  surface  and  cortical  cells  at  the  tips  of  lateral  roots. 
This  forms  a  swelling  in  which  a  bud  develops. 

An   important   morphogenetic   question   concerned   with   regeneration 


248  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

from  roots  and  one  which  has  been  rather  widely  discussed  is  whether  the 
early  primordia  of  new  organs  are  "indifferent"  in  nature  and  may  pro- 
duce either  buds  or  roots,  or  whether  they  are  determined  from  the  first 
to  form  one  or  the  other.  A  bud  is  a  young  shoot  and  has  the  rudiments  of 
leaves,  which  the  root  primordium  does  not  have,  and  it  should  therefore 
presumably  be  easy  to  tell  one  from  the  other.  This  seems  often  to  be 
difficult,  however,  in  the  very  early  stages,  and  many  instances  where 
root  primordia  have  been  reported  to  change  into  shoots,  and  vice  versa, 
may  be  due  to  erroneous  observation.  Dore  (1955)  has  studied  the  origin 
of  young  primordia  in  the  regeneration  of  horseradish  roots  and  finds  that 
these  are  produced  as  organized  meristems  in  close  association  with  the 
scars  of  lateral  roots  and  that  they  originate  in  the  phellogen  of  the  main 
root.  He  is  certain  that  at  the  beginning  they  are  capable  of  developing 
into  either  roots  or  shoots.  That  this  is  so  is  suggested  by  the  fact  that  the 
ratio  of  buds  to  roots,  where  they  can  be  definitely  distinguished,  is  not 
constant  but  varies  with  conditions,  as  though  neutral  primordia  were 
being  tipped  in  one  direction  or  the  other.  If  this  should  finally  prove  to 
be  the  case  and  the  existence  of  truly  indifferent  primordia  be  established, 
useful  material  would  be  provided  in  which  to  examine  the  very  early 
stages  in  the  differentiation  of  these  two  structures  which  soon  become  so 
dissimilar.  This  reminds  one  of  the  case  in  Selaginella  reported  by  Wil- 
liams (1937).  Here  an  "angle  meristem"  near  the  tip  will  normally  pro- 
duce a  rhizophore,  a  structure  somewhat  intermediate  between  root  and 
shoot  and  which  finally  grows  downward  and  forms  typical  roots.  If  the 
main  axis  of  the  shoot  is  decapitated,  however,  the  young  primordium 
which  would  have  produced  a  rhizophore  will  now  grow  upward  into  a 
typical  shoot.  Mention  has  been  made  earlier  (p.  71 )  of  cases  where  a 
young  leaf  primordium,  if  isolated  by  deep  cuts  from  the  meristem  tip, 
will  grow  into  a  bud-like  structure. 

Cuttings  from  Other  Parts.  A  variety  of  phenomena  of  regeneration  has 
been  described  in  typical  leaves  and  in  cotyledons,  scales,  and  carpels,  as 
well  as  in  inflorescences,  flowers,  and  fruits.  In  contrast  to  the  axial  portion 
of  the  plant,  leaves  are  organs  of  determinate  growth,  and  the  restoration 
of  lost  parts  by  them  is  thus  somewhat  different  from  the  process  in 
axial  structures.  It  is  especially  common  in  succulent  leaves. 

The  restoration  of  roots  or  shoots  on  leaves  detached  from  the  plant 
and  with  petiole  placed  in  soil  has  often  been  observed  ( Stingl,  1908;  and 
Yarwood,  1946).  In  such  cases,  after  adventive  roots  and  buds  have  been 
formed  on  lamina  or  petiole,  various  anatomical  changes  may  be  observed, 
especially  a  marked  increase  in  the  vascular  tissue  of  the  petiole.  Further- 
more, instead  of  being  disposed  in  an  arc,  as  in  normal  petioles,  this  tissue 
often  enlarges  to  form  a  complete  vascular  ring.  The  petiole  thus  becomes 
structurally  as  well  as  functionally  a  stem.  Winkler  ( 1907o)  reviewed  cases 


Regeneration  249 

of  such  conversion  and  studied  a  particularly  good  example  of  it  in 
Torenia  asiatica.  He  believed  that  increased  transpiration  is  the  cause  of 
the  change.  Simon  (1929)  found  essentially  the  same  thing  in  Begonia 
and  noted  that  the  bundles  from  the  young  roots  induced  new  vascular 
tissue  only  in  that  part  of  the  petiole  just  below  them,  suggesting  the 
polar  distribution  of  a  hormone.  Similar  results  were  obtained  by  Doyle 
(1915)  through  grafting  buds  onto  the  petioles  of  rooted  leaves. 

In  leaf  cuttings,  adventitious  structures  are  formed  predominantly  at 
the  leaf  base.  Hagemann  (1931),  in  an  extensive  survey  of  the  regener- 
ative ability  of  leaves,  investigated  1,204  species  of  gymnosperms,  dicoty- 


Fig.  9-7.  Petals  of  Epilobium  angustifolium  which  produced  roots  when  cultured  on 
nutrient  agar.  ( From  La  Rue. ) 

ledons,  and  monocotyledons.  He  found  that  some  of  these  showed  no 
restoration,  a  very  few  formed  shoots  or  both  roots  and  shoots,  and  the 
largest  proportion  roots  only.  Schwarz  ( 1933 )  examined  many  other  spe- 
cies. The  location  of  the  regenerated  structures  is  determined  mainly  by 
the  anatomy  of  the  leaf.  It  is  noteworthy  that  in  a  number  of  species,  pre- 
dominantly though  not  always  succulents,  restoration  and  vegetative 
reproduction  occur  in  other  parts  of  the  leaf  than  the  base,  as  in  species 
of  Drosera,  Achimenes,  Begonia,  Torenia,  and  the  Crassulaceae.  In  Utric- 
ularia  Goebel  (1908)  found  adventive  shoots  formed  by  the  leaf  tips. 

Restoration  of  organs  may  also  occur  from  isolated  cotyledons.  Kiister 
( 1903fo )  obtained  both  roots  and  shoots  from  cotyledons  of  Cucumis  and 


250  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

Luffa,  Kowalewska  ( 1927 )  shoots  from  Phaseolus  and  Visum,  and  Carlson 
(1953)  only  roots  from  Raphanus  and  Brassica.  La  Rue  (1933)  reviewed 
work  on  this  subject  and  reports  his  own  success  in  obtaining  roots  on 
excised  cotyledons  of  19  species  and  shoots  on  those  of  22  species. 

Several  investigators  have  studied  regeneration  in  inflorescences.  If  this 
structure  is  cut  off  and  treated  as  a  cutting,  root  formation  and  subse- 
quent vegetative  development  of  the  inflorescence  often  follow.  Bor- 
mann  (1939)  reviewed  the  literature  and  made  extensive  investigations 
himself,  finding  that,  of  391  species  studied  in  65  genera  and  45  families, 
the  conversion  of  an  inflorescence  into  a  vegetative  shoot  by  treating  it 
as  a  cutting  occurred  in  about  17  per  cent  of  all  the  species. 

Flower  cuttings  of  Cactaceae,  where  the  stem  is  incorporated  into  the 
fruit,  have  been  found  to  form  roots  and  develop  dormant  buds  ( Goebel, 
1908 ) .  The  ovary  of  Jussiaea  as  well  as  immature  fruits  of  Lecythis  react 
in  the  same  way.  Carriere  (1877)  describes  the  rooting  of  the  capsule  of 
Lilium  speciosum  and  Kupfer  (1907)  that  of  pods  of  Plwseolus. 

La  Rue  (1942)  found  that,  under  favorable  cultural  conditions  that 
provide  both  moisture  and  food,  many  flowers  or  their  parts  may  be 
induced  to  root  ( Fig.  9-7 ) ,  and  by  this  means  he  obtained  roots  on  flow- 
ers of  three  genera  of  monocotyledons  and  22  genera  of  dicotyledons.  He 
went  further  and  was  able  to  induce  regeneration  even  in  gametophytes. 
Female  gametophytes  of  Zamia  in  sterile  culture  not  only  increased  in 
size  markedly  but  in  a  few  cases  developed  small  roots  and  buds.  The 
latter  produced  leaves  resembling  miniature  seedling  ones.  He  later 
obtained  similar  results  with  Ctjcas  (1954). 

Reproductive  Regeneration 

The  ability  of  a  part  of  the  plant  to  restore  missing  structures  and 
thus  regenerate  a  whole  is  essentially  the  ability  to  reproduce.  Regenera- 
tion is  a  reproductive  process,  and  it  is  understandable  that  during  the 
course  of  evolution  many  plants  should  have  developed  means  to  use 
the  totipotency  of  their  individual  cells  and  tissues  as  means  for  vege- 
tative reproduction.  In  many  cases  this  has  become  a  normal  and  spon- 
taneous process,  as  in  the  formation  of  foliar  embryos  on  the  leaves  of 
many  Crassulaceae  or  of  bulbils  in  other  forms.  Isolation  or  injury  may 
stimulate  the  growth  of  similar  structures,  and  this  process  thus  grades 
over  into  regeneration.  In  many  cases  it  is  difficult  to  distinguish  be- 
tween the  two. 

This  type  of  reproduction  has  been  described  most  commonly  in 
leaves  and  leaf  cuttings  (Fig.  9-8).  Many  cases  have  been  studied  in 
both  dicotyledons  and  monocotyledons.  Goebel  cites  a  variety  of  these 
from  the  earlier  literature.  In  some  cases  plantlets  occur  naturally  on 
leaves  and  drop  off  to  form  new  individuals   (gemmipary).  In  others 


Regeneration  251 

these  appear  only  when  the  leaf  is  removed  from  the  plant  or  its  vigor 
reduced.  Instead  of  actual  plantlets,  bulbils  or  bulblets  may  be  formed, 
modified  buds  which  drop  from  the  plant  and  produce  new  individuals. 
Many  plantlets  develop  from  preformed  meristematic  cells  or  cell 
aggregates  and  thus  are  clearly  to  be  regarded  as  reproductive  struc- 
tures even  though  in  some  cases  they  are  induced  only  by  rather  ab- 
normal conditions.  Others  arise  from  unspecialized  cells,  usually  epi- 
dermal or  subepidermal  ones,  much  as  do  the  shoots  on  the  hypocotyls 
previously  described.  When  these  are  frequently  formed  in  nature  they 
are  usually  to  be  regarded  as  reproductive  rather  than  regenerative  struc- 
tures. Only  a  few  typical  examples  can  be  mentioned  here. 


Fig.  9-8.  Leaves  of  Achimenes,  used  as  cuttings,  regenerating  roots  and  bulbils  from 
the  base  and  producing  plantlets  where  veins  have  been  cut.  ( From  Goebel. ) 

A  familiar  one  is  that  of  Tolmiea  menziesii  (Yarbrough,  1936a),  in 
which  a  plantlet  regularly  is  formed  at  the  junction  of  petiole  and  blade 
from  a  preformed  bud  at  that  point.  This  readily  separates  from  the 
parent  plant  and  forms  a  new  one.  In  Cardamine  pratensis  (Goebel,  1908) 
adventitious  shoots  or  plantlets  grow  in  the  autumn  or  under  special 
conditions  from  the  axils  of  the  leaflets  by  the  activity  of  groups  of 
meristematic  cells.  At  the  junctions  of  the  larger  veins  occur  slight 
swellings  and  these  may  also  develop  into  plantlets  (Fig.  9-9).  In  such 
forms  there  are  evidently  many  cells  that  can  easily  be  induced  to  become 
meristematic  and  form  plantlets.  How  such  cells  differ  physiologically 
from  others  it  is  important  to  discover. 


252  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

Some  species  of  Drosera  may  also  readily  be  induced  to  form  shoots  on 
their  leaves  (Behre,  1929).  These  develop  from  single  epidermal  cells 
on  the  morphologically  upper  side  of  the  lamina,  at  the  base  of  a  tentacle, 
on  the  petiole  adjacent  to  stomata  or  trichomes,  or  in  young  inflorescences 
adjacent  to  glands.  In  Drosera  binata,  a  species  with  linear  leaves,  the 
young  plants  thus  produced  have  roundish  blades  much  like  those  of  our 


Fig.  9-9.  Cardamine  pratensis.  After  a  leaf  is  removed,  plantlets  develop  on  it  from 
preformed  embryonic  areas  (a).  ( From  Goebel. ) 

own    common   Drosera   rotundifolia.    It    would    be    interesting   to   find 
whether  this  fact  has  any  phylogenetic  implications. 

In  Begonia  rex  and  some  other  varieties  of  begonia,  shoots  may  be 
induced  very  readily  on  petiole  and  blade  by  removing  the  growing 
points  of  the  shoot.  Prevot  (1938,  1939)  found  that  these  arose  from 
epidermal  cells,  but  only  after  they  had  reached  a  certain  stage  of  ma- 
turity. Hartsema  ( 1926 )  has  described  the  changes  that  such  cells  undergo 


Regeneration  253 

at  the  start  of  shoot  development  ( strong  protoplasmic  streaming,  migra- 
tion of  the  nucleus,  and  increase  in  cytoplasm).  Here  and  in  a  good 
many  other  plants,  shoots  will  appear  on  the  blade  if  one  or  more  of  the 
veins  are  cut  (Fig.  9-10),  thus  perhaps  preventing  the  access  of  in- 
hibiting substances.  Prevot  was  able  to  induce  bud  formation  on  begonia 
leaves  by  the  application  of  various  substances  and  by  growing  the 
plants  in  the  absence  of  oxygen.  He  also  found  that  strips  of  epidermis 
removed  from  the  leaf  would  form  buds.  Not  all  begonias  have  high  re- 
generative ability,  and  this  seems  to  be  an  inherited  character  when 
various  types  are  crossed. 

Much  like  these  cases  is  the  development  of  young  plants  on  the  leaves 
of  Saintpaulia  ionantha.  This  species  is  often  reproduced  in  cultivation 
by  plantlets  formed  on  leaves  that  have  been  cut  off  and  placed  in  a 
humid  atmosphere.  From  individual  cells  of  the  upper  epidermis  shoots 


Fig.  9-10.  Propagation  of  rex  begonia.  If  a  leaf  is  removed  and  placed  on  moist  sand 
and  certain  of  its  major  veins  severed,  plantlets  will  regenerate  at  these  cuts.  (From 
Avery  and  Johnson.) 

develop,  and  roots  originate  from  parenchymatous  cells  near  the  boundary 
between  xylem  and  phloem  in  the  veins  ( Naylor  and  Johnson,  1937;  Fig. 
9-11). 

Torenia  asiatica  behaves  in  much  the  same  way  (Winkler,  1903).  In 
leaf  cuttings,  numerous  shoot  primordia  begin  to  develop  over  the  sur- 
face of  the  blade,  each  from  an  epidermal  cell  above  a  vein.  Only  a  few 
of  these  primordia  grow  into  shoots,  and  a  single  leaf  thus  shows  a 
wide  range  of  stages  in  shoot  development.  The  shoots  that  form  come 
to  flowering  very  quickly,  sometimes  when  they  have  only  one  well- 
developed  leaf,  and  should  thus  make  excellent  material  for  a  study  of 
the  factors  that  induce  flowering. 

Many  members  of  the  family  Gesneriaceae,  to  which  these  plants  be- 
long, regenerate  readily.  Leaf  cuttings  of  Achimenes  produce  clusters  of 
bulblets  at  the  base  of  the  petiole  and  shoots  from  the  blade  if  the  veins 
are  severed  ( Doposcheg-Uhlar,  1911).  Streptocarpus  (Goebel,  1908)  illus- 
trates most  types  of  regeneration. 


254  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

The  most  familiar  examples  of  reproductive  regeneration  are  provided 
by  members  of  the  Crassulaceae.  In  Kalanchoe  pinnatum  ( Bryophyllum 
calycinum),  plantlets  develop  from  the  marginal  notches  of  the  fleshy 
leaves.  This  may  sometimes  take  place  while  the  leaf  is  attached  to  the 
plant  but  is  more  common  after  it  has  fallen  to  the  ground.  In  each 
notch  is  a  preformed  foliar  embryo  (Fig.  9-12),  long  ago  described  by 
Berge  (1877)  and  more  recently  by  Yarbrough  (1932)  and  Naylor 
( 1932 ) .  This  is  more  than  a  mass  of  meristematic  cells,  for  it  has  already 
taken  the  first  steps  toward  organization  of  a  plantlet  and  shows  the 
minute  beginnings  of  root,  stem,  and  leaf.  In  other  species  the  degree 


Fig.  9-11.  Development  of  an  adventitious  bud  from  cells  of  the  leaf  epidermis  of 
Saintpaulia.  (  From  Naylor  and  Johnson. ) 


of  differentiation  of  the  foliar  embryos  varies  (Stoudt,  1938).  In  K. 
daigremontana  and  K.  tubiflora  the  plantlets  attain  appreciable  size  be- 
fore the  parent  leaf  has  reached  maturity.  In  K.  rotundifolia  there  is  a 
residual  meristem  on  the  axial  surface  of  the  petiole  which  develops  a  bud, 
but  root  primordia  do  not  become  differentiated  until  after  the  leaf  has 
fallen  from  the  plant. 

The  factors  that  induce  the  foliar  embryos  to  develop  into  plantlets 
have  been  actively  discussed.  Loeb  (1920),  who  made  an  extensive  study 
of  regeneration  in  this  genus,  believed  that  a  hormonal  mechanism  in- 
hibited their  growth  as  long  as  the  leaf  was  attached  to  the  plant.  Reed 
(1923)  attributed  their  behavior  to  the  metabolic  condition  of  the  leaf 
and  showed  that  they  tend  to  grow  if  the  lamina  loses  vigor.  Ossenbeck 


Regeneration  255 

( 1927 )  regards  the  mechanical  or  physiological  conduction  between  the 
leaf  and  the  growing  points  of  stem  and  root  as  important  factors  in 
inducing  their  development.  Mehrlich  ( 1931 )  exposed  plants  to  a  wide 
range  of  environmental  factors  in  an  attempt  to  solve  the  problem.  In  the 
activity  of  certain  enzymes  and  in  the  relative  amounts  of  carbohydrates, 
he  noticed  a  difference  between  leaves  in  which  the  foliar  embryos  grew 
out  and  those  where  they  did  not.  Varietal  differences  were  also  evi- 
dent. Gotz  (1953)  finds  that  plantlets  grow  out  readily  in  long  days 
but  that  short  days  tend  to  inhibit  them.  They  are  accelerated  if  the 


Fig.  9-12.  Section  through  a  notch  on 
the  leaf  of  Kalanchoe,  showing  a  pre- 
formed "foliar  embryo"  with  two  leaf 
primordia  below  and  a  root  primor- 
dium  above,  buried  in  the  tissue. 
(From  E.  E.  Naylor.) 


vessels  between  lamina  and  petiole  are  cut  or  if  auxin  levels  are  low 
(Vardar  and  Acarer,  1957). 

Other  Crassulaceae  differ  in  some  respects  from  Kalanchoe.  In  Byrnesia 
weinbergii,  Stoudt  (1934)  found  that  the  foliar  meristem  from  which  a 
plantlet  comes  is  at  the  base  of  the  blade,  not  the  margin.  It  is  quite 
undifferentiated  and  will  not  develop  until  the  leaf  is  removed  from  the 
plant.  In  Sedum  (Yarbrough,  1936c)  there  are  no  preformed  meristems 
at  all,  but  these  arise  after  the  leaf  is  detached. 

In  Crassula  multicava  (McVeigh,  1938)  a  still  different  condition  oc- 
curs and  one  reminiscent  of  Begonia  and  Saintpaulia,  for  here,  after  a 
leaf  has  been  kept  for  a  time  in  a  moist  chamber,  plantlets  begin  to  de- 
velop. Entire  plants— not  the  shoot  alone,  as  in  many  other  cases— have 


256  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

their  origin  in  single  epidermal  cells.  These  cells  are  not  only  presumably 
but  demonstrably  totipotent. 

In  a  considerable  number  of  forms  the  reproductive  structures  arising 
in  regeneration  are  not  plantlets,  already  differentiated  and  ready  to 
start  growth,  but  dormant,  almost  seed-like  structures.  In  Lilium  tigrinum, 
for  example,  in  the  axils  of  the  upper  leaves  there  are,  instead  of  buds, 
hard  black  bulbils  which  fall  off  and  produce  new  plants.  Detached 
scale  leaves  in  a  number  of  the  Liliaceae  form  adventive  buds  or  bulbils 
from  their  bases.  On  leaves  of  Hyacinthus,  removed  from  the  plant,  simi- 
lar structures  may  be  formed,  but  Naylor  (1940)  has  shown  that  in  this 
case  they  do  not  come  from  preformed  meristematic  tissue  but  develop 
from  epidermal  and  subepidermal  cells. 

In  many  ferns  vegetative  cells  of  the  prothallus  may  produce  sporo- 
phytes  by  apogamy.  Aposporous  gametophytes  are  also  frequently  formed, 
especially  on  isolated  juvenile  leaves.  Lawton  ( 1932,  1936 )  was  able  to 
induce  apospory  in  13  species  of  ferns  and  obtained  from  them  tetraploid 
sporophytes  by  methods  similar  to  those  used  in  mosses.  Aposporous  struc- 
tures are  often  strictly  gametophytic,  but  Beyerle  (1932)  found  adventive 
structures  in  34  fern  species  to  include  sporophytic  buds,  undifferen- 
tiated structures,  prothallia,  and  bodies  intermediate  between  sporophytes 
and  prothallia  (reviews  by  Du  Buy  and  Neurnbergk,  1938,  and  Steil, 
1939,  1951). 

Regeneration  in  the  fern  sporophyte  often  results  in  the  production  of 
new  plants.  Buds  may  be  formed  on  leaves  and  roots,  and  foliar  em- 
bryos resembling  those  of  higher  plants  may  be  produced,  as  in  Campto- 
sorus  ( McVeigh,  1934;  Yarbrough,  1936£> ) .  A  review  of  reproductive  re- 
generation in  ferns,  covering  35  genera  and  197  species,  has  been  made 
by  McVeigh  (1937). 

There  should  also  be  mentioned  a  special  kind  of  reproductive  re- 
generation that  occurs  in  vegetative  tissues  of  the  embryo  sac  and  ovule, 
by  which  embryos  develop  from  synergids,  antipodal  cells,  or  cells  of 
the  nucellus  and  not  only  from  the  fertilized  egg  (Lebeqne,  1952). 
Strasburger  (1877)  called  this  adventive  polyembryony  (as  opposed  to 
cleavage  polyembryony,  p.  235 ) .  Examples  of  this  are  known  in  Funkia, 
Coelebogyne,  Citrus,  and  others  (review  by  Webber,  1940).  The  em- 
bryos here  formed  somewhat  resemble  the  foliar  embryos  of  the 
Crassulaceae  and  similar  plants.  Though  sometimes  started  in  their 
development  by  a  regenerative  stimulus,  these  are  cases  of  specific  repro- 
ductive processes  made  possible  by  the  totipotence  of  cells  in  various 
vegetative  portions  of  the  plant  and  which  in  a  way  are  comparable  to 
asexual  propagation  by  spores. 

In  recent  years  experimental  work  on  morphogenetic  problems  has 
been   concerned   primarily   with   the   effects   of   environmental   factors, 


Regeneration  257 

particularly  light  and  physiologically  active  substances.  There  is  still  op- 
portunity for  fruitful  investigation  through  an  experimental  manipulation 
of  the  developmental  process  itself,  especially  by  work  on  problems  of 
regeneration  such  as  have  been  discussed  in  this  chapter.  The  significant 
results  of  earlier  botanical  workers  in  this  field,  now  cultivated  somewhat 
less  actively  than  in  the  past,  could  be  extended  very  profitably  by  sup- 
plementing the  older  methods  with  the  advantages  of  modern  techniques. 


CHAPTER    10 

Tissue  Mixtures 


In  animal  bodies  such  combinations  of  genetically  unlike  tissues  as  grafts, 
mosaics,  and  chimeras  are  rare  in  nature  and  rather  difficult  to  bring 
about  experimentally,  but  in  plants  these  are  much  commoner  and  easier 
to  produce.  This  is  presumably  due,  in  large  measure,  to  the  presence  of 
localized  growing  points  in  plants,  which  knit  together  readily.  The  arts 
of  grafting  and  budding  have  long  been  known  to  horticulturalists  and 
provide  means  for  combining  two  or  more  varieties  of  related  plants  and 
especially  for  vegetative  multiplication  of  types  that  cannot  be  propa- 
gated by  seeds  or  in  which  cuttings  do  not  easily  root. 

In  chimeras  and  in  localized  genetic  changes,  tissue  mixtures  may 
be  much  more  intimate  than  in  ordinary  grafting  and  provide  oppor- 
tunities for  a  study  of  organization  and  tissue  relationships  which  are 
not  available  in  homogeneous  plant  bodies. 

STOCK-SCION  INTERRELATIONS 

In  the  practice  of  grafting,  a  small  branch  or  shoot,  the  scion,  is  in- 
serted into  a  larger  rooted  portion,  the  stock,  by  means  of  a  cleft  or 
other  opening  in  such  a  way  that  meristematic  regions  of  the  two  come 
into  contact.  The  same  result  is  achieved  in  a  somewhat  simpler  fashion 
by  budding.  Here  a  bud  from  one  type  is  slipped  under  a  cut  in  the  bark 
of  another  so  that  the  two  cambia  are  in  contact,  the  bud  later  growing 
into  a  shoot.  A  third  piece,  in  "double-worked"  trees,  is  sometimes 
inserted  as  an  intermediate  between  stock  and  scion.  In  practice,  these 
methods  are  used  chiefly  in  woody  plants  and  are  the  means  by  which 
most  horticultural  varieties  of  trees  and  shrubs  are  propagated.  The  prob- 
lems in  these  plants  will  therefore  be  discussed  first. 

A  question  of  much  importance  both  practically  and  theoretically 
concerns  the  effects  produced  by  the  stock  on  the  scion  or  the  scion  on 
the  stock.  What  substances  can,  and  what  cannot,  pass  from  one  to  the 
other  across  a  graft  union?  Do  the  two  graft  partners  remain  in  com- 
plete physiological  isolation  save  for  the  passage  of  water  and  solutes 

258 


Tissue  Mixtures  259 

from  stock  to  scion,  or  in  a  mutual  exchange  between  the  two  do  the 
specific  qualities  of  one  become  transferred,  in  any  measure,  to  the  other? 
There  has  been  much  disagreement  about  these  matters  in  the  past,  and 
final  answers  are  not  yet  available. 

There  are  several  means  by  which  the  two  graft  partners  may  affect 
each  other.  Of  most  importance,  probably,  is  nutrition.  If  a  root  into 
which  a  scion  is  grafted  has  less  capacity  to  absorb,  store,  or  utilize  nu- 
trients than  do  the  roots  of  the  plant  from  which  the  scion  was  taken, 
reduction  of  size  and  vigor  of  the  shoot  system  produced  by  the  scion 
will  result.  Many  cases  have  been  found  where  there  are  such  physio- 
logical differences  between  stock  and   scion   clones  which   modify   the 
effect  of  one  on  the  other,  particularly  of  root  on  scion.  Second,  there 
may  be  differences  between  the  two  partners  in  the  ease  with  which  they 
translocate  water  and  nutrients.  The  wood  of  dwarf  rootstocks  usually 
has  a  much  smaller  proportion  of  vessels  than  normal  roots.  Differences 
in  phloem  transport  are  probably  even  more  important,  as  is  shown  by 
the  dwarfing  effect  of  inverted  rings  of  bark  and  in  other  ways.  Finally, 
there  may  be  differences  between  partners  in  the  amount  of  auxin  in 
each  or  in  the  rate  at  which  it  is  inactivated.  In  several  herbaceous  plants 
it  has  been  shown  that  dwarf  types  are  relatively  poor  in  auxin.  This 
may  be  the  case  in  woody  forms,  for  dwarf  types  of  fruit  trees  are 
much  branched,  an  indication  that  auxin-induced  bud  inhibition  is  weak 
in  them.  Other  growth  substances  may  pass  from  one  partner  to  the  other. 
It  is  clear  that  water  and  salts  from  the  soil  pass  from  stock  to  scion 
and  that  carbohydrates  also  pass  across  a  graft  union,  and  in  either 
direction.  Certain  nutritional  changes  are  thus  produced  by  one  on  the 
other.   A  common  practice  in  producing  dwarf  fruit  trees   is   to   graft 
scions  of  standard  varieties  on  stocks  which  are  genetically  small  and 
thus  have  small  roots.  This  reduces  the  amount  of  top  growth.  Most  of 
this  dwarfing  results  from  the  reduced  water  supply  available  from  the 
roots  (Colby,  1935),  and  dwarfing  rootstocks  also  tends  to  cause  earlier 
cessation  of  growth  in  the  fall  (Swarbrick,  1928).  Dwarfing  may  be  pro- 
duced in  other  ways  than  by  reduction  in  root  size.  Tukey  and  Brase 
( 1933 )  found  that  where  a  dwarf  variety  was  used  either  as  a  rootstock, 
intermediate  stem  piece,  or  top  scion  its  effect  was  to  dwarf  the  whole 
plant.  Some  dwarfing  may  also  be  attributed  to  defective  graft  unions 
and  the  consequent  failure  to  transfer  materials  readily   (Bradford  and 
Sitton,  1929 ) .  Dickson  and  Samuels  ( 1956 )  have  studied  translocation 
across  a  graft  union  by  means  of  radioactive  tracers  and  find  that  there 
is  a  high  concentration  of  the  isotope  at  the  junction  of  stock  and  scion, 
suggesting  that  the  dwarfing  effect  may  be  due  to  a  block  in  the  flow 
of  nutrients  to  the  roots. 

But  there  seem  also  to  be  more  subtle  factors  involved.  A  special  kind 


260  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

of  dwarfing  is  that  produced  in  some  plants  by  growth  from  seeds  that 
have  not  been  afterripened.  A  case  of  this  sort  in  the  peach  where  the 
dwarfs  retained  their  dwarf  character  when  grafted  on  normal  plants 
was  studied  by  Flemion  and  Waterbury  ( 1945).  The  roots  of  such  dwarfs 
were  able  to  support  normal  shoot  growth,  so  that  the  seat  of  the  dwarfing 
seems  to  be  in  the  shoot.  There  is  no  evidence  of  a  stimulating  substance 
produced  in  the  normal  plant  or  of  an  inhibiting  one  in  the  dwarf. 

Some  varieties  are  incompatible  in  grafting  and  so  do  not  thrive  to- 
gether even  though  the  graft  union  between  them  may  be  good  or  a 
variety  compatible  to  both  is  inserted  as  an  interstock  ( Sax,  1953,  1954 ) . 
Tukey  and  Brase  present  evidence  that  not  only  the  character  of  stock 
and  scion  and  their  compatibility  are  important  in  determining  tree  size 
but  also  the  effect  of  environmental  factors  on  each  partner  and  on  their 
combination. 

Aside  from  purely  quantitative  effects  of  stock  on  scion  in  horti- 
cultural plants,  other  traits  have  been  reported  to  be  transmitted  from 
one  to  the  other.  McClintock  ( 1937)  found  that  leaves  of  the  Grimes  apple 
grafted  on  Virginia  crab  stock  have  a  greater  green  weight  and  are 
physiologically  different  in  some  respects  from  those  of  the  same  va- 
riety on  other  stocks.  Blair  (1938)  grafted  Bramley  Seedling  apple  on 
French  crab  but  in  a  number  of  cases  inserted  between  stock  and  scion 
a  9-in.  piece  of  one  of  three  other  varieties,  Mailing  II,  IX,  and  XIII.  Even 
though  here  stock  and  scion  were  the  same,  the  effect  of  these  middle 
pieces  on  the  tree  that  grew  out  of  them  was  markedly  different  in 
each  case,  as  shown  in  leaf  poise,  general  habit  of  branching,  leaf  color, 
and  time  of  defoliation.  The  effect  of  the  various  middle  pieces  on  the 
root  was  also  evident.  Rogers,  Beakbane,  and  Field  (1939),  however, 
found  that  intermediate  pieces  from  different  sources  had  relatively  little 
effect  on  the  rootstocks.  By  grafting  apple  scions  from  various  sources  on 
roots,  Swarbrick  and  Roberts  (1927)  found  that  the  character  of  the 
root  tended  to  be  like  that  of  the  variety  which  contributed  the  piece  of 
stem  just  above  it,  whether  this  was  scion  or  middle  piece.  Amos,  Hatton, 
and  Hoblyn  ( 1930 )  dispute  this  conclusion  and  believe  that  the  effect  of 
scion  on  root  is  simply  quantitative. 

In  citrus  fruits  Halma  ( 1934 )  reports  that  Eureka  lemon  scions  grafted 
on  sour-orange  roots  greatly  modify  the  form  and  color  of  the  latter. 
In  the  reciprocal  graft,  only  the  color  of  the  root  was  changed.  These 
changes  were  observed  in  grafted  but  not  in  budded  trees. 

Early  work  on  the  stock-scion  relationship  is  reviewed  by  Swarbrick 
(1930),  and  Garner  (1949)  has  presented  the  subject  from  a  practical 
point  of  view. 

The  mixture  of  tissues  by  grafting  and  the  relation  between  the  graft 
partners  pose  problems  of  wider  interest  than  for  horticulture  alone.  It 


Tissue  Mixtures  261 

has  long  been  known,  for  example,  that  successful  grafts  are  usually 
limited  to  closely  related  plants,  either  between  those  of  the  same 
species  or  between  species  close  together  taxonomically.  In  exceptional 
cases  grafts  can  be  made  between  genera  and  very  rarelv  between 
families.  Simon  (1930),  for  example,  has  grafted  Solarium  and  Iresine, 
belonging  to  the  widely  separated  families  Solanaceae  and  Amarantha- 
ceae.  Nickell  (1948)  grafted  white  sweet  clover  on  sunflower,  and  the 
plants  continued  to  grow  with  normal  vigor  for  5  months.  Silberschmidt 
(1935)  studied  550  grafts  between  plants  of  the  same  species,  of  related 
species,  and  of  unrelated  species.  Anatomical  fusion  in  some  cases  oc- 
curred in  grafts  of  unrelated  species  but  here  union  was  slower  and  less 
extensive,  passage  of  nitrogen  from  scion  to  stock  was  reduced,  and 
proteolytic  activity  of  stock  juices  increased.  The  last  fact  is  presumably 
concerned  with  the  failure  of  unrelated  grafts. 

Schroter  (1955)  reports  that  Zinnia  elegans,  one  of  the  Compositae, 
can  be  grafted  to  tobacco,  although  not  on  some  plants  in  the  same 
family  as  tobacco.  He  attributes  the  successful  Zinnia  grafts  to  the  pres- 
ence of  nicotine  in  this  plant.  Mothes  and  Romeike  ( 1955 )  grafted  scions 
of  tomato,  petunia,  belladonna,  and  tobacco  on  tobacco  stocks  of  vary- 
ing nicotine  content  and  found  that  the  richer  the  stock  was  in  nicotine, 
the  poorer  was  the  development  of  the  grafted  scion. 

The  passage  of  nicotine  from  tobacco  roots  to  tomato  scions  has  been 
described  (p.  220).  Hieke  (1942)  found  that  in  grafts  between  Lyco- 
persicon,  Nicotiana,  Atropa,  and  Datura  the  alkaloids  found  in  the  scion 
were  those  characteristic  of  the  root  to  which  this  was  grafted. 

Kostoff  (1929)  presented  evidence  from  grafts  between  various  plant 
types  that  immunity,  as  tested  by  the  precipitin  reaction,  can  be  acquired 
by  plants  much  as  in  animals.  Chester  and  his  colleagues,  however,  in  a 
series  of  papers  (1932  and  others)  showed  that  the  precipitates  re- 
ported are  not  the  result  of  a  true  precipitin  reaction  but  are  simply 
calcium  oxalate,  a  widespread  substance  in  plants. 

Monocotyledonous  plants  have  been  found  more  difficult  to  graft  than 
dicotyledonous  ones,  presumably  because  they  lack  a  cambium.  Muzik 
and  La  Rue  (1954),  however,  grafted  a  number  of  species  of  grasses, 
including  some  belonging  to  different  genera. 

The  closer  to  the  embryonic  condition  a  tissue  is,  the  more  readily  it 
can  be  grafted.  The  smallest  successful  graft  of  this  sort  seems  to  be  one 
made  by  Gulline  and  Walker  (1957)  in  which  a  shoot  tip  containing 
only  about  600  cells  and  with  a  volume  of  less  than  %ooo  cu-  mm-  was 
grafted  back  on  the  apex  from  which  it  had  been  cut.  Later  development 
was  normal. 

As  to  the  reciprocal  relations  of  stock  and  scion  in  nonwoody  plants, 
many  conflicting  results  have  been  reported.  Daniel  described  various 


262  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

instances  of  a  marked  qualitative  effect  of  stock  on  scion  or  scion  on 
stock.  The  production  of  tubers,  for  example,  he  believed  could  be  trans- 
ferred by  grafting  from  the  Jerusalem  artichoke  to  the  common  sun- 
flower, which  normally  bears  no  tubers.  In  one  of  his  last  papers  (1929) 
Daniel  maintains  that  these  induced  changes  have  sometimes  become 
transmissible  through  seed  for  several  generations  and  regards  this  as 
proof  of  the  inheritance  of  an  acquired  character. 

This  is  essentially  the  position  taken  by  Lysenko  and  his  Russian 
colleagues.  One  of  them,  Avakian  (1941),  reported  marked  reciprocal 
effects,  on  fruit  color  and  other  characters,  of  red-fruited,  yellow-fruited, 
and  white-fruited  tomatoes  when  grafted  together  in  various  ways.  Simi- 
lar experiments  were  repeated  in  this  country  by  Wilson  and  Withner 
(1946),  who  were  unable  to  confirm  these  results  in  any  respect.  Bohme 
(1954)  also  found  that  no  inheritable  effects  were  produced  by  grafting 
between  varieties  of  tomatoes. 

There  are  a  number  of  well-authenticated  cases,  however,  of  the  trans- 
mission, between  graft  partners,  of  factors  that  determine  qualitative 
and  not  simply  quantitative  and  nutritional  differences.  These  present 
some  important  problems  both  for  morphogenesis  and  for  physiology. 
Conspicuous  among  them  are  the  numerous  instances  where  a  flowering 
stimulus,  from  a  plant  which  has  been  induced  to  flower  by  a  particular 
photoperiod,  can  be  transferred  by  grafting  to  a  nonflowering  plant  and 
cause  it  to  flower  (p.  396).  Evidently  some  substance  is  transmitted  across 
the  graft  that  stimulates  flowering. 

The  effect  of  this  stimulus  may  be  modified  in  various  ways.  Haupt 
(1954),  using  a  late-bearing  variety  of  peas,  grafted  terminal  shoots  of 
different  ages  on  stocks  of  different  ages.  If  scions  of  young  plants  are 
grafted  on  older  ones,  flowering  takes  place  up  to  six  nodes  earlier  than 
in  controls  grafted  to  stocks  of  their  own  age.  Evidently  the  substance  con- 
cerned with  flower  development  is  not  formed  in  the  first  stages  of 
the  plant's  growth  but  can  be  effective  then  if  introduced  from  older 
plants. 

The  production  of  flowers  after  grafting  may  be  due  to  other  factors 
than  a  specific  flower-inducing  substance.  The  Jersey  type  of  sweet  po- 
tato rarely  flowers  in  this  country  but  can  be  made  to  do  so  by  grafting 
it  to  another  species  of  Ipomoea  that  does  not  form  storage  roots  (Kehr, 
Ting,  and  Miller,  1953).  These  authors  believe  that  flowering  results 
from  the  accumulation  of  carbohydrates  in  the  shoots  after  grafting. 

The  tendency  to  form  tubers  in  potato  may  be  transmitted  by  grafting. 
If  the  shoot  of  a  variety  that  produces  tubers  under  a  long  day  is  grafted 
to  a  short-day  variety  and  grown  under  long  days,  the  short-day  variety 
will  now  produce  earlier  and  larger  tubers  than  it  would  have  done  by 
itself  (Howard,  1949).  This  effect  was  not  transmitted  through  these 


Tissue  Mixtures  263 

tubers  when  they  were  used  as  seed.  Somewhat  similar  results  are  re- 
ported by  Gregory  (1956),  who  also  found  that  the  tuber-forming  stimu- 
lus could  be  transmitted  from  all  parts  of  the  shoot  by  grafting. 

Some  recent  experiments  on  the  graft  transmission,  or  lack  of  trans- 
mission, of  plant  traits  are  the  following: 

In  English  ivy  (Hedera  helix)  Doorenbos  (1954)  grafted  scions  from 
the  juvenile  type  (with  lobed  leaves)  onto  the  adult,  upright,  flowering 
form  and  found  that  the  latter  often  lost  its  abilitv  to  flower  and 
showed  other  juvenile  traits. 

Popesco  (1949)  reports  that  when  Sophora  japonica,  a  woody  peren- 
nial leguminous  plant,  is  grafted  to  the  common  bean,  the  bean  flowers 
15  to  20  days  later  than  it  otherwise  would  and  becomes  perennial  in 
habit. 

Hybrids  between  Meliotus  alba  and  M.  dentata  are  deficient  in 
chlorophyll  because  of  some  gene  interaction  and  die  in  a  few  days.  If 
such  hybrids  are  grafted  to  sweet  clover,  however,  they  grow  well, 
flower,  and  bear  seed  (W.  K.  Smith,  1943). 

In  spruce  (Picea  abies),  Muller-Stoll  (1947a)  examined  grafts  of  shoots 
from  the  tops  of  old  trees  on  young  seedlings.  After  3  years  these 
flowered  abundantly,  far  earlier  than  they  would  have  done  otherwise. 
Only  female  cones  were  produced,  presumably  because  the  branches 
used  as  scions  were  from  the  top  of  the  tree,  which  bears  chiefly  female 
cones.  This  localization  the  author  interprets  as  an  instance  of  topophysis. 

Many  cases  have  been  described  of  the  effect  of  stock  on  fruit  size 
in  the  scion.  Bitters  and  Batchelor  ( 1951 )  report  such  a  case  in  the  orange, 
where  Washington  navel  oranges  were  grafted  on  32  different  root- 
stocks  and  Valencia  on  26.  Differences  were  found  between  stocks  in 
their  effects  on  fruit  size  in  the  scion.  These  differences  are  not  related 
to  those  in  tree  size  or  in  number  of  fruits. 

An  incompatible  graft  is  reported  in  cucurbits  by  Wellensiek  (1949). 
Grafts  of  muskmelon  on  Cucurbita  ficifolia  grew  for  a  time  and  then 
suddenly  wilted  and  died.  Muskmelon  as  an  interstock  between  cucum- 
ber and  C.  ficifolia  has  the  same  effect.  If  a  few  leaves  are  left  on  the  lat- 
ter, however,  the  graft  with  muskmelon  is  successful.  The  reciprocal  graft 
thrives,  so  that  incompatibility  is  in  only  one  direction.  The  author 
believes  that  muskmelon  fails  to  give  the  stock  of  C.  ficifolia  a  sub- 
stance necessary  for  its  growth  and  that  this  is  provided  if  a  few  leaves 
are  left  on  it. 

Yampolsky  (1957),  in  the  dioecious  Mercurialis  annua,  grafted  male 
and  female  plants  together  in  a  variety  of  ways  but  found  no  alteration 
in  the  sexual  character  of  either. 

Of  particular  interest  for  genetics  are  those  cases  where  there  is  a 
known  genetic  difference  between  scion  and  stock.  Hijoscijamus  niger, 


264  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

the  black  henbane,  has  an  annual  variety  and  a  biennial  one,  the  annual 
forming  a  flower  stalk  and  flowers  in  a  single  season  but  the  biennial  re- 
maining in  the  rosette  stage  for  the  first  year  unless  experimentally  ex- 
posed to  low  temperature  for  some  time.  This  difference  is  due  to  a 
single  gene,  with  the  biennial  character  almost  completely  dominant. 
Melchers  ( 1937 )  grafted  a  scion  from  the  annual  variety  ( and  also  scions 
from  Petunia,  Nicotiana,  and  other  related  annual  plants)  into  the 
rosettes  of  the  biennial  variety  in  its  first  year  and  by  this  means  induced 
the  biennial  to  flower  in  the  same  season.  Melchers  attributes  this  to  the 
passage  across  the  graft  union  of  a  nonspecific  flower-forming  substance. 
The  genetic  difference  between  the  annual  and  the  biennial  varieties 
seemed  to  be  due  to  the  ability  of  the  former  to  produce  a  flower-form- 
ing hormone  without  previous  exposure  to  low  winter  temperature. 
Melchers  later  (1938)  found  that  if  a  short-day  variety  of  tobacco, 
grown  under  long-day  conditions  and  thus  unable  to  flower,  was  grafted 
into  biennial  Hyoscyamus  in  its  first  season,  the  latter  soon  produced 
flowers.  The  gene  in  Hijoscijamus  may  thus  control  the  ability  to  respond 
to  the  flower-inducing  substance  rather  than  to  form  it. 

In  Petunia  nyctaginiflora  von  Wettstein  and  Pirschle  (1938)  found  a 
gene  d  which  differed  from  the  normal  D  in  producing  plants  that  are 
smaller  and  have  fewer  branches,  smaller  and  more  rounded  leaves,  and 
a  marked  chlorophyll  deficiency.  Scions  of  dd  grafted  on  DD  stocks  had 
slightly  larger  leaves  and  stems  and  more  branches  but  were  not  much 
different  from  ungrafted  dd.  Scions  of  DD  on  dd  showed  general  reduc- 
tion in  size  and  a  chlorophyll  deficiency,  which  was  greatest  next  the 
graft  union  and  decreased  in  intensity  above  this.  The  authors  believed 
that  a  substance  was  produced  in  the  mutant  that  passes  into  normal 
scions  and  there  either  inhibits  chlorophyll  formation  or  causes  chloro- 
phyll degradation.  Pirschle  later  ( 1939 )  presented  evidence  that  dd  lacks 
a  hormone,  present  in  DD,  that  stimulates  growth  in  size  but  does  not 
affect  the  shape  of  leaves  or  flowers.  Objection  may  be  raised  that  these 
are  nutritional  and  not  hormonal  effects. 

When  tobacco  and  tomato  are  grafted  with  the  dd  mutant  of  Petunia, 
their  leaves  show  chlorophyll  deficiency  when  the  dd  plant  is  used  as  a 
stock  and  to  a  lesser  degree  where  it  is  used  as  a  scion  (Pirschle,  1940). 
The  gene-produced  d  substance  is  clearly  not  species-specific.  The 
possibility  cannot  be  disregarded  that  the  supposed  d  mutant  is  actually 
a  virus  infection,  although  its  clear  genetic  segregation  from  D  would  sug- 
gest that  it  is  not. 

The  single-gene  mutants  nana  of  Antirrhinum  siculum  and  sterilis  of 
Solanum  lycopersicon  were  produced  by  radium  irradiations  and  have 
been  studied  by  Stein  (1939).  The  former  has  a  single  unbranched 
main  stalk   (unlike  A.  siculum);  is  flowerless;  and  has  larger,  thicker, 


Tissue  Mixtures  265 

and  darker  leaves.  When  grafted  as  a  scion  on  A.  siculum  stock,  the 
stem  is  somewhat .  shorter  and  bears  abnormal  flowers  but  is  otherwise 
unchanged.  The  tomato  mutant  is  dwarf,  has  scanty  chlorophyll,  and 
lacks  branches  and  flowers.  When  grafted  as  a  scion  on  tomato  stock 
its  chlorophyll  remained  deficient  but  its  growth  became  approximately 
normal  as  to  height,  branching,  and  flower  development.  The  particular 
interest  of  these  cases  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  various  effects  of  a  gene 
here  seem  to  be  separated,  some  of  them  passing  across  the  graft  union 
and  others  not  doing  so.  Such  material  offers  a  favorable  opportunity 
for  the  study  of  gene  action. 

Rick  (1952)  found  a  tomato  mutant,  wilty  dwarf  (wd),  which  differed 
from  normal  in  having  fewer  and  shorter  internodes,  smaller  leaves,  thin- 
ner stems,  blue-gray  leaf  color,  and  a  tendency  to  wilt  in  summer.  This 
was  grafted  in  various  ways  on  homozygous  normal  (  +  )  lines  differing 
from  wd  in  only  this  one  gene.  Control  grafts  of  wd  on  wd  and  of  +  on  -}- 
showed  no  modification.  Reciprocal  grafts  of  -f-  on  wd  and  wd  on  +  had 
their  leaf  dimensions  and  stem  lengths  shifted  markedly  toward  the 
character  of  the  stock.  In  double  graft  combinations,  wd/  -\-  /wd  and 
-h  /wd/  +,  the  top  scion  was  unaltered  but  the  middle  piece  was  changed 
in  the  direction  of  the  stock.  The  author  concludes  that  the  effect  of 
stock  on  scion  here  is  not  due  to  factors  in  the  stem  or  leaves  but  in  the 
root  system  of  the  stock. 

Kostoff  ( 1930Z? )  observed  irregular  meioses  in  the  pollen  cells  of  tobacco 
grafted  to  other  genera,  and  such  scions  produced  much  abortive 
pollen.  If  flowers  on  them  were  selfed,  various  chromosomal  aberrants 
appeared  in  the  progeny  but  none  in  the  controls. 

In  Petunia,  Frankel  ( 1956 )  grafted  fertile  scions  to  stock  showing 
cytoplasmic  male  sterility  and  found  sterility  in  the  offspring  of  such 
scions,  suggesting  that  cytoplasmic  sterility  determinants  had  passed 
from  stock  to  scion.  The  author  recognizes  the  possibility  that  nutri- 
tional changes  induced  by  grafting  may  have  been  responsible  for  these 
effects. 

Wagenbreth  ( 1956 )  made  grafts  between  a  number  of  species  of 
legumes  and  found  by  inoculation  experiments  that,  although  bacteria 
specific  for  the  stock  would  produce  nodules  in  such  plants,  bacteria 
specific  for  the  scion  would  not. 

Common  experience  has  shown  that  strictly  qualitative  characters  such 
as  shape  are  usually  gene-controlled  and  not  influenced  by  grafting, 
despite  early  claims  to  the  contrary.  A  few  pieces  of  positive  evidence, 
however,  have  been  reported  in  recent  years.  Heinicke  (1935)  observed 
that  Mcintosh  apples  borne  on  defoliated  scions  grafted  into  Northern 
Spy,  and  thus  grown  from  material  produced  by  Northern  Spy  leaves, 
tended  to  be  modified  in  the  direction  of  the  latter  variety.  Southwick 


266  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

(1937)  also  found  that  Mailing  stock  had  some  influence  on  the  form 
and  size  of  Mcintosh  apples  grown  on  it.  These  cases  need  confirma- 
tion. 

In  general,  from  the  mass  of  literature  available,  one  may  conclude  that 
stock  can  influence  scion  in  producing  differences  in  plant  size,  size  of 
leaves  and  fruits,  plant  habit,  flowering  time,  life  span,  content  of  inor- 
ganic and  certain  organic  substances  and  growth  substances,  and  to  some 
extent  in  fertility  and  resistance  to  disease.  Influence  of  scion  on  stock 
is  much  less  marked.  Most  of  these  effects  definitely  have  a  chemical  or  nu- 
tritional basis,  and  few  cases  of  strictly  qualitative  changes  are  known. 
It  should  be  recognized,  however,  that  a  purely  quantitative  difference, 
as  in  fruit  or  leaf  size,  may  influence  shape  by  allometric  correlation 
(p.  105).  Truly  morphogenetic  effects  rarely-perhaps  never-pass  across 
a  graft  union.  The  great  preponderance  of  evidence  also  supports  the  con- 
clusion that  no  permanent  genetic  change  is  induced  by  one  graft  part- 
ner on  the  other. 

Stock-scion  relationships  have  been  reviewed  by  Rogers  and  Beak- 
bane  (1957).  Much  of  the  literature  on  grafting  (and  many  other 
things)  is  summarized  in  Krenke's  (1933)  monumental  work.  The  theo- 
retical aspects  of  grafting  have  been  reviewed  by  Roberts  ( 1949 ) . 

CHIMERAS 

The  instances  of  tissue  mixture  just  described  have  been  by  the  arti- 
ficial union  of  two  genetically  different  plants.  These  types  remain  sharply 
separated,  each  branch  or  other  unit  of  the  plant  belonging  definitely 
to  one  or  to  the  other.  There  are  tissue  mixtures,  however,  where  the  fusion 
is  much  more  intimate  than  this  and  where  an  organ  such  as  a  stem,  leaf, 
or  root  is  not  homogeneous  but  is  made  up  of  two  or  more  tissues  that  are 
genetically  unlike.  This  difference  may  arise  by  somatic  mutation,  the 
mutated  cells  multiplying  and  forming  a  part  of  the  whole,  or  it  may  be 
the  result  of  a  mixture  of  meristematic  tissues  at  a  graft  union.  The  im- 
portant fact,  morphogenetically,  is  that  these  diverse  groups  of  cells 
do  not  each  form  an  organism  or  produce  developmental  abnormalities 
but  that  they  coexist  as  parts  of  the  same  organized  system.  What  is  pro- 
duced is  a  normal,  whole  plant.  Here  the  organizing  capacity  of  living 
stuff  and  the  self-regulatory  quality  of  the  organism  are  particularly 
conspicuous. 

Mixtures  of  tissues  that  come  from  different  sources  are  called  chimeras, 
a  term  proposed  by  Winkler  (1907b)  from  the  analogy  between  such 
plants  and  the  chimeras  of  mythology  which  were  part  lion,  part  goat, 
and  part  dragon.  A  number  of  types  of  chimeras  are  recognized,  depend- 
ing on  the  relationship  of  their  components. 


Tissue  Mixtures  267 

The  work  on  chimeras  has  been  reviewed  by  Swingle  (1927),  Weiss 
( 1930),  Neilsoh-Jones  ( 1934,  1937),  and  Cramer  ( 1954). 

In  the  so-called  mixed  chimeras  the  two  kinds  of  tissue  are  mingled 
irregularly  together.  This  mixture  may  persist  but  it  is  often  a  tem- 
porary stage  and  succeeded  by  one  of  the  more  regular  types  as  the 
meristem  becomes  better  organized.  In  mericlinal  chimeras,  often  de- 
rived from  mixed  ones,  one  type  of  tissue  forms  a  thin  layer  over  a  part 
of  the  surface  of  the  other. 

The  other  types  show  a  more  regular  relation  between  their  two 
components.  In  sectorial  chimeras,  a  definite  sector  of  a  radially  sym- 
metrical structure  such  as  a  root,  stem,  or  fruit  is  of  one  type  and  the 


Fig.  10-1.  Sectorial  chimera  in  apple.  (From  Zundel.) 

rest  is  of  the  other  (Fig.  10-1).  It  is  not  uncommon  to  find  in  fruits 
such  as  apple  or  orange  a  sector  in  which  the  color  or  texture  of  the 
skin  is  different  from  that  of  the  rest  and  which  sometimes  can  be  traced 
into  the  axis  of  the  fruit.  Such  a  sector  may  be  distinguished  in  the  stem, 
also,  and  the  line  between  the  two  components  sometimes  runs  out  through 
the  blade  of  a  leaf.  The  term  sectorial  chimera  may  be  used  more 
broadly  for  a  type  in  which  there  are  large  masses  of  diverse  tissue 
adjacent  to  each  other,  regardless  of  whether  the  boundary  line  has 
any  relation  to  the  axis  of  symmetry.  Thus  an  apple  in  which  the  terminal 
portion  is  of  one  type  and  the  basal  another,  with  an  irregular  boundary 
between,  has  been  called  a  sectorial  chimera.  Sectorial  chimeras  are 
often  found  in  shoots  that  arise  from  the  vicinity  of  a  graft  union.  Some 
of  them  may  really  be  mericlinal  ones,  with  one  member  covering  a 


268  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

sector  but  only  skin  deep.  Sectorial  chimeras  may  sometimes  be  dis- 
covered by  a  study  of  their  internal  structure  (Brumfield,  1943,  p.  76, 
and  Fig.  10-2). 

Of  most  interest  to  morphogenesis,  however,  are  periclinal  chimeras. 
In  these  remarkable  plants  the  outer  cell  layers  are  derived  from  one 
graft  partner  and  the  entire  inner  portion  of  the  plant  from  the 
other.  "Graft  hybrids,"  which  have  long  been  a  puzzle  to  horticultural- 
ists,  prove  to  be  periclinal  chimeras.  They  arise  from  grafted  plants  and 
partake  of  certain  of  the  characters  of  each,  but  their  own  characters 
cannot  be  transmitted  through  seed.  One  of  the  familiar  forms  is 
Crataegomespihis,  originating  from  a  graft  between  two  rosaceous 
genera:  Crataegus,  the  hawthorn,  and  Mespilus,  the  medlar.  Another  is 


Fig.  10-2.  Sectors  of  a  root  of  Vicia  after  previous  exposure  to  X  radiation.  Stippled 
cells  are  those  in  which  observed  mitoses  showed  that  the  chromosomes  were  un- 
changed. Black  cells  are  those  where  a  chromosomal  change  could  be  observed. 
These  cells  presumably  are  descended  from  a  cell  at  the  very  tip  in  which  a  change 
had  been  induced  and  which  had  then  given  rise  to  a  sector  or  wedge  of  similar  cells. 
( From  Brumfield. ) 

Cytisus-labiirnum,  coming  from  a  graft  between  these  two  leguminous 
genera. 

Plants  of  this  sort  were  first  experimentally  produced  and  carefully 
studied  by  Winkler  ( 1907fc,  and  later  papers ) .  He  grafted  two  closely 
related  species,  the  nightshade,  Solarium  nigrum,  and  the  tomato,  Solanum 
hjcopersicon.  After  union,  most  of  the  scion  was  cut  off,  and  from 
adventitious  buds  arising  near  the  point  of  union  plants  developed 
which  sometimes  showed  mixtures  of  the  two  types  of  tissue.  Most  of 
these  were  sectorial  chimeras.  Occasionally,  however,  Winkler  found 
a  plant  that  showed  no  obvious  separation  into  two  types  of  tissue  but 
was  clearly  intermediate  in  character  between  nightshade  and  tomato. 
Several  distinguishably  different  types  of  such  "graft  hybrids"  appeared  in 
these  experiments,  were  maintained  by  vegetative  propagation,  and  bore 


Tissue  Mixtures  269 

flowers,  fruits,  and  seed.  Whether  these  were  really  mixtures  of  tissue, 
or,  in  some  cases  at  least,  were  actual  vegetative  hybrids,  was  not  clear 
at  first.  Baur's  (1909)  analysis  of  a  Pelargonium  with  white-margined 
leaves  showed  that  in  this  plant  both  the  epidermis  and  the  layer 
beneath  it  lacked  chlorophyll.  This  conception  of  a  continuous  layer 
of  one  type  of  cells  covering  a  core  of  another  type  was  applied  to 
Winkler's  chimeras,  and  the  latter  proved  to  be  periclinal  ones.  Such 
forms  apparently  arise  at  a  place  where  there  is  a  thin  layer  of  one 
tissue  over  the  other.  A  growing  point,  originating  in  the  deeper  tissue, 
pushes  up  and  carries  on  its  surface  one  or  two  cell  layers  of  the  other 
type.  From  this  layered  meristem  a  new  shoot  is  formed.  Mericlinal 
chimeras  may  thus  be  converted  into  periclinal  ones.  Jorgensen  and 
Crane  (1927)  repeated  Winkler's  experiments,  using  five  species  of 
Solarium,  and  observed  in  more  detail  the  origin  of  chimeras. 

In  the  tomato-nightshade  chimeras  four  different  forms  were  recog- 
nized, propagated,  and  even  given  Latin  names.  In  one  there  was  a 
single  layer  of  tomato  over  a  core  of  nightshade;  in  another,  two  layers; 
in  a  third,  one  layer  of  nightshade  over  tomato;  and  in  a  fourth,  two 
layers  of  nightshade.  The  reason  that  there  are  rarely  more  than  two 
layers  of  the  outer  component  is  presumably  because  a  new  growing 
point  always  arises  near  the  surface. 

In  Winkler's  material  it  was  relatively  easy  to  distinguish  the  two 
components  of  the  chimera  cytologically,  since  tomato  has  24  chromo- 
somes (2n)  and  nightshade  72.  When  chromosome  counts  could  not  be 
made,  the  size  of  the  cells  (much  larger  in  nightshade)  was  almost  as 
good  a  criterion.  It  was  found  that  the  layers  could  be  distinguished 
at  the  apical  meristem  and  that  they  maintained  their  specific  character 
throughout  the  life  of  the  plant.  When  the  outermost  layer  at  the  grow- 
ing point  was  from  one  partner  (tomato,  for  example)  only  the  epi- 
dermis of  the  plant  was  of  that  type.  When  the  second  layer  of  the 
meristem,  as  well,  was  from  tomato,  the  two  outer  layers  of  the  plant 
were  of  this  type.  Occasionally  in  certain  tissues  of  the  mature  plant  these 
layers  would  become  somewhat  thicker  by  periclinal  divisions  and  thus 
include  more  cells,  but  this  was  relatively  uncommon. 

In  periclinal  chimeras  (as  in  all  seed  plants)  the  genetic  character  of 
the  plant  is  determined  by  the  cell  layer  just  beneath  the  epidermis. 
From  this  layer  the  sporogenous  tissue  is  formed.  The  offspring  of  a 
chimera,  by  seed,  is  therefore  identical  with  the  graft  partner  that  con- 
tributes the  subepidermal  layer  of  cells. 

Winkler  maintained  that  two  other  types  of  chimeras  that  he  obtained 
from  grafts  were  true  burdos,  or  vegetative  hybrids,  in  which  one  layer 
had  arisen  by  an  actual  nuclear  fusion  between  cells  of  the  two  com- 
ponent species.  The  aberrant  chromosome  counts  (cells  with  neither  24 


270  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

nor  72  chromosomes)  can  probably  be  explained  in  other  ways.  Brabec 
(1954)  repeated  Winkler's  work  and  found  cells  with  varying  and 
irregular  chromosome  numbers  but  attributed  this  fact  to  the  origin  of 
the  new  shoot  from  highly  polyploid  cells.  Pith  cells,  as  has  been  shown 
by  various  workers,  are  often  polyploid,  and  when  chimeras  come  from 
such  tissue  the  chromosome  situation  is  often  complicated.  The  genetics 
and  .cytology  of  the  Solarium  chimeras  have  been  studied  by  Gunther 
(1957).  Present  evidence  is  against  the  occurrence  of  vegetative 
hybridization  and  the  existence  of  burdos.  In  the  light  of  recent  knowl- 
edge of  periclinal  chimeras,  Bergann  (1956)  has  reinvestigated  the 
Crataegomespili. 


Control  2n,  2n,  2n 


8n,  2n,  2n 


4n,  2n,  2n 


2n,  4n,  2n 


Fig.  10-3.  Apical  meristems  of  four  periclinal  chimeras  in  Datura  consisting  of  2n,  4n, 
and  8n  layers.  Labels  refer  to  the  first  two  layers  and  the  core.  ( From  Satina,  Blakes- 
lee,  and  Avery. ) 

In  leaf  and  fruit,  the  tomato  and  the  nightshade  are  very  different. 
Each  of  the  four  periclinal  chimeras  produced  by  Winkler  by  grafts 
between  them  shows  distinctive  combinations  of  these  traits  so  that  it 
is  possible  to  determine  the  effects  of  one  and  of  two  cell  layers  of  each 
type  when  it  covers  a  core  of  the  other.  Such  chimeras  provide  an  excel- 
lent opportunity  to  study  the  morphogenetic  influence  of  the  various 
meristematic  layers  and  the  developmental  origin  of  shape  differences 
and  of  tissues. 

The  most  complete  and  thoroughly  analyzed  series  of  periclinal  chim- 
eras are  those  studied  by  Satina  and  Blakeslee  in  Datura  (1941,  1943, 
1944,  1945;  Fig.  10-3).  By  soaking  seeds  of  Datura  stramonium  in  col- 
chicine solution,  polyploidy  was  induced  in  certain  cells  of  the  shoot 


Tissue  Mixtures  271 

meristem  in  68  plants.  The  first  cell  layer  (L  I),  the  second  (L  II),  and 
the  third  (L  III,  including  everything  below  the  first  two)  were  often 
affected  independently.  L  I  was  changed  most  often  and  L  II  least.  These 
layers  retained  their  specific  chromosome  complement  throughout  the 
structure  of  the  plant  that  developed  from  this  meristem.  These  plants 
are  periclinal  chimeras,  not  obtained  from  graft  unions  but  by  chemical 
induction.  Unlike  the  tomato-nightshade  forms  and  similar  ones,  here 
there  may  be  three  genetically  different  layers  (2n,  An,  and  8n)  instead 
of  two,  and  these  three  were  found  to  occur  in  almost  any  order  from 
without  inward.  In  the  first  report  there  were  the  following  distributions 
of  polyploidy  among  the  layers:  2n,  2n,  An;  2n,  An,  2n;  2n,  An,  An;  2n,  8n, 
An;  An,  2n,  2n;  An,  2n,  An;  An,  8n,  An;  8n,  2n,  2n;  8n,  An,  An.  Other  combi- 
nations were  found  later. 

There  is  little  difficulty  here  in  distinguishing  the  layers  since  cell 
size  is  approximately  proportional  to  chromosome  number  and  the  2n, 
An,  and  8n  cells  are  thus  markedly  different.  Since  plants  belonging  to 
the  polyploid  series  differ  little  except  in  size,  morphological  combinations 
of  characters,  as  in  the  tomato-nightshade  chimeras  and  others  where  the 
partners  are  so  unlike,  cannot  be  seen. 

An  understanding  of  periclinal  chimeras  has  aided  in  the  solution  of 
a  number  of  horticultural  and  morphological  problems.  Not  only  have 
the  classical  examples  of  the  "graft  hybrids"  been  given  a  satisfactory 
interpretation  but  other  facts  discovered  in  vegetatively  propagated 
plants  are  now  explained.  Bateson  (1921),  for  example,  found  that  in  a 
variety  of  Bouvardia  with  pinkish-white  flowers  root  cuttings  produced 
plants  with  red  flowers.  Here  it  is  probable  that  the  core  of  the  plant 
was  of  a  red-flowered  variety  and  only  the  outer  layers  were  genetically 
pink.  Since  lateral  roots  arise  from  the  vascular  cylinder  ( here  genetically 
red)  and  push  out  through  the  cortex  and  epidermis,  buds  from  these 
lateral  roots  would  be  expected  to  form  red  flowers.  Asseyeva  (1927)  ob- 
served in  the  varieties  of  potatoes  arising  by  bud  mutation  that  if  the 
buds  are  removed  from  the  seed  tuber  the  new  ones  which  now  arise 
from  the  deeper  tissues  form  plants  like  those  from  which  the  mutant 
variety  had  come.  Zimmerman  (  1951a  )  reports  a  similar  case  in  roses. 
Such  vegetatively  propagated  plants  are  probably  periclinal  chimeras 
with  only  the  outer  layer  or  layers  of  cells  belonging  to  the  mutant  type. 

Other  horticultural  plants  prove  on  examination  to  be  chimeras.  Einset 
and  his  colleagues  at  the  Geneva  (N.Y. )  Experiment  Station  have 
found  that  six  large-fruited  sports  of  several  apple  varieties  are  really 
periclinal  chimeras.  The  core  tissues  of  the  meristem  are  tetraploid,  and 
these  are  covered  by  one,  two,  or  rarely  three  layers  of  diploid  cells 
(Einset,  Blaser,  and  Imhofe,  1947;  Blaser  and  Einset,  1948). 

Dermen  has  worked  extensively  with  polyploid  chimeras.  In  apples  he 


272  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

found  some  types  in  which  (like  those  examined  by  Einset)  the  layers 
are  2n,  2n,  An.  In  others,  these  are  2n,  An,  2n,  the  whole  core  being 
diploid  (Dermen,  1951).  He  has  also  studied  chimeras  in  the  cranberry 
(1947a).  Einset  and  Lamb  (1951)  conclude  that  most  of  the  so-called 
tetraploid  grapes  are  actually  diploid-tetraploid  periclinal  chimeras,  as  in 
apples. 


Fig.  10-4.  Portion  of  carpel  wall  and  placenta  of  Datura  in  a  periclinal  chimera  that 
was  2n,  8n,  2n  in  constitution.  In  material  like  this  it  is  possible  to  trace  the  origin 
of  tissues  from  specific  layers  at  the  meristem.  (From  Satina  and  Blakeslee.) 

Kerns  and  Collins  (1947)  obtained  chimeras  in  pineapple  with  col- 
chicine. Some  had  a  2n  epidermis  with  all  the  other  tissue  An,  and  these 
resembled  the  completely  tetraploid  plants.  Some  had  a  An  epidermis  and 
the  rest  In  and  resembled  completely  diploid  plants.  These  authors  be- 
lieve that  there  are  only  two  "germ  layers"  in  the  pineapple. 

Periclinal  chimeras  have  made  an  important  contribution  both  to 
morphology  and  morphogenesis  by  making  it  possible  to  trace  the  con- 
tinuity between  the  regions  of  the  meristem  and  the  structures  of  the 
mature  plant,  since  when  the  cells  of  the  components  of  a  chimera  are 
distinguishable,  their  descendants  can  be  traced  throughout  develop- 


Tissue  Mixtures 


273 


ment  (Fig.  10-4).  This  is  particularly  true  in  the  polyploid  chimeras. 
The  work  on  Datura  by  Satina  and  Blakeslee  has  provided  much  infor- 
mation here,  and  Dermen  (1953)  presented  similar  evidence  for  the 
peach.  There  seems  to  be  no  invariable  rule  as  to  just  what  mature 
structures  are  produced  by  different  layers  at  the  meristem.  The  particu- 
lar tissues  contributed  by  L  II  and  L  III  are  not  only  different  among 
species  but  between  large  and  small  individuals  of  the  same  species 
(Dermen,  1951). 

It  is  significant  that  in  the  root,  where  a  root  cap  is  present  and  con- 
tinuous layers  of  cells  do  not  cover  the  tip  of  the  meristem,  periclinal 
chimeras  do  not  occur.  Sectorial  chimeras,  however,  have  been  ob- 
served in  roots  (p.  76). 


Fig.  10-5.  Somatic  mutation.  Sectors  of  cells  in  corolla  of  Pharbitis  resulting  from 
mutation  from  colorless  to  colored  sap.  The  wider  the  sector,  the  earlier  was  the  origin 
of  the  mutation  in  the  development  of  the  flower.  ( From  Imai  and  Tobuchi. ) 


SOMATIC  MUTATIONS 

Mixtures  of  various  types  of  tissue  may  appear  not  as  a  result  of  graft- 
ing or  experimental  treatment  but  spontaneously.  Mutations  in  vegetative 
cells  are  not  uncommon  in  some  plants.  Where  a  mutant  cell  is  dis- 
tinguishable, by  color  or  in  other  ways,  its  descendants  form  a  spot  or 
stripe  of  tissue  unlike  the  rest  (Fig.  10-5).  The  earlier  the  mutation  oc- 
curs, the  larger  the  mass  of  tissue  that  will  be  produced.  In  annual 
Delphinium,  Demerec  (1931)  found  a  gene  that  mutated  frequently  in 
petal  cells,  changing  their  color  from  rose  to  purple.  An  early  mutation 
altered  a  large  part  of  the  plant  but  later  ones  formed  only  small  spots 
on  the  petals.  Some  cases  of  variegation,  as  in  maize  pericarp  (Anderson 
and  Brink,  1952),  are  due  to  mutable  genes  of  this  sort  though  most 
color  patterns  in  plants  result  from  differentiation  during  development 
and  not  from  a  mixture  of  genetically  different  tissues.  Some  genetically 
variegated  plants  become  chimeras,  and  Dermen  ( 1947b )  has  been  able 
to  determine  the  specific  meristematic  layer  (LI,  L  II,  or  L  III )  in  which 
the  mutation  took  place. 


274  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

McClintock  (1929)  reported  a  case  in  maize  where  the  microsporocytes 
had  19  chromosomes  but  the  root  tips  20,  suggesting  that  a  chromosome 
had  been  lost  during  the  development  of  the  upper  part  of  the  plant. 

A  number  of  instances  are  known  in  hybrid  plants  where  twin  stripes 
or  spots  occur,  differing  from  each  other  and  from  the  background 
color.  These  have  been  interpreted  as  the  result  of  crossing  over  in  so- 
matic cells.  Thus  in  Phaseolus  the  Fj  of  a  cross  between  plants  with  violet 
and  with  lilac  flowers  produced  a  form  with  light  violet  flowers.  In  one 
of  these  there  were  two  stripes,  side  by  side,  one  of  them  violet  and  one 
lilac  (Prakken,  1938).  A  sectorial  chimera  presumably  due  to  such 
vegetative  segregation  was  reported  for  a  pear  fruit  by  Gardner,  Crist, 
and  Gibson  ( 1933 ) .  Twin  spots,  also  apparently  caused  by  somatic 
crossing-over  or  chromosome  translocation,  are  frequent  in  maize  peri- 
carp (Jones,  1938). 

Huskins  and  others  (Huskins,  1948;  Huskins  and  Cheng,  1950)  re- 
ported numerous  instances  where,  as  the  result  of  low  temperature  or  of 
various  chemical  treatments,  somatic  mitoses  occur  in  which  the  number 
of  chromosomes  is  reduced,  as  it  is  in  meiosis.  Wilson  and  Cheng 
(1949)  found  that  in  such  cases  members  of  homologous  pairs  separated 
much  oftener  than  they  would  have  done  by  chance,  indicating  a  true 
genetic  segregation  in  the  body  cells  of  a  heterozygous  plant. 

In  all  these  instances  of  genetic  alteration  in  a  few  cells,  the  difference 
between  these  cells  and  the  normal  type  is  usually  not  very  great,  and 
there  is  less  to  be  learned  morphogenetically  than  in  grafts  and  chimeras. 
Whenever  genetically  different  tissues  from  any  source  are  present  to- 
gether in  the  same  individual,  however,  their  coexistence  in  a  single 
whole  is  evidence  of  the  organizing  capacity  of  living  stuff. 


CHAPTER    11 

Abnormal  Growth 


The  basic  problem  of  morphogenesis,  as  stated  frequently  in  the  preced- 
ing chapters,  is  posed  by  the  fact  that  every  organism  is  an  organized 
system  that  in  its  development  tends  to  produce  forms  and  structures  of 
specific  character.  Within  each  organism  there  seems  to  be  a  norm  toward 
which  its  development  conforms.  The  expression  of  this  norm,  however, 
may  vary  greatly  as  the  result  of  a  wide  range  of  environmental  factors. 
Such  variation  is  familiar  and  to  be  expected.  There  are  many  cases, 
however,  where  divergence  from  the  norm  is  so  great  that  we  usually 
speak  of  them  as  "abnormal"  or  "atypical."  Just  what  do  we  mean  by 
these  terms? 

Every  organism,  and  doubtless  every  cell,  has  a  far  wider  range  of 
development  potencies  than  it  generally  displays.  When  conditions  are 
different  from  the  usual  ones,  the  expression  of  its  norm  is  also  different, 
but  the  norm  is  just  as  specific  as  before  and  the  organism  still  per- 
sistently regulates  its  development  in  such  a  way  that  the  characteristic 
form  for  that  environment  is  produced.  Norms  of  the  individuals  in  a 
given  species  are  much  the  same.  The  basis  of  each  is  the  genetic  con- 
stitution of  the  organism.  It  is  well  understood  by  geneticists,  however, 
that  what  a  particular  gene  determines  is  not  a  particular  character 
but  a  particular  reaction  to  a  particular  environment,  external  or  in- 
ternal. In  many  cases  it  requires  very  special  environmental  factors, 
such  as  wounding,  irradiation,  application  of  growth  substances,  or 
deposition  of  an  insect  egg  to  bring  to  expression  developmental  poten- 
cies which  would  otherwise  remain  latent. 

Under  such  unusual  conditions,  or  from  genotypes  which  are  markedly 
different  from  those  of  most  members  of  the  species,  individuals  some- 
times develop  which  are  so  unlike  ordinary  ones  that  they  are  called 
"abnormal."  This  does  not  mean  that  they  are  exceptions  to  the  general 
biological  determination  that  controls  the  growth  of  all  living  things. 
Neither  do  they  constitute  a  sharply  defined  group  set  apart  from  all 
others,  for  every  gradation  between  normal  and  abnormal  may  be  found. 
One  may  be  uncertain,  for  example,  as  to  whether  the  occasional  pro- 

275 


276  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

duction  of  different  forms  of  leaves  on  the  same  plant  or  the  growth 
of  plantlets  on  the  leaf  margins  or  many  structures  appearing  during  the 
process  of  regeneration  are  normal  or  not.  What  seems  at  first  to  be  ab- 
normal may  prove  to  be  simply  an  intensified  or  exaggerated  manifesta- 
tion of  developmental  potency.  The  degree  of  divergence  from  the 
average  is  the  basis  on  which  we  term  a  structure  or  an  individual  ab- 
normal, and  biologists  often  disagree  as  to  how  divergent  an  organism 
must  be  to  warrant  this  designation.  "Abnormalities"  in  animals  and 
plants  are  recognized  largely  as  a  matter  of  convenience  in  order  not  to 
complicate  still  further  an  already  difficult  taxonomic  and  morphological 
situation. 

Thus  there  are  two  concepts  of  what  a  norm  is  and  therefore  of  what 
is  abnormal.  One  is  a  developmental  concept:  the  norm  or  standard, 
based  on  a  specific  protoplasmic  pattern,  to  which  the  organism  tends 
persistently  to  conform.  The  existence  of  this  norm  is  the  basic  fact  in 
biological  organization.  Its  expression  may  vary  greatly  as  the  environ- 
ment changes  but  it  always  remains  as  the  core  of  the  morphogenetic 
process.  In  this  sense,  nothing  is  abnormal.  The  other  concept  of  the 
norm  is  a  purely  statistical  or  taxonomic  one.  In  most  species  the  de- 
velopmental norms  of  its  individuals  do  not  vary  widely  in  their  expres- 
sion since  these  individuals  are  genetically  very  similar  and  have  been 
exposed  to  a  relatively  narrow  range  of  environmental  influences.  This 
rather  constant  developmental  expression  may  for  convenience  be  re- 
garded as  a  norm,  and  everything  that  differs  from  it  substantially  may 
be  called  abnormal.  It  is  in  this  statistical  sense  that  the  term  "abnormal 
growth"  is  generally  employed. 

The  student  of  morphogenesis,  however,  does  not  put  aside  these  in- 
stances of  abnormal  growth  and  development  as  unimportant  for  his 
purpose.  Such  may  well  prove  to  be  more  enlightening  than  most  "nor- 
mal" individuals.  They  are  exceptions,  extreme  cases,  and  from  exceptions 
like  these  often  come  clues  to  the  solution  of  particularly  difficult  prob- 
lems. Furthermore,  in  many  cases  of  abnormal  growth  certain  levels  of 
the  very  quality  that  we  associate  with  life— organization— have  disap- 
peared. Tissue  cultures  and  many  tumors  and  galls  are  formless,  largely 
unorganized  masses  of  cells  which  no  longer  produce  the  beautifully 
coordinated  structures  called  organisms.  Individual  cells  here  must  still 
retain  a  basic,  vital  organization  in  their  living  stuff,  for  otherwise  they 
would  die,  but  the  higher  levels  of  organization  have  now  broken 
down.  In  other  types  of  abnormal  growth  quite  the  opposite  change 
has  occurred  and  entirely  new  structures,  specifically  formed  and  well 
organized  though  on  a  different  plan,  are  produced,  as  in  many  insect 
galls. 

The  subject  of  abnormal  growth  is  therefore  a  promising  one  for  stu- 


Abnormal  Growth  277 

dents  of  plant  morphogenesis  since  by  the  study  of  these  unusual  struc- 
tures development  may  be  examined  at  various  levels  and  degrees  of  or- 
ganization. Relatively  little  work  has  been  done  in  this  field,  however, 
and  most  of  the  results  are  descriptive  and  relate  to  mature  structures. 
In  the  few  cases,  such  as  crown  gall,  where  many  experimental  and 
developmental  studies  have  been  made,  these  have  proved  to  be  very 
rewarding. 

There  is  some  confusion  between  the  concepts  of  "pathological"  and 
"abnormal"  growth.  Pathology  is  concerned  with  questions  about  the  health 
and  survival  of  the  organism  when  it  is  attacked  by  parasites  or  sub- 
jected to  unfavorable  conditions.  Abnormal  growth  is  often  produced 
by  this  means  though  here,  again,  it  is  difficult  to  draw  the  line.  One  would 
hardly  call  the  aecium  of  wheat  rust  an  abnormal  growth,  but  a  crown 
gall  certainly  is  one.  There  are  many  cases  of  abnormal  growth,  on  the 
other  hand,  which  clearly  are  not  pathological,  such  as  inherited  fascia- 
tions  or  the  root  tubercles  of  legumes.  A  student  of  abnormal  growth  is 
not  concerned  with  the  health  of  the  plant,  nor  does  a  pathologist  ex- 
amine primarily  the  ways  in  which  the  plants  with  which  he  deals 
diverge  from  the  norm.  Historically,  however,  the  two  fields  have  been 
close  together,  and  Kuster's  (1925)  classic  book  on  abnormal  growth  is 
entitled  "Pathological  Plant  Anatomy." 

There  is  no  very  obvious  way  in  which  to  organize  the  widely  various 
phenomena  of  abnormal  growth.  It  will  be  most  logical,  perhaps,  to 
proceed  from  cases  where  divergence  from  the  norm  is  relatively  slight 
and  move  to  those  where  it  is  more  extreme.  In  the  present  chapter 
there  will  be  discussed  (1)  the  abnormal  development  of  organs  be- 
longing to  the  usual  categories,  (2)  the  production  of  new  types  of  or- 
ganized structures,  and  (3)  the  production  of  amorphous  structures. 
The  whole  field  has  been  briefly  reviewed  by  Bloch  ( 1954 ) . 

ABNORMAL  DEVELOPMENT  OF  ORGANS 

In  many  cases  structures  still  recognizable  as  leaves,  stems,  roots,  flow- 
ers, or  other  organs  have  been  modified  in  many  ways,  sometimes  very 
radically.  This  is  the  field  of  teratology,  the  study  of  malformations, 
freaks,  and  monstrosities,  which  has  long  excited  the  curiosity  of  bot- 
anists (Moquin-Tandon,  1841;  Masters,  1869;  Worsdell,  1915;  Penzig, 
1921;  and  Heslop-Harrison,  1952).  Little  but  descriptive  work  has  been 
done  on  most  of  them.  For  a  long  time  their  scientific  value  was  chiefly 
to  morphologists,  who  looked  to  malformations  for  evidence  as  to  the 
morphological  nature  of  certain  organs.  Thus  the  "metamorphosis"  of 
petals  and  sepals  into  leaf -like  structures  (phyllody;  Fig.  11-1)  suggests 
that  they  are  really  leaves  but  have  been  modified  in  function  during 


278  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

evolution.  Heslop-Harrison  lists  three  causes  for  such  phenomena:  ab- 
normalities in  growth,  of  little  morphological  significance;  abnormalities 
in  development,  owing  to  failure  of  hormonal  systems  or  other  form- 


Fig.  11-1.  Sepal  phyllody.  Sepal 
of  a  rose  flower  showing  abnor- 
mal development  into  a  structure 
much  like  a  foliage  leaf.  (From 
T.  E.  T.  Bond.) 


determining  factors;  and  minor  abnormalities  arising  from  genetic  or 
environmental  causes.  Some  teratological  changes  may  be  reversionary 
and  some  progressive. 


Fig.  11-2.  Left,  normal  tendril  of  Cucurbita.  Right,  abnormal  structure  intermediate 
between  a  tendril  and  a  foliage  leaf.  ( From  Worsdell. ) 

There  are  various  categories  of  these  abnormal  structures,  or  tera- 
tomata  (Figs.  11-2,  11-3),  which  are  only  loosely  related  to  each  other. 
About  certain  of  them  a  considerable  literature  has  grown  up.  In  many 
cases  the  causal  agent  is  known,  but  often  it  is  not.  Little  developmental 
work  has  been  done  on  most  of  them. 


Abnormal  Growth 


279 


Organoid  Galls.  Under  this  term  Kiister  (1910)  included  many  cases  of 
abnormal  development  or  distribution  of  organs  which  are  clearly  the 
result  of  parasitism,  nutritional  disturbances,  or  other  known  causes  and 
which  often  show  little  constancy  of  form  or  structure.  Such  galls  may 
appear  at  some  distance  from  the  site  of  the  stimulating  agent.  With  these 
are  usually  included  similar  types  of  abnormalities  even  if  their  causal 
factors  are  unknown. 

In  some  of  these  galls  it  is  chiefly  the  form  that  is  abnormal.  In  the 
leaves  of  various  species  of  Juncus  parasitized  by  Livia  juncorum,  for 
example,  the  sheath  reaches  extraordinary  size  while  the  lamina  remains 
small  or  atrophied.  In  Populus  tremula  small  stipules  turn  into  large,  leaf- 
like structures.  Eriophyces  also  produces  floral  abnormalities  in  which 


Fig.  11-3.  Abnormal  flower  of 
gloxinia,  with  extra  petal-like 
structures  on  the  outer  surface 
of  the  corolla  and  an  increase 
over  the  normal  number  of 
corolla  lobes.  ( From  Worsdell. ) 


stamens  or  carpels  become  petal-like.  Flower  buds  that  have  been 
grafted  in  a  place  where  leaf  buds  would  normally  be  sometimes  produce 
unusually  large  and  abnormal  flowers,  evidently  because  of  nutritional 
changes. 

Some  of  these  changes  are  comparable  to  those  occurring  in  regenera- 
tion. Thus  in  vigorously  regenerating  shoots  of  Symphoricarpos  simple 
leaves  become  pinnately  cut,  and  in  regenerating  stalks  of  Sambucus, 
stipules  may  be  converted  into  leaves.  The  removal  of  the  main  shoot 
in  the  seedling  of  Vicia  faba  results  in  the  formation  of  primary  leaves 
or  transitional  ones  instead  of  those  of  mature  type.  It  is  well  known 
that  decapitation,  defoliation,  and  similar  injuries  lead  to  various 
changes.  Goebel  (1882)  thus  obtained  leaves  instead  of  bud  scales  in 
Prunus  padus,  and  Blaringhem  (1908)  reported  many  morphological  ab- 
normalities  due   to  wounding.   The   formation   of   cups   or   aecidia    on 


280  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

leaves  seems  often  to  be  due  to  nutritional  disturbances.  Bond  (1945) 
found  that  sepal  phyllody  in  roses  is  an  effect  of  hormones  that  control 
the  vigor  of  growth  and  the  balance  between  reproductive  and  vegeta- 
tive tendencies.  This  and  other  transformations  of  one  sort  of  floral 
organ  into  another  may  be  compared  to  changes  in  sex  expression  that 
have  been  found  to  occur  after  hormone  treatment  (Love  and  Love, 
1946 )  or  as  the  result  of  photoperiodic  change. 

In  other  organoid  galls,  abnormality  consists  in  the  formation  of  struc- 
tures in  places  where  they  do  not  ordinarily  occur.  Thus  ovaries  may 
appear  in  normally  staminate  flowers,  stamens  within  an  ovary,  or 
ovules  on  its  surface.  In  the  well-known  case  of  Lychnis  vespertina  at- 
tacked by  the  smut  fungus  Ustilago  antherorum,  stamens  are  produced 
in  the  female  flower  ( Strasburger,  1900).  Flowers  and  cones  may  pro- 
liferate into  vegetative  shoots  after  attack  by  mites  or  for  other  reasons. 
Cecidomyia  causes  the  formation  of  rootlets  on  the  stalk  nodes  of  Poa 
(Beyerinck,  1885)  and  Eriophyces  fraxini  small,  shortened  shoots  on 
the  leaves  of  Fraxinus.  The  attack  by  mites  sometimes  results  in  the 
growing  out  (enation)  of  small  leaves  on  large  ones  or  the  formation  of 
extra  perianths. 

Familiar  examples  of  abnormal  development  which  may  also  be  classed 
as  organoid  galls  are  "witches'-brooms"  (Fig.  11-4),  dense  clusters  of 
small,  much-branched  shoots,  chiefly  on  woody  plants  and  resulting  from 
excessive  production  of  buds  which  grow  immediately  into  shoots.  At- 
tacks by  mites  and  various  fungi,  especially  Exoascaceae  and  Uredineae, 
are  often  the  causal  agents,  though  in  many  instances  no  parasites  are 
known  to  be  involved.  The  physiological  basis  for  the  development  of 
such  structures  has  been  thought  to  be  the  accumulation  of  nutrients, 
though  doubtless  there  are  other  factors. 

A  rather  extensive  literature  has  grown  up  about  the  character  and 
causation  of  witches'-brooms,  for  which  the  reader  is  referred  to  Solereder 
( 1905 )  and  Liernur  ( 1927 ) .  Liernur  cites  96  instances  the  causes  of  which 
are  known,  occurring  on  49  species  of  plants  in  19  families,  and  51  cases 
of  unknown  origin.  They  differ  in  morphology,  anatomy,  and  etiology  but 
resemble  each  other  in  their  general  character  of  copious,  compact 
branching.  As  compared  with  normal  structures,  the  tissues  of  their  leaves 
and  branches  tend  to  be  somewhat  less  highly  differentiated,  thus  ap- 
proaching cataplasmatic  galls,  though  mechanical  elements  are  often  well 
developed. 

Fasciations.  A  special  type  of  abnormalities  of  a  rather  distinct  kind 
and  which  may  be  classed  with  organoid  galls  are  fasciations.  These  are 
cases  where  a  normally  cylindrical  or  radially  symmetrical  plant  part  be- 
comes flattened  and  elliptical  in  cross  section  to  form  ribbon-like  or  some- 
times ring-like  structures.  The  origin  of  fasciation  has  attracted  a  good 


Abnormal  Growth 


281 


deal  of  attention  among  morphologists.  Much  of  the  literature  is  reviewed 
in  the  papers  of  Schoute  (1936),  Bausor  (1937),  and  O.  E.  White  (1948). 
The  term  fasciation,  like  others  in  the  field  of  abnormal  growth,  has 
been  applied  to  a  rather  wide  variety  of  phenomena  which  probably  have 
different  origins  even  though  the  final  result  in  all  of  them  is  a  flattened 
structure.  Frank  (1880)  distinguished  between  fasciations  that  arise  by 
a  gradual  expansion  of  the  growing  point  in  one  plane  and  others  that 
come  from  lateral  fusion  or  connation  between  two  or  more  separate 


Fig.  11-4.  "Witches'-broom"  on  a  fern  leaf.   (After  Giesenhagen.) 

structures,  in  natural  self-grafting.  Schoute  believes  that  the  term  fasci- 
ation should  be  limited  to  Frank's  first  category,  and  this  is  now  the  com- 
monest practice.  The  difference  between  the  two  concepts  can  be  deter- 
mined only  by  developmental  studies.  Johansen  (1930)  has  shown  that 
the  genesis  of  fasciation  may  be  recognized  even  in  early  embryogeny. 

Fasciation  is  most  conspicuous  in  the  main-shoot  axis  but  occurs  also 
in  roots  (Schenck,  1916)  and  may  be  found  in  almost  all  parts  of  the 
plant.  It  may  vary  from  one  part  to  another.  Many  abnormalities  resem- 
bling fasciation  are  to  be  seen  in  leaves,  such  as  "double"  leaves  and 
others. 


282  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

Certain  instances  of  fasciation  have  received  special  study.  It  has  long 
been  observed  that  if  the  epicotyl  of  a  seedling  of  Phaseolus  multiflorus 
is  cut  off  and  the  buds  in  the  axils  of  the  cotyledons  are  then  allowed  to 
grow  they  will  produce  flattened  shoots.  These  later  revert  to  a  cylindrical 
form  and  produce  normal  branches.  This  is  an  unstable  kind  of  fasciation, 
and  the  factors  responsible  for  it  are  not  yet  clear  (Sachs,  1859;  Klebs, 
1906;  Georgescu,  1927;  Bausor,  1937). 

Fasciations  resulting  from  other  types  of  mutilations  and  from  wounds 
are  discussed  by  Blaringhem  ( 1908 ) .  They  frequently  follow  pruning  in 
Salix,  Populus,  Robinia,  Tilia,  and  Corylus. 

Various  other  factors,  both  external  and  internal,  have  been  found  to 
produce  fasciation.  Growth  substances  applied  in  high  concentration  may 
induce  such  vigorous  local  growth  that  ribbon-like  structures  result 
(Bloch,  1938).  In  strawberry  varieties  that  have  a  tendency  toward  fas- 
ciation, this  is  emphasized  by  short  day-lengths  ( Darrow  and  Borthwick, 
1954).  It  has  been  suggested  that  fasciation  is  due  to  a  high  level  of 
nutrition,  to  insufficient  nutrition,  to  changes  in  correlation  produced 
by  growth  substances,  and  to  various  factors  that  have  been  shown, 
in  both  normal  and  regenerative  growth,  to  induce  correlative  disturb- 
ances. 

Of  especial  interest  are  those  instances  where  fasciation,  or  a  tendency 
toward  it,  is  inherited.  The  best  known  of  these  is  in  the  cockscomb, 
Celosia  cristata,  where  the  inflorescence  is  often  much  flattened.  Heredi- 
tary fasciation  has  also  been  found  in  Nicotiana  (O.  E.  White,  1916), 
Pharbitis  (Imai  and  Kanna,  1934),  and  Phlox  drummondii  (Kelly,  1927). 
The  large-fruited  varieties  of  tomato  with  more  than  two  carpels  may  be 
regarded  as  examples  of  genetic  fasciation. 

Fasciation  is  found  in  all  groups  of  vascular  plants.  Penzig  ( 1921 )  has 
reported  it  for  Psilotum  and  Lycopodium;  Kienholz  (1932)  for  Pinus,  and 
Schenck  ( 1916 )  for  other  gymnosperms.  It  is  widespread  in  angiosperms, 
both  dicotyledonous  and  monocotyledonous,  and  many  instances  are  cited 
by  Masters.  It  is  particularly  frequent  in  Taraxacum,  Antirrhinum,  and 
Delphinium  and  has  even  been  found  in  the  giant  cactus,  Carnegiea 
gigantea. 

Pelory.  Pelory  (or  peloria)  is  a  type  of  floral  abnormality,  quite  dif- 
ferent from  the  others  that  have  been  mentioned,  in  which  dorsiventrally 
symmetrical  (bilabiate)  flowers  become  radially  symmetrical.  It  was  first 
discovered  by  Linnaeus  in  Linaria  vulgaris,  where  it  may  frequently  be 
found  in  nature,  and  has  been  studied  by  Sirks  ( 1915 )  and  others  ( Fig. 
11-5).  In  this  species  peloric  flowers,  where  they  occur,  are  found  at  the 
base  of  the  inflorescence  and  may  show  a  transition  to  normal  ones  at  the 
top.  This  is  perhaps  another  instance  of  phasic  development.  Peloric 
flowers  have  also  been  investigated  in  Linaria  spuria,  Antirrhinum  majus, 


Abnormal  Growth  283 

and  Digitalis  purpurea.  Pelory  is  frequent  in  Labiatae,  where  it  usually 
occurs  at  the  top  of  the  inflorescence. 

As  to  the  cause  of  pelory,  opinion  is  divided.  In  cases  such  as  Digitalis 
the  difference  between  the  bilabiate  and  the  radial  condition  is  clearly 
induced  by  gravity  for  it  can  be  reversed  experimentally.  Peyritsch  found 
that  in  Labiatae  it  may  be  induced  by  strong  illumination.  Sachs  believed 
that  physiological  factors  are  operative  in  causing  it.  There  are  many 
cases,  however,  reported  by  Vrolik,  Darwin,  de  Vries,  Baur,  Lotsy,  and 
others,  where  this  type  of  abnormality,  or  at  least  a  tendency  to  produce 
it,  is  inherited. 


Fig.  11-5.  Peloric  flower  of  Linaria 
vulgaris,  almost  radially  symmetrical. 
(From  Goebel.) 


PRODUCTION  OF  NEW  TYPES  OF  ORGANIZED  STRUCTURES 

In  organoid  galls  and  similar  types  of  abnormalities  that  have  been  dis- 
cussed,  structures   recognizable   as   those   found   in   normal   plants   are 
present,  though  their  size,  form,  and  arrangement  may  be  altered  and  the 
general  pattern  of  organization  distorted.  In  the  group  now  to  be  consid- 
ered the  structures  produced  are  entirely  novel  and  cannot  be  placed  in 
any  such  morphological  category  as  leaves  or  stems.  They  can  hardly  be 
regarded  as  organs,  but  they  are  much  more  than  tissue  abnormalities 
for  they  have  a  constant  and  specific  form,  size,  and  structure  and  a  very 
considerable  amount  of  histological  differentiation.  They  result  from  the 
attack  of  parasites.  In  most  cases  they  undergo  a  definite  period  of  devel- 
opment, or  life  cycle,  correlated  with  that  of  the  parasite  and  thus  are 
different  from  the  cataplasmatic  abnormalities  to  be  discussed  later.  In 
Kiister's  terminology  they  are  prosoplasmatic  galls.  There  is  no  sharp  line 
between  these  and  the  simpler  gall  types  but  their  large  number  and 
definite  forms  set  them  apart  as  a  rather  distinct  group.  The  majority  are 
zoocecidia   (galls  formed  by  animals).  The  most  conspicuous  and  best 
known  owe  their  origin  to  parasitism  by  the  gall  wasps  or  cynipids,  a 
family  of  the  Hymenoptera.  Others  are  produced  by  flies  of  the  gall 
midges  and  simpler  ones  by  mites.  A  few  are  the  result  of  fungus  parasites. 


284  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

Prosoplasmatic  galls  are  so  numerous  and  so  remarkable  in  many  re- 
spects that  they  have  received  much  attention  and  are  the  basis  of  an 
extensive  literature.  They  are  discussed  in  many  papers  and  books  by 
Beyerinck  (1883),  Molliard  (1895),  Magnus  (1914),  Thompson  (1915), 
Felt  (1917),  Kostoff  and  Kendall  (1929),  Kiister  (1930,  1949),  Ross 
(1932),  Carter  (1939,  1952),  and  others.  A  typical  example  has  been 
described  in  detail  by  Hough  ( 1953 ) . 

The  small  galls  produced  by  some  of  the  rusts  or  by  Synchijtrium  pilifi- 
cum  on  the  leaves  of  Potentilla  may  perhaps  be  included  among  proso- 
plasmatic galls,  as  may  those  formed  on  the  petioles  of  Populus  by 
Pemphigus  bursarius.  Here  the  gall  is  simply  a  mass  of  expanded  epider- 
mal and  cortical  cells  which  have  divided  anticlinally. 


Fig.  11-6.  Insect  galls  on  leaf  of  rose.  (From  Wells.) 

There  is  a  higher  degree  of  organization  in  cynipid  galls,  and  they  have 
received  much  more  attention  than  any  others  (Fig.  11-6).  In  these  the 
female  wasp  deposits  an  egg  in  the  body  of  the  plant,  where  the  larva 
develops,  and  the  gall  results  from  the  reaction  of  plant  tissues  to  stimula- 
tion from  the  egg  and  the  developing  larva.  Such  galls  possess  a  concen- 
tric type  of  organization.  The  histology  of  these  structures  is  as  varied  as 
their  form  (Figs.  11-7,  11-8).  Some  are  relatively  simple  but  others  con- 
sist of  three,  four,  or  even  five  different  types  of  tissue.  Some  of  these 
tissues  show  adaptation  to  specific  functions  such  as  mechanical  support, 
storage,  and  aeration.  The  mechanical  tissues  are  of  particular  interest  be- 
cause of  their  relation  to  the  position  of  the  larva  within  the  gall  and  the 
means  of  its  escape. 

The  special  morphogenetic  significance  of  these  galls  is  that  in  them  a 


Abnormal  Growth 


285 


specific  modification  of  the  tissue  pattern  of  the  host  plant  is  caused  by 
the  presence  in  it  of  an  egg  and  larva  of  the  parasite.  A  given  cynipid  will 
always  produce  the  same  kind  of  gall  on  a  given  plant  species,  and  the 
galls  induced  by  different  wasps  on  the  same  plant  are  quite  dissimilar. 
On  Celtis  occidentalis,  Carter  found  17  different  sorts  of  galls  formed  by 
17  species  of  wasps.  Each  type  of  gall  is  related  to  the  character  of  the 
larva  that  develops  within  it. 

Doubtless  the  formation  of  these  formed  galls  results  from  a  specific 
stimulus  coming  from  the  wasp  or  the  growing  larva  and  a  specific  re- 
sponse by  the  tissues  of  the  host  plant,  but  how  such  a  subtle  control  of 


Remains  of  the  egg  membrane 

Vein  of  the  2nd  order  of  branching 
Ruptured  lower  epidermis 


Leaf  upper  epidermis 

Vein  connecting  leaf  and  gall 

Cup  of  platform  cells 


Additional  sclerenchyma  ring 

Funnel-shaped  sclerenchyma  mass 

Nutritive  tissue  cells 

Plate-like  sclerenchyma  mass 

Gall  cavity  containing  larva 


1  mm. 


Large  air-spaces  region 
Gall  vascular  stand 


Stellate  hairs 
Gall  parenchyma 
Gall-stalk  sclerenchyma 
Gall  epidermis 


Fig.  11-7.  Diagram  of  a  longitudinal  section  through  a  cynipid  gall  on  the  leaf  of  oak, 
showing  its  specific  form  and  considerable  structural  differentiation.   (From  Hough.) 


the  morphogenetic  potencies  of  the  host  cells  is  exerted  by  the  parasite  is 
unknown.  Various  theories  have  been  proposed  and  many  experiments 
performed  to  throw  light  on  this  problem.  It  has  been  suggested  that  the 
gall-inducing  stimulus  is  a  mechanical  one,  but  this  seems  rather  unlikely, 
and  most  workers  now  believe  that  the  stimulus  is  chemical  in  nature, 
perhaps  an  enzyme  or  a  specific  formative  substance. 

Many  investigators  have  tried  to  extract  the  gall-forming  agent  from 
the  insect,  inject  it  into  a  plant,  and  thus  produce  a  gall  artificially,  but 
earlier  attempts  all  failed.  Recent  ones  have  been  more  successful.  Parr 
(1940)  and  Plumb  (1953)  injected  extracts  from  the  salivary  glands  of 
coccids  and  an  aphid  into  young  needles  of  Norway  spruce  and  induced 
the  formation  of  galls  much  like  those  normally  produced  by  these  insects. 


286  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

K.  M.  Smith  (1920)  had  shown  that  the  damage  to  leaves  of  apple  by 
capsid  bugs  was  caused  by  secretions  of  the  salivary  glands,  and  this  sug- 
gested the  possibility  that  the  glands  of  the  gall-producing  larva  secrete 
an  enzyme  which  calls  forth  a  specific  growth  reaction  in  the  host  tissue. 
Parr  demonstrated  the  presence  of  enzymes  in  the  gland  extract  but  found 
that   these    did   not   stimulate    gall    formation    when    sterilized.    Martin 

T 


Fig.  11-8.  Section  through  portion  of  an  insect  gall  showing  modification  of  normal 
leaf  structure  (left).  The  larval  chamber  is  surrounded  by  mechanical  tissue.  (From 
Kiister. ) 

(1942),  however,  produced  abnormal  growth  in  sugar  cane  with  steri- 
lized extracts. 

Substances  produced  by  the  growing  larva  rather  than  those  injected 
with  the  egg  are  probably  most  important  in  gall  formation.  Little  is 
known  about  these  substances,  however,  or  the  place  and  manner  in  which 
they  are  introduced  into  the  tissues  of  the  plant  (Kostoff  and  Kendall, 
1929). 

A  morphological  problem  of  some  interest  is  whether  these  galls  and 


Abnormal  Growth  287 

the  tissues  that  compose  them  are  really  to  be  considered  as  "new" 
structures,  morphologically  different  from  the  familiar  categories.  Cer- 
tainly they  have  cells  and  tissues  unlike  any  normally  found  in  their  host 
plants.  Such  are  the  various  hairy  projections  on  the  surface  of  certain  galls, 
the  opening  mechanisms,  the  mechanical  tissues,  and  others  concerned 
with  nutrition  and  aeration.  As  to  whether  these  are  "new"  or  not  depends 
on  our  definition  of  that  term.  A  given  morphological  category,  such  as 
the  leaf,  presumably  has  a  continuous  evolutionary  history  beginning 
with  early  vascular  plants.  It  is  part  of  the  norm  of  plant  structure.  In 
this  sense  such  galls  are  certainly  new.  They  have  arisen,  however,  be- 
cause of  a  novel  factor  in  the  plant's  environment-the  gall  wasp.  It  seems 
probable  that  if  such  wasps  had  existed  in  the  Paleozoic  they  would  have 
induced  galls  in  the  vascular  plants  of  that  era.  Gall-making  ability  on 
the  part  of  the  wasp  is  advantageous  to  it  and  doubtless  has  been  devel- 
oped by  selection,  but  the  gall  response  by  the  plant  to  the  parasite  is  not. 
Presumably  the  capacity  for  producing  these  galls  has  long  been  among 
the  developmental  potencies  of  plants.  It  can  be  regarded  as  new  histori- 
cally but  not  morphologically. 

From  the  morphogenetic  point  of  view  the  most  important  fact  about 
these  prosoplasmatic  galls  is  that  they  are  highly  organized  and  specifi- 
cally formed  structures  induced  by  an  outside  stimulus.  Here  we  can  see 
the  process  of  form  determination  manifest  in  a  simpler  fashion  than  in 
normal  development,  for  here  the  inducing  agent  is  not  a  part  of  the 
developmental  mechanism  but  is  introduced  into  the  organism.  If  we 
understood  exactly  how  these  galls  are  formed,  we  should  doubtless  gain 
some  important  clues  as  to  the  morphogenetic  process  generally.  Some- 
thing more  is  involved  here  than  partial  loss  of  organization,  the  change 
that  takes  place  in  most  other  galls.  Here  is  operating  a  constructive,  not 
a  degenerative,  process. 

AMORPHOUS  STRUCTURES 

In  the  two  previously  discussed  categories  of  abnormal  growth  the 
original  organization  was  either  present  in  altered  form  or  something 
entirely  different  from  the  normal  was  produced.  There  is  a  third  group 
in  which  organization  at  its  highest  level,  with  the  production  of  specifi- 
cally formed  structures,  is  inoperative  to  a  large  degree,  and  only  form- 
less, or  amorphous,  structures  are  developed.  Within  these  structures 
there  may  be  some  histological  differentiation  but  it  is  much  less  than  in 
normal  tissue.  The  cells  remain  alive,  however,  and  perform  many  normal 
physiological  activities.  They  must  still  possess  a  certain  amount  of  organ- 
ization, evident  in  regulatory  action.  If  this  were  not  so,  death  would 
ensue. 


288  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

There  are  various  sorts  of  amorphous  structures  which  are  not  easy  to 
distinguish  from  each  other,  but  a  number  of  categories  may  be  recog- 
nized, such  as  intumescences,  callus,  tumors,  and  galls.  The  terms  "gall" 
and  "tumor"  have  no  very  precise  meanings,  but  a  gall  is  most  commonly 
regarded  as  an  anomalous  growth  due  to  an  attack  by  a  parasite  and  a 
tumor  as  one  which  results  from  other  causes,  though  there  are  many 
exceptions  to  these  definitions. 

Intumescences.  The  simplest  sort  of  amorphous  abnormal  growth  is  one 
in  which  a  group  of  cells  at  the  surface  of  an  organ  expands  into  a  wart 
or  pustule.  These  are  termed  intumescences  (Sorauer,  1899)  and  result 
from  various  causes  (Wallace,  1928).  Sometimes,  as  on  the  leaf  of  cab- 
bage (Von  Schrenk,  1905),  they  are  groups  of  watery  (hyperhydric)  cells, 
swollen  by  excessive  absorption  of  water  resulting  from  contact  with 
spray  materials  or  other  substances.  In  woody  plants  intumescences 
usually  are  formed  by  proliferation  of  cork  cells,  sometimes  from  lenticels 
and  sometimes  elsewhere.  Such  intumescences  involve  an  increase  in  the 
cell  number  (hyperplasia)  as  contrasted  with  an  increase  in  cell  size 
(hypertrophy)  as  in  the  cabbage  leaf.  They  may  result  from  exposure  to 
ethylene  gas  and  other  substances.  Intumescences  often  resemble  natu- 
rally occurring  corky  spots  on  certain  plants,  especially  at  lenticels. 

Callus.  As  a  result  of  wounding,  a  layer  of  cork  cells  is  usually  produced 
over  the  wound  surface  through  the  action  of  wound  hormones  (p.  402). 
This  perhaps  is  not  to  be  called  "abnormal"  tissue  in  the  ordinary  sense, 
since  it  is  very  common  and  indeed  accompanies  bark  formation  in  trees, 
where  new  cork  layers  cover  the  breaks  resulting  from  expansion  of  the 
axis.  In  many  cases,  however,  these  do  not  occur  in  the  intact,  uninjured 
plant  and  may  best  be  included  among  abnormal  structures. 

In  cases  of  more  serious  wounds,  as  where  a  cutting  is  removed  for  root- 
ing, something  more  complex  than  a  few  layers  of  cork  cells  is  formed 
at  the  surface.  Here  often  develops  callus,  an  amorphous  mass  of  rather 
large-celled,  loosely  arranged  parenchymatous  tissue,  produced  by  cell 
division  in  the  ground  tissue  or  more  commonly  from  cambium  (Fig. 
11-9).  Its  elements  show  relatively  little  differentiation,  but  there  may  be 
some  meristematic  growth  near  the  surface.  For  its  nutrition,  callus  de- 
pends on  food  from  the  normal  tissues  beneath  it. 

A  callus  may  reach  considerable  size  but  its  mass  has  no  definite  form 
and  there  is  little  morphogenetic  control  over  its  growth.  In  its  later 
stages,  callus  may  undergo  various  types  of  development  depending  on 
the  kind  of  plant,  the  location  of  the  wound,  and  the  external  conditions. 
Often  some  differentiation  appears  in  it,  and  cells  are  produced  resem- 
bling those  of  normal  tissue.  Isolated  nests  of  single  cells  or  groups  of 
cells  may  develop  into  tracheid-like  elements,  usually  with  reticulate  pit- 
ting. Sclereids  are  formed  in  the  same  way.  These  irregular  nests  have  a 


Abnormal  Growth  289 

characteristic  appearance,  and  their  presence  often  indicates  the  origin 
of  a  meristem  in  the  callus. 

The  structure  and  arrangement  of  the  cells  in  such  wound  tissue  as 
callus  are  often  atypical,  especially  near  the  wound  itself.  The  cells  twist 
and  turn,  and  so-called  "whorls"  thus  formed  have  been  described  by 
Maule  (1896),  Neeff  (1914),  and  others.  Krieg  (1908)  observed  several 
concentric  circles  of  cambium  in  the  pith  of  ringed  branches  of  Vitis 
adjacent  to  a  wound.  In  the  outer  ring,  development  was  inverted,  phloem 
being  formed  toward  the  inside  and  xylem  toward  the  outside. 


Fig.  11-9.  Callus  on  cut  stem  of  Cleome  produced  by  application  of  growth  substance. 
( Courtesy  Boyce  Thompson  Institute. ) 

Save  under  particular  conditions,  a  callus  does  not  remain  callus 
indefinitely  but  tends  to  produce  normally  organized  structures  again. 
This  it  does  by  means  of  new  apical  meristems,  both  of  shoots  and  roots, 
which  frequently  appear  in  it.  Such  meristems  arise  in  several  ways.  Cells 
abutting  on  nests  of  tracheids  may  produce  a  meristem  in  the  form  of  a 
hollow  sphere.  Others  may  appear  elsewhere  in  the  callus  or  where  it  is 
in  contact  with  the  pith,  cambium,  or  cortex.  These  meristems  may  form 
secondary  wood  or  phloem.  Meristems  of  roots  tend  to  arise  well  below 
the  surface  and  those  of  shoots  either  at  or  just  below  the  surface.  From 
such  meristems  typical  organs  may  be  regenerated  in  any  region  of  the 
callus,  thus  showing  that  there  have  been  no  fundamental  changes  in 
the  genetic  character  of  the  callus  cells  themselves.  Their  potencies  to 
produce  typically  organized  structures  have  been  masked  but  not  lost. 


290  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

Structures  much  like  calluses  may  be  induced  by  other  factors  than 
wounding,  especially  by  various  chemical  substances.  Among  these  sub- 
stances are  ether,  chloroform,  camphor,  ethylene  gas,  liquid  paraffin,  and 
especially  various  growth  substances  (p.  407).  Many  are  nonspecific  in 
their  action,  and  it  is  to  be  assumed  that  their  effect  is  primarily  one  of 
injury  to  the  tissues,  which  produces  changes  in  the  cells  and  thus  leads 
rather  indirectly  to  atypical  growth  reactions.  Others,  especially  the 
growth  substances,  produce  rather  specific  reactions. 

One  of  the  properties  of  the  synthetic  growth  substances  (such  as  in- 
doleacetic,  indolebutyric,  and  naphthaleneacetic  acids  and  paraffin)  is 
their  action  in  stimulating  an  increase  in  the  number  and  the  size  of  cells 
to  which  they  are  applied.  Sizable  overgrowths  and  calluses  may  thus  be 
formed  on  various  plant  organs  if  sufficiently  high  concentrations  of  these 
agents  are  applied;  and  if  this  treatment  is  repeated,  tumor-like  masses 
are  produced  (Schilling,  1915;  Brown  and  Gardner,  1936;  Kisser,  1939; 
Levine,  1940;  and  others ) .  These  often  resemble  the  ones  associated  with 
certain  bacterial  infections. 

Callus-like  overgrowths  are  more  readily  obtained  if  the  paste  in  which 
the  inducing  substances  are  carried  is  applied  to  the  more  sensitive 
regions  such  as  those  near  the  shoot  tips,  particularly  after  decapitation. 
Many  experiments  have  been  performed,  especially  on  herbaceous  dicoty- 
ledons, to  test  the  effects  of  various  growth  substances  on  development 
(see  especially  the  publications  from  the  Boyce  Thompson  Institute  and 
those  of  E.  J.  Kraus  and  his  colleagues  at  the  University  of  Chicago, 
p.  405).  Differences  have  been  found  among  the  growth  substances  in  the 
character  and  extent  of  abnormal  growth  they  induce,  and  their  effects 
are  also  related  to  the  kind  of  plant,  its  age,  and  the  region  treated.  His- 
tological study  of  these  tumors  shows  that  they  resemble  other  calluses 
and  wound  tissues,  especially  in  the  absence  of  a  constant  form  or  size, 
the  presence  of  some  cellular  differentiation  as  the  tumor  ages,  and  the 
development  on  them  of  root  and  shoot  primordia. 

Amorphous  Calls  Produced  by  Parasites.  Amorphous  structures  which 
in  certain  respects  resemble  intumescences,  calluses,  and  chemically  in- 
duced tumors  are  caused  by  various  parasites  such  as  nematodes,  mites, 
insects,  fungi,  and  especially  bacteria.  Even  viruses  are  now  known  to  be 
involved  in  their  production  (Black,  1949).  There  is  a  great  variety  of 
these,  from  small,  simple  structures  to  large  and  relatively  complex  forms. 
Some  of  the  huge  burls  on  trees  are  due  to  parasites  but  others  apparently 
are  caused  by  mechanical  or  other  nonparasitic  factors.  Many  amorphous 
galls  have  a  somewhat  more  highly  organized  character  than  others  but 
they  show  little  constancy  in  size  or  form  and  their  histology  is  less 
regular  and  their  differentiation  simpler  than  in  normal  structures.  Kiister 
describes   and   figures   many   of   these    (1903a,    1911,    1925).    He    gave 


Abnormal  Growth 


291 


them  the  name  by  which  they  are  now  commonly  known,  cataplasmatic 

galls. 

Crown  Gall.  Here  belongs  the  gall  that  has  been  studied  more  inten- 
sively than  any  other,  crown  gall  (Fig.  11-10).  This  is  produced  on  a 
wide  variety  of  plants,  at  least  142  genera  in  61  families,  by  the  bacterium 


Fig.  11-10.  A  crown  gall  on  sunflower.  (Courtesy  Department  of  Plant  Pathology, 
University  of  Wisconsin. ) 

Agrobacterium  tumefaciens.  There  are  reviews  of  work  on  such  galls  by 
Levine  (1936);  Riker,  Spoerl,  and  Gutsche  (1946);  de  Ropp  (1951a); 
Klein  and  Link  (1955);  and  Braun  and  Stonier  (1958).  Crown  gall  has 
been  investigated  by  Erwin  F.  Smith  and  his  colleagues  ( 1911,  1917,  and 
many    others)    and    later    by    various    botanists    among    whom    Braun, 


292  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

Gautheret,  Levine,  Riker,  de  Ropp,  and  P.  R.  White  have  been  especially 
active. 

The  inception  of  a  crown  gall  seems  always  to  come  by  means  of  a 
wound.  In  the  early  stages  of  this  infection  the  reactions  of  the  host  cells 
produced  either  directly  or  indirectly  by  the  parasite  are  much  like  wound 
reactions,  but  in  the  young  gall  the  new  cell  walls  soon  lose  the  regular 
arrangement  found  in  wound  tissues.  Reparative  wound  calluses  and  those 
formed  at  grafts  often  resemble  the  early  stages  of  crown  gall,  but  as  the 
gall  develops,  rapid  cell  division  occurs  in  the  outer  layers  and  a  large 
mass  of  callus  is  formed.  The  great  difference  between  crown  gall  and 
ordinary  callus,  however,  is  that  the  latter  is  self-limiting  and  soon  be- 
comes quiescent  whereas  gall  tissue  is  capable  of  indefinite  and  amor- 
phous growth.  This  is  a  fact  of  particular  morphogenetic  significance. 
There  is  now  good  evidence  that  the  cells  of  crown  gall  have  undergone 
a  permanent  change  in  character.  This  seems  to  involve  an  acquirement 
of  the  capacity  for  autonomous  growth,  which  may  result,  Rraun  ( 1958 ) 
believes,  from  the  permanent  activation  of  a  series  of  systems  by  which 
growth  substances  are  synthesized.  In  normal  cells  these  systems  are 
precisely  regulated  and  growth  ultimately  stops.  Normal  cells  in  cul- 
ture require  auxin  from  an  outside  source  but  crown-gall  cells  do  not. 
Crown  gall  thus  differs  from  most  other  galls,  which  are  self-limiting  and 
do  not  grow  indefinitely.  In  some  cases  the  crown  gall  matures,  stops 
enlarging,  and  undergoes  some  histological  differentiation.  Nests  of  vascu- 
lar cells,  chiefly  xylem,  appear  in  it  (Fig.  11-11),  and  the  primordia  of 
roots  and  shoots  may  develop.  The  cytological  and  histological  changes 
in  the  development  of  a  typical  crown  gall  have  been  described  by  Ther- 
man  (1956)  and  Kupila  (1958). 

The  process  of  conversion  of  normal  cells  into  tumor  cells  is  a  gradual 
one.  Its  inception  depends  both  on  a  wound  stimulus  and  on  the  pres- 
ence of  an  auxin  ( Rraun  and  Stonier,  1958 ) .  Tumors  differ  in  appearance, 
in  the  degree  of  their  organization,  and  in  their  capacity  for  growth.  These 
differences  may  be  the  result  of  their  location  on  the  plant,  the  virulence 
of  the  strain  of  infecting  bacteria,  or  other  factors.  Crown-gall  tissues 
can  be  grafted  into  normal  ones,  and  these  may  be  carried  through  an 
indefinite  series  of  graft  transfers.  There  is  no  good  evidence  that  they 
induce  adjacent  normal  tissue  to  form  tumor  cells,  though  temporary 
alterations  may  take  place  there.  Gall  tissues  can  readily  be  grown 
in  culture  and  can  then  be  grafted  back  to  normal  ones  and  form  galls. 
In  all  these  cases  their  cells  remain  unchanged. 

In  a  few  plants  secondary  tumors  may  develop,  often  at  some  distance 
from  the  original  gall  or  primary  tumor.  In  certain  cases  this  results  from 
an  infection  near  the  apical  meristem  and  a  subsequent  separation  of 
the  secondary  from  the  primary  gall  by  growth.   Sometimes,  however, 


Abnormal  Growth 


293 


secondary  galls  develop  after  growth  in  length  is  over  but  always  in  close 
association  with  the  xylem,  as  though  the  latter  were  the  pathway  of 
induction.  Secondary  tumors  behave  much  like  primary  ones  in  grafts 
and  in  culture,  and  there  seems  to  be  no  very  fundamental  difference 
between  the  two. 

Remarkably  enough,  many  crown  galls,  particularly  secondary  ones, 
seem  to  be  free  from  bacteria.  There  is  evidence,  however,  that  bacteria 
must  always  be  present  at  the  very  beginning  of  tumor  growth  but 
that  they  soon  disappear.  Braun  and  White  (1943)  made  Vinca  rosea 


Fig.  11-11.  Section  of  a  young  crown  gall  on  Pelargonium,  showing  a  nest  of  vascular 
cells.  ( From  Noel. ) 

galls  free  of  bacteria  by  heat  treatment.  Such  tissues  retained  their  gall- 
producing  properties  when  grafted  into  healthy  plants  (White,  1945). 
Although  bacteria  are  required  for  the  inception  of  crown  gall,  once  the 
change  is  induced  they  no  longer  seem  necessary  for  the  growth  of  gall 
tissue. 

Crown  gall  (and  presumably  other  amorphous  galls  of  this  general 
type)  does  not  result  from  a  single  cause  but  involves  a  series  of  factors. 
Klein  and  Link  ( 1955 )  discuss  this  in  their  extensive  account  of  the 
etiology  of  crown  gall  (Fig.  11-12).  There  is  first  a  conditioning  phase, 
perhaps  induced  by  wounding  and  involving  wound  hormones.  This 
makes  the  cells  susceptible  to  conversion  into  tumor  cells.  It  is  possible 


294  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

that  the  activation  process  in  ordinary  wound  healing  and  in  the  incep- 
tion of  tumors  may  be  the  same.  This  is  followed  by  an  induction  phase 
in  which  a  tumor-inducing  substance  of  some  sort  enters  the  host  from 
the  bacterium.  A  heat-labile  product  of  virulent  crown-gall  bacteria  has 
been  found  to  alter  conditioned  cells  into  incipient  tumor  cells.  How  this 
is  done  is  not  clear.  The  substance  may  itself  be  the  agent  of  change, 
possibly  a  virus  or  a  macromolecule  of  DNA  or  even  a  gene  or  a 
hereditary  agent  in  the  cytoplasm;  or  it  may  induce  the  change  by 
causing  gene  mutation  or  the  production  of  permanent,  self-reproduc- 
ing bodies,  sometimes  called  plasmoids.  Finally,  in  the  promotion  phase 
the  gall  grows  to  completion.  Here  auxin  is  involved,  in  the  promotion  of 
an  incipient  into  a  primary  tumor  cell,  in  the  multiplication  and  per- 


PRIMARY      TRANSFORMATION       PERIOD 


CONDITIONING 
PHASE 


INDUCTION 
PHASE 


PROMOTION     and    COMPLETION 
PHASE 


CONDITIONED 
CELL       | 


MtltH 

Tumor-  inducing 

principle 


INCIPIENT 
TUMOR  CELL 


*  t.t 
Auxin 


Auxin 


Tumor-inducing 
I    principle     i    | 

Mill'1 

-  $■ *" 


AGROBACTERlUM      TUMEFACIENS 


PROMOTED 
CELL 


PRIMARY 
TUMOR  CELL 


WOUNDING 


N0CULATI0N 


Fig.  11-12.  Diagram  of  probable  interrelations  of  various  factors  in  the  transformation 
of  a  normal  cell  into  a  primary  tumor  cell.  ( From  Klein  and  Link. ) 

haps  the  differentiation  of  tumor  cells,  and  in  causing  various  host  effects 
which  accompany  tumor  formation.  The  physiology  of  crown-gall  for- 
mation has  been  further  discussed  by  Klein  (1958). 

A  question  often  raised  is  whether  crown  gall  and  its  derivatives  are 
really  plant  cancers,  as  Smith  vigorously  maintained  they  were,  or  if 
something  different  from  true  cancer  is  here  involved.  This  question 
has  been  discussed  by  Levine  (1936),  White  and  Braun  (1942),  and 
others.  It  should  be  remembered  that  such  a  condition  as  malignancy 
is  difficult  to  define  in  the  same  terms  in  organisms  as  different  in  struc- 
ture and  organization  as  plants  and  animals.  The  unrestrained,  invasive 
type  of  growth  characteristic  of  animal  cancer,  with  its  metastases  and 
lethal  quality,  could  hardly  be  expected  in  a  plant,  which  has  no  true 
circulatory  system  and  lacks  the  high  degree  of  organization  that  makes 


Abnormal  Growth  295 

animals  so  vulnerable.  The  animal  cancer  cell  has  lost  its  specificity  and 
become,  so  to  speak,  an  independent  parasitic  entity  of  unlimited 
growth.  What  this  change  involves  and  what  causes  it  are  still  not 
understood.  Crown-gall  tumor  cells  are  certainly  in  this  same  category 
for  they  grow  indefinitely  and  do  not  depend  on  the  continual  presence 
of  the  factors  that  induced  them.  The  true  cell  invasions  and  metastases, 
in  which  bits  of  cancer  tissue  are  carried  away  to  other  parts  of  the  body 
and  there  develop  new  centers  of  malignancy,  are  absent  in  plants,  but 
transfer  of  gall  tissue  from  place  to  place  by  grafting  is  readily  ac- 
complished. Many  students  of  the  problem  are  inclined  to  regard  crown- 
gall  tumors  as  basically  no  different  from  animal  cancers.  It  is  obvious 
that  these  examples  of  abnormal  growth  provide  some  of  the  best  ma- 
terial known  for  a  study  of  the  way  in  which  the  higher  levels  of  or- 
ganization in  the  plant  are  broken  down.  For  students  of  morpho- 
genesis they  long  have  had  a  particular  interest. 

Root  Nodules.  Another  type  of  cataplasmatic  galls  rather  different 
in  character  from  the  others  here  described  and  of  much  practical  im- 
portance to  man  are  the  nodules  formed  on  the  roots  of  leguminous 
plants  from  the  invasion  of  their  cortical  tissues  by  species  of  Rhizobium. 
They  are  an  example  of  what  has  been  called  "controlled  parasitism," 
for  the  relation  between  this  bacterium  and  the  plant  may  better  be 
regarded  as  symbiosis  rather  than  parasitism  since  the  host  plant  ob- 
tains an  advantage  because  of  the  atmospheric  nitrogen  fixed  by  the 
bacteria.  These  nodules  have  a  higher  degree  of  organization  and  pro- 
duce more  specialized  structures  than  do  most  cataplasmatic  galls 
and  perhaps  should  be  included  under  prosoplasmatic  ones  (Allen  and 
Allen,  1953).  The  particular  character  of  the  nodule  depends  upon  the 
host  plant  and  the  species  of  bacterium  that  invades  it.  As  in  crown 
gall,  auxin  action  mav  here  be  involved. 

Abnormal  Growth  Due  to  Other  Causes.  Manv  cases  have  been  re- 
ported  of  abnormalities  due  to  other  factors  than  parasitism  or  chemical 
stimulation.  X  rays  may  produce  them  ( Sankewitsch,  1953),  as  may 
ionizing  radiations  (Gunckel  and  Sparrow,  1954).  Some  resulted  from 
the  A-bomb  tests  in  the  Pacific  (Biddulph  and  Biddulph,  1953). 

In  some  plants  tumors  arise  from  no  recognizable  cause  and  are 
presumably  due  to  somatic  mutations  or  to  a  modification  of  organized 
development  by  other  genetic  factors.  The  best  known  case  is  that  of 
the  tumors  occurring  spontaneously  in  hybrids  between  Nicotiarui 
glauca  and  N.  Langsdorfii  (Kostoff,  1930a;  Kehr  and  Smith,  1954).  These 
are  small  amorphous  structures  appearing  on  stems  and  branches,  and  his- 
tologically resembling  wound  callus  and  crown  gall.  Kostoff  believes  that 
they  are  due  to  a  disturbed  growth  balance,  either  in  nucleus  or  cyto- 
plasm, between  these  two  particular  species.   These   tumors,   removed 


296  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

from  the  plant,  are  the  ones  used  by  P.  R.  White  in  his  first  tissue  cul- 
tures (1939).  He  found  later  that  they  retained  their  specific  proper- 
ties in  culture  for  years  and  continued  to  grow  as  tumors  when  grafted 
into  young  stems  of  Nicotiano  glauca  (1944).  Satina,  Rappaport,  and 
Blakeslee  (1950)  studied  the  development  of  somewhat  similar  tumors 
appearing  in  fertilized  ovules  from  incompatible  crosses  in  Datura. 

Changes  in  cellular  character  are  sometimes  associated  with  abnormal 
growth.  Prothallia  of  some  ferns,  when  grown  in  culture,  often  produce 
various  types  of  proliferations  (Partanen,  Sussex,  and  Steeves,  1955). 
Some  of  these  remain  essentially  prothallial  in  character  and  show  no 
fundamental  deviation  from  normal.  Their  cells  are  still  able  to  re- 
generate normal  prothallia  again.  Certain  tumor-like  forms,  however,  are 
modified  much  further,  for  they  have  lost  this  ability.  This  loss  is  ac- 
companied by  a  modification  in  cellular  character,  visible  as  an  increase 
in  chromosome  number  from  In  to  3n  or  4n.  Such  forms  may  be  com- 
parable in  a  sense  to  crown  gall.  White  and  Millington  (1954)  have 
described  a  woody,  nonbacterial  tumor  in  spruce  which  begins  in  a 
single  cambium  cell.  This  has  been  altered,  physiologically  or  geneti- 
cally, and  forms  a  mass  of  abnormal  tissue.  The  plant  becomes  what  is 
essentially  a  sectorial  chimera. 

Various  aspects  of  the  problem  of  plant  tumors  have  been  discussed 
by  P.  R.  White  (1951),  de  Ropp  ( 1951a ),  Klein  and  Link  (1955),  and 
others. 

Tissue  Cultures.  Tissue  cultures  can  hardly  be  called  tumors  or  galls, 
but  in  them  the  normal  organization  of  the  plant  has  disappeared  to  a 
greater  extent  than  in  any  other  case  here  discussed.  A  book  on  mor- 
phogenesis is  not  the  place  to  consider  this  subject  in  any  detail  but  it 
does  have  some  important  morphogenetic  implications  that  should  be 
mentioned.  So-called  tissue  cultures  of  plant  material  on  sterile  media 
have  been  studied  actively  in  recent  years,  and  for  an  account  of  them 
the  reader  is  referred  to  the  publications  of  the  pioneers  in  this  field, 
especially  P.  R.  White,  Robbins,  Gautheret,  and  Nobecourt. 

Animal  tissues  have  been  cultured  for  half  a  century  but  it  was  much 
more  recently  that  this  was  done  successfully  with  plants.  The  problems 
involved  were  first  clearly  stated  by  Haberlandt,  who  himself  failed  to 
grow  isolated  cells  from  higher  plants  in  artificial  media.  A  necessary 
prerequisite  for  the  success  later  attained  was  the  development  of 
satisfactory  media  consisting  of  pure  substances  of  known  chemical 
character,  including  salts,  carbohydrates,  organic  nitrogenous  materials, 
vitamins,  and  growth  substances.  The  media  developed  by  the  early 
plant  workers  were  superior  to  the  sera  and  other  complex  and  little 
understood  ones  previously  used  by  tissue  culturists. 

The  first  plant  cultures  were  not  tissue  cultures  in  the  strict  sense  that 


Abnormal  Growth 


297 


they  consisted  of  only  one  kind  of  cells,  as  in  many  animal  cultures. 
Most  were  really  organ  cultures.  Those  grown  from  root  tips  can  be 
carried  through  an  indefinite  number  of  subcultures  and  produce  large 
masses  of  root  tissue.  Shoot  axes  may  be  cultured  in  the  same  way 
from  apical  meristems,  and  Nitsch  (1951)  and  others  have  succeeded 
in  growing  fruits  from  small  primordia.  Leaves  can  be  grown  to  maturity 
in  the  same  way  (Steeves  and  Sussex,  1957),  as  also  can  ovules 
(Maheshwari,  1958).  These  organ  cultures  have  given  much  informa- 
tion on  the  nutritional  requirements  of  various  parts  of  the  plant  and  have 


Fig.  11-13.  Culture  of  stem  callus  of  tobacco  on  nutrient  agar,  six  weeks  after  trans- 
fer to  new  medium.  (Courtesy  Department  of  Plant  Pathology,  University  of  Wis- 
consin. ) 

been  of  importance  for  an  understanding  of  their  physiology.  Wet- 
more  (p.  222)  grew  fern  plants  from  shoot  apices  in  culture  and  found 
pronounced  morphological  effects  of  differences  in  the  medium,  a  re- 
sult of  much  morphogenetic  significance. 

Something  closer  to  a  true  culture  can  be  attained  by  growing  calluses, 
tumors,  parenchyma,  and  bits  of  tissue  from  the  cambial  region  (Fig. 
11-13).  Structures  much  like  amorphous  tumors  and  galls  result.  In  these 
the  strict  morphogenetic  control  is  relaxed  and  the  explanted  material 
may  be  grown  in  unlimited  quantities  by  subculturing.  Such  cultures 
have  been  made  of  spontaneous  tumors  and  of  secondary  crown  gall. 


298  The  Phenomena  of  Morphogenesis 

Gautheret  (1945)  showed  that  with  ordinary  plant  material,  as  in  carrot, 
endive,  and  various  woody  plants,  a  callus  must  first  be  allowed  to  de- 
velop from  an  excised  piece  and  that  this  callus  could  then  be  cultured. 

There  are  many  differences  between  species  and  between  different 
parts  of  the  same  plant  as  to  growth  and  structure  of  the  culture  pro- 
duced. Pieces  of  tissue  from  the  cambial  region,  for  example,  which 
retain  some  degree  of  organization  for  a  time,  gradually  lose  it  in 
successive  transfers.  Some  cultures  finally  become  essentially  homo- 
geneous masses  of  parenchyma.  In  a  few  cases,  however,  patches  and 
whorls  of  tracheid-like  tissue  appear  in  these,  as  do  meristems  of  roots 
and  shoots.  The  conditions  under  which  this  differentiation  occurs  vary, 
depending  in  part  on  the  source  of  the  material  and  especially  on  the 
character  of  the  nutrient  medium  and  the  age  of  the  culture. 

It  is  now  possible  to  produce  plant  cultures  where  the  cells  are  not 
united  into  masses  but  grow  and  divide  as  individual  cells,  much  as  they 
do  in  certain  animal  cultures.  This  may  be  thought  of  as  representing 
the  lowest  level  of  plant  organization,  the  loss  of  all  relationships  above 
the  single  cell.  Among  those  who  have  done  pioneer  work  in  this 
field  are  Muir,  Hildebrandt,  and  Riker  (1954,  1958);  de  Ropp  (1955); 
Nickell  (1956);  Reinert  (1956);  Torrey  (1957a);  and  Tulecke  (1957). 

Of  particular  interest  for  morphogenesis  is  the  culture  work  of  Steward 
and  his  collaborators  (1958  and  p.  75).  Using  a  basic  liquid  culture 
medium  supplemented  by  coconut  milk  and  continually  rotated,  they 
grew  small  explants  of  carrot  tissue  taken  from  the  phloem  of  the 
root.  Single  cells  here  often  became  separated  and  floated  freely,  dividing 
very  irregularly  and  growing  into  small  cell  aggregates.  When  these 
reached  a  certain  size,  the  cells  at  the  middle  of  the  aggregate  began  to 
show  differences  from  the  rest,  and  some  developed  as  tracheid-like  struc- 
tures, surrounded  by  a  ring  or  sheath  of  cambium-like  cells.  From  this 
center,  one  or  more  root  meristems  developed.  When  such  an  aggregate 
is  grown  on  the  surface  of  an  agar  medium  it  produces  a  shoot  meristem 
and  in  time  a  carrot  plant.  So  far,  a  whole  plant  has  not  been  produced 
directly  from  a  single  cell  but  only  by  way  of  a  cell  aggregate.  It  is  sig- 
nificant that  although  bits  of  carrot  phloem  tissue,  placed  directly  in 
culture  with  coconut  milk,  may  form  large  masses  of  callus-like  tissue, 
they  much  less  readily  produce  roots  and  shoots,  perhaps  because  of 
inhibiting  substances  still  present  in  them. 

Radical  though  the  changes  are  which  plant  tissues  display  when 
cultured,  there  is  no  evidence  that  any  permanent  or  genetic  effect  is 
produced  in  them  or  any  new  developmental  potencies  induced.  A  con- 
siderable degree  of  morphogenetic  control  has  been  relaxed,  just  as  it 
has  been  in  amorphous  galls. 

It  is  evident  that  there  is  an  immense  amount  of  information  available 


Abnormal  Growth  299 

about  abnormal  growth  but  that  students  of  morphogenesis  have  not  as 
yet  made  very  much  use  of  it  for  their  purposes.  Three  facts,  however, 
which  emerge  from  a  study  of  this  subject  have  already  proved  to  be 
of  much  morphogenetic  significance: 

1.  The  actual  developmental  potencies  of  most  plant  cells  are  far 
wider  than  ever  come  to  expression  in  normal  development. 

2.  It  is  possible  to  break  down  the  organization  of  the  plant  body  into  a 
series  of  successively  lower  levels  and  then  to  restore  normal  organiza- 
tion again. 

3.  This  can  be  done  without  modifying  the  genetic  character  of  the 

cells. 

A  continued  study  of  these  facts,  and  of  others  in  this  field,  will  cer- 
tainly prove  very  fruitful.  Abnormal  development  is  only  development 
under  unusual  conditions,  and  the  wider  spectrum  of  morphogenetic 
information  thus  made  available  provides  the  student  of  development 
with  a  powerful  tool  for  the  study  of  some  of  his  most  difficult  problems. 


PART  THREE 


Morpho genetic  Factors 


CHAPTER    12 

Introduction  to  Factors 


In  earlier  chapters  various  morphogenetic  phenomena  were  discussed, 
but  relatively  little  was  said  as  to  the  factors  that  produced  them.  There 
now  remains  the  task  of  relating  these  phenomena  to  changes  in  the 
outer  or  inner  environment  of  the  plant  and  attempting  to  account  for 
their  origin.  This  is  really  a  part  of  the  broader  field  of  plant  physiol- 
ogy, and  no  sharp  line  can  be  drawn  between  the  two.  Much  of  physiol- 
ogy, particularly  those  parts  of  it  that  deal  with  the  various  metabolic 
processes,  is  not  of  primary  interest  for  morphogenesis.  Other  parts  of 
it,  however,  such  as  photoperiodism,  vernalization,  auxin  action,  water 
relations,  and  the  carbohydrate-nitrogen  ratio,  for  example,  have  much 
significance  for  the  morphogenetic  phenomena  of  polarity,  differentia- 
tion, regeneration,  and  others.  To  present  these  morphogenetic  implica- 
tions adequately  would  mean  going  more  deeply  into  plant  physiology 
and  its  vast  literature  than  can  be  attempted  in  the  present  volume.  No 
discussion  of  the  problems  of  plant  morphogenesis  would  be  com- 
plete, however,  without  some  mention  of  the  physiological  factors  which 
influence  development  so  powerfully.  The  purpose  of  this  final  section 
of  the  book  is  to  introduce  the  reader  to  the  more  important  of  these 
factors  and  to  provide  him  with  an  entry  into  the  literature  of  the  sub- 
ject. No  attempt  will  be  made  to  discuss  them  thoroughly  from  the  point 
of  view  of  plant  physiology. 

It  is  first  necessary  to  consider  the  relation  between  the  two  chief 
sorts  of  factors— environmental  and  genetic.  A  living  plant  is  an  or- 
ganized system  maintaining  itself  in  a  complex  and  changing  environ- 
ment. Its  genetic  constitution  (or  genotype)  remains  unaltered  save  for 
occasional  doubling  of  the  chromosomes  in  local  areas  or  the  rare  oc- 
currence of  somatic  mutations.  Despite  this,  the  plant  does  not  remain 
unchanged.  Its  appearance  (or  phenotype)  is  often  greatly  modified  as 
the  environment  is  altered,  and  we  commonly  say  that  this  change  is 
the  result  of  an  environmental  factor.  So,  in  a  sense,  it  is,  but  there  is 
often  difficulty  in  disentangling  the  effects  of  heredity  and  environment 
in  morphogenetic  changes.  One  should  remember  that  both  are  always 

303 


304  Morphogenetic  Factors 

operating.  A  visible  trait  is  the  developmental  reaction  of  a  specific 
(and  constant)  genetic  constitution  to  a  specific  environment.  Every 
trait  is  therefore  inherited  since  it  will  always  be  produced  if  the  en- 
vironment is  of  a  certain  sort.  In  some  traits  the  expression  of  the  genetic 
constitution  is  essentially  the  same  under  a  wide  range  of  environments. 
The  relative  position  of  the  floral  parts,  for  example,  the  arrangement 
of  the  leaves,  or  the  character  of  the  pitting  on  the  side  walls  of  the 
vessels  in  the  wood  is  usually  quite  unchanged  under  various  condi- 
tions of  light,  moisture,  temperature,  or  auxin  concentration.  Such 
traits,  for  this  reason,  are  especially  useful  in  taxonomy.  Others,  such 
as  the  height  of  the  plant,  the  thickness  of  the  cuticle  on  its  leaves,  and 
whether  it  flowers  or  not,  may  be  very  different  under  different  condi- 
tions of  nutrition,  water  supply,  and  photoperiod.  Such  traits 
are  usually  said  to  be  determined  by  environmental  factors.  Actually, 
both  types  of  traits  are  inherited  and  both  are  environmentally  deter- 
mined. In  the  former,  the  repertoire  of  responses  of  the  genetic  constitu- 
tion to  changes  in  the  environment  is  relatively  meagre  whereas  in  the 
latter  it  may  be  very  wide.  Under  a  given  length  of  day,  for  example, 
salvia  plants  will  flower  but  lettuce  plants  remain  entirely  vegetative. 
What  promotes  or  inhibits  flowering  is  not  simply  the  day-length  but 
the  different  inherited  responses  of  these  two  plants  to  this  day-length. 

Where  the  developmental  response  of  a  plant  varies  widely  under 
different  environments  as  it  often  does  when  such  factors  as  light  or 
water  or  auxin  concentration  are  changed,  the  obvious  way  to  study  the 
morphogenetic  processes  concerned  is  to  use  genetically  uniform  ma- 
terial but  to  change  one  or  another  of  the  environmental  conditions 
under  experimental  control.  This  method  has  proved  very  successful  and 
has  yielded  a  great  body  of  information  as  to  the  relations  of  environ- 
ment to  plant  development.  This  has  been  by  far  the  most  fruitful 
method  of  morphogenetic  analysis  since  it  lends  itself  so  readily  to  ex- 
perimental attack. 

Traits  in  which  environmental  changes  have  little  effect  on  the  de- 
velopmental expression  of  the  genetic  constitution  can  be  studied  by  the 
usual  techniques  of  genetics.  These  consist  primarily  in  maintaining  a 
constant  environment,  crossing  genetically  pure  stocks  that  show  dif- 
ferent aspects  of  the  trait  to  be  studied,  and  analyzing  the  results  in 
subsequent  generations.  There  is  much  less  opportunity  here  to  modify 
the  variables,  for  the  genes  themselves  can  be  altered  only  with  great 
difficulty  and  in  an  unpredictable  fashion.  The  rise  of  biochemical 
genetics,  however,  is  providing  a  much  wider  basis  for  experiment  here. 

A  question  often  raised  in  the  discussion  of  these  environmentally  in- 
duced characters  is  whether  they  are  adaptations  and  thus  may  serve  to 
maintain  the  life  of  the  plant.  Many  structural  traits,  such  as  the  much 


Introduction  to  Factors  305 

reduced  leaf  size  of  microphyllous  xerophytes,  the  nectaries  in  many 
flowers,  or  the  wound  cork  produced  on  an  injured  surface,  are  present 
under  almost  all  environments  and  are  so  deeply  embedded  in  the 
genotype,  so  to  speak,  that  the  only  way  they  may  be  changed  is 
through  genetic  mutation.  They  have  doubtless  arisen  by  means  of 
natural  selection,  and  their  adaptive  character  is  due  to  this  fact. 

Other  traits,  such  as  the  shape  and  structure  of  the  leaf  blade  in 
heterophyllous  plants,  the  degree  of  development  of  vascular  tissue  in 
the  stem,  or  the  place  of  origin  of  roots  and  shoots  along  a  regenerating 
axis,  are  often  subject  to  very  wide  differences,  depending  on  light,  water, 
auxin  concentration,  mechanical  stresses,  and  other  factors.  Though  they 
can  be  greatly  modified  experimentally,  these  changes  seem  in  most 
cases  clearly  advantageous  under  natural  conditions  and  are  thus  to  be 
regarded  as  adaptations.  The  adaptation  here  (doubtless  also  the  result 
of  natural  selection)  is  not  a  specific  and  unchanging  structure  but  the 
tendency  to  react  developmentally  in  a  favorable  way  as  conditions 
change. 

It  seems  clear,  however,  that  in  many  other  cases,  where  there  is  a 
wide  range  of  developmental  differences  induced  by  changes  in  the  en- 
vironment, these  are  not  adaptive  or  favorable  for  survival  but  are 
neutral  in  this  respect.  The  degree  of  lobing  in  a  leaf  as  affected  by 
temperature,  the  relative  abundance  of  male  and  female  flowers  as 
affected  by  nutritional  factors,  or  the  shape  of  the  fruit  as  affected  by  the 
size  to  which  it  is  able  to  grow  seem  none  of  them  to  have  significance 
for  survival.  Such  traits  appear  to  be  simply  accidental  developmental 
results  of  the  interaction  between  genetic  constitution  and  environment. 
Among  these,  particularly  the  ones  induced  by  extreme  environmental 
changes,  are  some  of  the  most  interesting  for  morphogenesis.  It  is  there- 
fore necessary  to  divorce  completely  the  problem  of  adaptation,  which 
is  an  evolutionary  one,  from  that  of  the  environmental  induction  of 
characters,  which  is  a  morphogenetic  one. 

In  studying  the  various  factors  that  are  important  in  plant  develop- 
ment, emphasis  in  some  cases  is  put  on  changes  in  the  environment- 
external  and  internal— and  in  others  on  changes  in  the  genetic  constitu- 
tion. This  is  purely  an  arbitrary  classification,  however,  and  simply  for 
convenience.  In  the  present  treatment  of  the  subject  morphogenetic 
factors  will  be  discussed  in  several  general  groups.  Some,  such  as  light, 
temperature,  gravity,  and  some  mechanical  factors,  originate  chiefly  in 
the  external  environment  though  their  effects,  of  course,  are  produced 
internally.  They  may  be  grouped  together  as  physical  factors.  Among 
these  is  included  water,  since  its  morphogenetic  effects  (as  opposed 
to  its  physiological  ones)  are  due  not  so  much  to  its  chemical  composi- 
tion as  to  the  physical  processes  of  its  absorption  and  evaporation. 


306  Morpho genetic  Factors 

A  second  group  are  the  chemical  factors,  which  derive  their  impor- 
tance primarily  from  their  participation  in  the  chemical  processes  going 
on  in  the  plant.  Some  substances,  notably  those  in  mineral  nutrition, 
come  into  the  plant  from  the  outside,  but  many  originate  internally  as 
products  of  the  plant's  metabolism.  Especially  important  in  morpho- 
genesis are  the  various  growth  substances. 

A  third  group  of  factors,  the  genetic  ones,  may  also  be  regarded  as 
part  of  the  internal  environment.  Here  are  to  be  considered  the  genes, 
permanent  and  self-perpetuating;  the  chromosomes,  which  may  have 
certain  morphogenetic  effects  apart  from  the  genes  they  contain;  and 
the  cytoplasm,  the  intermediary  between  genes  and  developmental 
processes.  These  factors,  though  doubtless  effective  because  of  their 
physical  or  chemical  character,  are  difficult  at  present  to  reduce  to  such 
terms  and  are  best  considered  by  themselves. 

The  effects  of  these  various  factors  on  development  are  complicated 
by  the  fact  that  they  are  operating  on  an  organized  living  system  which 
tends  to  regulate  its  activities  in  conformity  to  a  specific  norm.  Three 
consequences  of  this  should  be  borne  in  mind: 

First,  a  given  factor  does  not  lead  directly  to  a  given  result  but  serves 
instead  as  a  stimulus  or  evocator  that  sets  off  a  reaction  in  the  organism. 
What  this  will  be  depends  on  the  state  of  the  system  at  the  time.  The 
effect  of  light  on  a  photographic  plate  is  easily  predictable,  but  its  effect 
on  a  plant  depends  on  the  part  of  the  plant  concerned,  the  age  of  the 
plant,  and  its  physiological  condition. 

Second,  the  effect  of  one  factor  may  be  greatly  modified  by  another. 
The  photoperiodic  effect  of  light,  for  example,  may  depend  in  a  given 
case  on  the  temperature  of  the  environment,  so  that  one  factor  may 
sometimes  be  substituted  for  another.  Although  the  essence  of  good 
experimental  work  is  to  deal  with  only  one  variable  at  a  time,  this  often 
is  impossible  in  morphogenetic  experiments  (and  in  biology  generally) 
for  no  one  factor  can  be  studied  entirely  independently  of  the  others. 
What  it  will  do  depends  on  the  rest  of  the  environment  and  on  the  state 
of  the  organism. 

Third,  the  organized  system  is  not  a  constant  one  but  tends  to  change 
in  character  from  one  phase  in  its  life  cycle  to  the  next  and  from  one 
region  of  the  body  to  another.  The  potency  of  a  cell  (the  repertoire  of 
developmental  possibilities  open  to  it),  high  at  first,  is  reduced  as  the 
cell  grows  older.  Doors  continually  close  behind  it,  so  to  speak.  The 
reactivity  of  a  cell  (the  response  it  will  make  to  a  given  environmental 
change)  also  is  different  at  successive  developmental  stages.  Both 
potency  and  reactivity  may  be  unlike  in  different  parts  of  the  organism. 

An  investigation  of  the  effects  of  various  factors  on  plant  develop- 
ment, particularly  environmental  ones,  though  not  as  simple  as  might 


Introduction  to  Factors  307 

at  first  appear,  may  still  be  very  fruitful.  It  is  often  possible  to  examine 
the  effects  of  changes  in  one  factor  without  serious  complications  from 
others,  and  the  organism  does  remain  essentially  constant  over  short 
periods.  The  very  considerable  knowledge  now  available  as  to  the 
factors  that  modify  plant  development  has  proved  most  important  for 
an  understanding  of  the  problems  of  morphogenesis,  and  there  are  wide 
possibilities  for  extending  it  much  further.  The  next  seven  chapters  are 
devoted  to  a  brief  consideration  of  the  operation  of  these  factors. 


CHAPTER    13 


Light 


Light  is  a  powerful  factor  in  determining  the  course  of  development  in 
plants  and  has  a  much  more  important  morphogenetic  effect  on  them 
than  it  does  on  animals.  This  is  to  be  expected,  since  light  is  necessary 
for  photosynthesis  and  thus  for  the  production  of  food.  Experiment  has 
made  it  clear,  however,  that  the  morphogenetic  influence  of  light  is 
much  more  subtle  and  indirect  than  this  and  results  from  its  control  not 
only  of  food  production  but  of  various  physiological  activities  in  the 
plant  by  which  this  food  is  distributed  in  the  processes  of  growth  and 
differentiation.  The  role  of  light  in  plant  development  has  been  studied 
actively  for  many  years  and  is  the  basis  of  an  extensive  literature.  Among 
the  more  inclusive  reviews  of  this  field  are  those  by  MacDougal  ( 1903<7 ) , 
Burkholder  (1936),  and  Parker  and  Borthwick  (1950). 

Many  of  the  early  results  are  invalid  because  of  the  impossibility  in 
those  days  of  exact  control  of  light,  as  to  its  intensity  and  quality,  in 
experimental  work,  but  most  of  these  difficulties  have  now  been  over- 
come, and  light  in  a  plant's  environment  can  be  manipulated  with 
relative  ease. 

It  is  a  matter  of  common  observation  that  plants  reach  their  greatest 
size  and  vigor  in  good  light  and  that  insufficient  illumination  results 
in  weak  and  spindly  growth  even  if  water,  soil  nutrients,  and  tempera- 
ture are  at  their  optimum  levels.  Most  of  the  experimental  work  with 
light  has  involved  not  merely  differences  between  light  and  darkness 
but  measured  differences  in  the  light  stimulus  itself.  Three  of  these  are  of 
chief  importance:  the  intensity,  the  quality,  and  the  duration  of  the 
light.  Intensity  is  the  brightness  of  the  illumination,  the  actual  energy 
of  the  radiation.  Quality  concerns  the  wave  length  of  the  light.  Dura- 
tion refers  to  the  relative  lengths  of  the  alternating  periods  of  light  and 
darkness  to  which  the  plant  is  exposed.  These  differences  are  not  always 
sharply  separable,  and  one  often  modifies  the  effects  of  another. 

308 


Light  309 


INTENSITY  OF  LIGHT 

Since  rate  of  photosynthesis  increases  with  light  intensity,  up  to  a  cer- 
tain point,  the  growth  and  vigor  of  a  plant  are  generally  proportional, 
within  limits,  to  the  brightness  of  the  light  to  which  it  is  exposed. 
Shirley  (1929)  grew  a  variety  of  plants  in  different  intensities  of  day- 
light and  found  that  at  low  ones  dry  weight  was  directly  proportional 
to  intensitv  but  that  at  higher  ones  growth  was  relatively  less.  He  ob- 
served that  intensity  also  affected  certain  qualitative  traits,  such  as  ratio 
of  root  to  shoot,  strength  of  stem,  thickness  of  leaves,  and  development 
of  vascular  tissue. 

It  has  frequently  been  observed  that  plants  grown  in  shade  have  rela- 
tively small  root  systems.  In  general  it  may  be  said  that  stem  elongation 
varies  inversely  with  light  intensity  but  that  width  varies  with  it  directly 
( Popp,  1926 ) .  The  effect  of  light  may  be  different  on  different  parts  of 
the  plant  and  at  different  stages  of  development.  Some  morphological 
effects  of  light  may  be  quite  specific  though  the  mechanisms  involved 
are  unknown.  Some  herbaceous  stems,  for  example,  have  zig-zag  form 
in  the  light  but  are  straight  if  grown  in  the  dark.  Plants  that  twine  in  the 
light  usually  lose  this  ability  in  darkness. 

Light  is  also  important  morphogenetically  for  some  plants  lacking 
chlorophyll.  In  certain  mushrooms,  for  example,  the  fruiting  body  will 
not  develop  normally  in  complete  darkness  although  the  whole  vegetative 
mycelium  is  subterranean  (Borriss,  1934b). 

Etiolation.  The  most  conspicuous  effect  of  differences  in  light  intensity 
on  plant  structure  is  to  be  seen  in  the  phenomenon  of  etiolation.  It  is  a 
familiar  fact  that  green  plants  growing  in  darkness  or  relatively  weak 
light  tend  to  be  tall  and  spindly,  with  small,  pale  leaves,  weak  roots,  and 
poorly  developed  vascular  tissues.  Such  plants  soon  die  unless  consider- 
able reserve  food  is  available  in  seeds  or  other  storage  organs,  in  which 
case  etiolated  growth  may  continue  for  some  time.  The  early  work  of 
Kraus  ( 1869 )  showed  that  etiolation  involves  a  considerable  increase 
in  cell  length,  though  in  most  cases  this  is  accompanied  by  some  increase 
in  cell  number  in  the  longitudinal  dimension. 

Different  parts  of  the  plant  and  different  species  differ  considerably 
in  their  manifestations  of  etiolation.  Only  shoots  etiolate  and  not  roots, 
flowers,  or  fruits.  Avery,  Burkholder,  and  Creighton  ( 1937a )  observed 
marked  differences  between  the  first  internode  and  the  coleoptile  as  to 
their  elongation  in  various  light  intensities.  Intensity  may  also  affect  the 
proportions  of  parts.  In  Tropaeolum  plants,  for  example,  which  are  grow- 
ing in  weak  light  the  ratio  of  petiole  length  to  lamina  width  becomes 
progressively    greater    as    the    leaves    develop,    whereas    under    normal 


310  Morpho genetic  Factors 

illumination  the  two  dimensions  grow  at  about  the  same  rate  (Pearsall, 
1927). 

As  to  the  causes  of  etiolation  there  has  been  much  discussion  but  no 
final  agreement.  Auxin  is  undoubtedly  involved,  for  it  is  well  known 
that  sensitivity  to  it  increases  in  darkness.  Wave  length  of  light  is  also 
important  here,  for  etiolation  may  be  very  different  in  red  light  and  in 
blue.  The  two  processes  of  leaf  growth  and  stem  elongation  may  be 
affected  differently. 

Priestley  (1926b)  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  in  etiolated  stems 
the  endodermis  tends  to  be  well  developed  and  to  have  thick-walled 
cells.  An  etiolated  stem  is  thus  somewhat  like  a  root  in  structure.  He 
suggests  that  for  this  reason  water  and  nutrients,  coming  from  the  roots 


Fig.  13-1.  Effect  of  etiolation  on  cell  shape.  Longitudinal  section  of  cortical  paren- 
chyma of  the  stem  of  Vicia  faba  when  grown  in  light  ( left )  and  in  darkness  ( right ) . 
( After  Kolda. ) 

into  the  vascular  cylinder,  may  be  confined  there  and  prevented  from 
passing  outward.  This  would  tend  to  accelerate  growth  at  the  tip  of  the 
shoot  and  to  check  the  development  of  leaves. 

The  relation  of  light  to  normal  and  etiolated  growth  evidently  involves 
the  problems  of  cell  division  and  cell  enlargement.  In  beans  Brotherton 
and  Bartlett  (1918)  found  that  in  the  epidermis  about  a  third  of  the 
added  growth  in  length  of  etiolated  as  compared  with  normal  plants 
was  due  to  more  cells  and  about  two-thirds  to  longer  cells,  the  rate  of 
both  processes  of  division  and  enlargement  being  inversely  proportional 
to  light  intensity.  Cell  elongation  has  been  shown  in  many  other  cases 
to  increase  with  diminished  light  intensity  (Fig.  13-1).  This  is  evident 
not  only  in  green  plants  but  in  fungi   (Castle  and  Honeyman,   1935). 


Light  311 

Whether  light  produces  its  effect  on  cell  size  by  changing  osmotic 
concentration,  permeability  of  cell  membranes,  attraction  of  protoplasm 
for  water,  character  of  the  cell  wall,  or  other  processes  is  not  clear.  It  is 
significant  that  not  merely  is  cell  size  increased  in  low  light  intensity  but 
size  along  the  polar  axis  of  the  cell. 

Meier  (1934)  studied  the  effects  of  the  intensity  of  light  on  cell  di- 
vision in  the  unicellular  alga  Stichococcus  bacillaris  and  found  that  its 
multiplication  in  culture  is  proportional  to  the  intensity  of  illumination 
up  to  a  certain  point  but  that  high  intensities  check  it. 

Thomson  (1954)  grew  seedlings  of  oats  and  of  peas  with  different 
amounts  of  light  and  reports  that  light  accelerates  whatever  growth 
processes  are  going  on  while  it  acts,  its  effect  depending  on  the  stage 
of  development  of  the  tissues  concerned.  Exposure  early  in  the  course  of 
either   the   cell-division    phase   or   that   of   cell   elongation    hastens    the 


Fig.  13-2.  Light  and  vascular  development.  Portion  of  the  vascular  cylinder  of  the 
stem  of  Vicia  faba  grown  in  darkness  (left)  and  in  the  light  (right).  (From  Borg- 
strom. ) 

completion  of  that  phase  of  growth,  but  after  it  is  under  way  light 
hastens  the  transition  to  the  next  phase  and  thus  reduces  the  final  num- 
ber or  length  of  cells. 

Shape  traits  may  be  modified  by  light.  Smirnov  and  Zhelochovtsev 
(1931)  found  that  in  Tropaeolum  leaves  the  reduction  of  blade  expan- 
sion in  weak  light  modified  the  fundamental  growth  pattern.  Njoku 
(1956a)  reports  that  differences  in  light  intensity  change  the  leaf  shape 
in  Ipomoea. 

Anatomical  characters  are  also  affected.  Penfound  ( 1931 )  observed 
that  stems  of  Helianthus  and  Polygonum  growing  in  full  sunlight  have  a 
much  greater  amount  of  xylem  and  more  and  thicker-walled  cells  in  the 
mechanical  tissue  than  those  in  shade.  The  much  reduced  vascular  tissue 
of  etiolated  plants  is  well  known  (Fig.  13-2).  Bond  and  others  have 
found  that  as  light  intensity  is  reduced  the  development  of  the  endo- 
dermis  increases  in  the  stem,  where  it  normally  is  weak  or  absent.  That 


312  Morphogenetic  Factors 

this  tissue  is  much  better  developed  in  roots  than  in  stems  may  be  re- 
lated to  the  fact  that  roots  normally  grow  in  darkness  and  stems  in  light. 
Leaf  structure  is  often  different  in  different  light  intensities.  It  has 
long  been  known  (for  example,  Nordhausen,  1903)  that  in  many  cases 
leaves  on  the  south  side  of  the  tree  ("sun  leaves")  are  thicker  and  better 
differentiated  than  those  on  the  north  side  or  the  interior  of  the  crown 
("shade  leaves";  Fig.  13-3).  This  has  been  discussed  by  Lundegardh 
(1931)  and  others.  A  particularly  striking  case  is  described  by  Cormack 
( 1955).  The  question  has  been  raised  (p.  327)  as  to  whether  this  effect  is 
actually  due  to  light  intensity  or  to  differences  in  water  relations,  par- 


Fig.  13-3.  Transverse  sections  through  the  blades  of  sun  leaves  (above)  and  shade 
leaves  ( below )  of  a,  Acer;  b,  Quercus;  c,  Fagus;  and  d,  Tilia.  ( After  Schramm. ) 

ticularly  rate  of  transpiration,  for  sun  leaves  tend  to  be  xeromorphic  in 
character.  Talbert  and  Holch  (1957)  studied  the  leaves  of  37  species 
and  found  that  sun  leaves  usually  had  smaller  laminar  area,  shorter  blade 
perimeter,  deeper  lobes,  more  pronounced  veining  and  marginal  serra- 
tions, more  hairy  surfaces,  and  shorter  petioles  than  shade  leaves. 

Anderson  ( 1955 )  studied  the  development  of  sun  and  shade  leaves  in 
Cornus  and  Viburnum  and  finds  that  in  the  latter  the  large  leaf  size  is 
the  result  of  earlier  and  more  rapid  growth.  The  greater  thickness  of  sun 
leaves  is  due  to  greater  cell  elongation.  Differentiation  takes  place  earlier 
in  shade  leaves. 


Light  313 


QUALITY  OF  LIGHT 

Much  work  has  been  done  on  the  effects  of  different  wave  lengths 
(colors)  of  light.  Many  of  the  early  results  here  are  of  doubtful  value 
since  it  was  often  difficult  to  change  the  wave  length  without  at  the  same 
time  modifying  intensity.  There  are  many  well-established  facts,  how- 
ever, from  which  conclusions  can  be  drawn. 

It  seems  clear,  for  example,  that  the  longer  wave  lengths,  notably 
those  in  the  red,  promote  a  marked  elongation  of  cells  and  thus  of  tissues, 
whereas  the  blue  rays  (and  white  light)  check  this  effect  and  tend  to 
prevent  elongation.  Teodoresco  (1929)  describes  many  examples  of  this, 
especially  from  less  highly  organized  forms  such  as  young  plants  of  liver- 
worts or  fern  prothallia  growing  from  spores.  In  these  cases  where  white 
or  blue  light  is  used,  a  rather  compact  group  of  cells  develops  from  the 
spore,  but  in  red  light  a  much  elongated,  spindly  cell.  The  same  effects 
are  evident  in  fungi.  An  important  fact  is  that  the  plane  of  cell  division 
is  usually  controlled  by  the  light.  Mohr  ( 1956 )  finds  that  in  young  fern 
prothallia  in  red  light  cell  division  tends  to  be  at  right  angles  to  the 
polar  axis  of  the  structure  so  that  filaments  of  elongate  cells  are  formed, 
whereas  in  blue  light  division  is  in  various  planes,  so  that  a  plate  of  cells 
develops.  In  a  normal  and  growing  fern  prothallium  transferred  to  red 
light,  many  of  the  cells  grow  out  to  form  filaments. 

The  same  effects  are  to  be  seen  in  the  more  complex  higher  plants.  Thus 
Teodoresco  finds  that  blue  light  checks  petiole  elongation  but  increases 
blade  area,  and  Vince  ( 1956 )  that  in  many  plants,  when  grown  under 
lights  of  equal  energy  levels,  total  stem  length,  internode  length,  and 
leaf  length  increase  with  increase  in  the  wave  length.  Not  all  plants 
react  alike,  however.  Whether  the  mechanism  by  which  the  red  rays 
promote  elongation  is  like  that  by  which  low  light  intensity  does  so  is 
not  clear,  but  presumably  the  same  processes  are  affected  by  both  factors. 
Wassink  and  Stolwijk  ( 1952 )  used  equipment  by  which  it  was  possible 
to  grow  plants  in  various  wave  lengths  of  monochromatic  light,  and 
under  these  conditions  there  was  strong  elongation  of  the  stem  and  curl- 
ing of  leaves  and  petioles  in  green,  yellow,  and  red  light  but  essentially 
normal  growth  in  blue.  Fortanier  (1954),  however,  observed  that  only  at 
high  light  intensities  is  stem  elongation  greatest  in  red,  yellow,  and 
green.  At  low  ones  it  is  greatest  in  blue.  Leaf  number  was  not  affected  by 
wave  length. 

Quality  of  light  also  affects  flowering.  Curry  and  Wassink  ( 1956),  work- 
ing with  annual  Hyoscyamus  niger,  found  that  flowers  were  produced  in 
blue  and  infrared-plus-red  radiation  but  that  neither  stem  elongation  nor 
flower-bud  formation  occurred  in  green  or  red  light. 


314  Morphogenetic  Factors 

The  relation  of  wave  length  to  auxin  production  and  other  problems 
of  photomorphogenesis  have  been  discussed  by  Stolwijk  (1954). 

Other  developmental  traits  are  affected  by  light  quality.  Thus  Funke 
(1931)  observed  that  in  heterophyllous  water  plants,  where  the  juvenile 
immersed  leaves  are  ribbon-like,  these  never  develop  into  anything  else  if 
the  plants  are  grown  in  red  or  in  green  light.  In  blue  or  white,  however, 
normal  mature  foliage  is  produced.  This  change  may  be  reversed  by 
changing  the  wave  length  of  the  light.  In  root  cultures  of  peas,  red  light 
inhibits  the  formation  of  lateral  roots  more  effectively  than  blue  or 
green,  perhaps  by  inactivating  substances  necessary  for  root  growth 
(Torrey,  1952).  Many  other  instances  of  the  effects  of  light  of  different 
wave  length  on  development  in  higher  plants  have  been  reported. 

Less  work  has  been  done  with  lower  plants.  Meier  (1936),  again  with 
the  alga  Stichococcus,  found  that  in  cell  culture  the  individual  cells  in  a 
given  time  multiplied  fourfold  in  white  light,  threefold  in  blue,  but 
only  twofold  in  yellow  and  red.  Green  light  proved  to  be  destructive  to 

them. 

In  the  slime  mold  Didynium  nigripes,  light  is  necessary  for  the  develop- 
ment of  sporangia  (Straub,  1954).  Green  light  has  no  effect  but  red 
and  blue  have.  If  plasmodia  treated  with  these  wave  lengths  are  killed 
by  freezing  and  fed  to  living  plasmodia,  the  latter  produce  sporangia 
after  a  briefer  exposure  to  light  and  much  more  rapidly  than  control 
plasmodia  which  had  been  fed  untreated  ones.  Evidently  a  substance  con- 
ducive to  sporangium  production  is  formed  by  the  action  of  light  of  cer- 
tain wave  lengths.  Gray  (1953),  using  the  slime  mold  Physarum  poly- 
cephalum,  found  that  continuous  irradiation  with  monochromatic  light 
in  the  blue  and  green  and  a  narrow  band  in  the  yellow  induced  fruiting 
bodies,  the  rate  of  their  formation  being  inverse  to  the  wave  length  of  the 
light  used.  He  suggests  that  a  changed  acidity  resulting  from  the  irradia- 
tion may  be  responsible  for  the  production  of  sporangia. 

There  are  general  discussions  of  the  morphogenetic  effects  of  different 
wave  lengths  of  light  by  Parker  and  Borthwick  (1950)  and  Wassink  and 
Stolwijk  (1956). 

DURATION  OF  LIGHT 

One  might  expect  that  the  longer  a  plant  is  exposed  to  light  favorable 
for  photosynthesis,  the  more  it  would  grow  and  the  more  vigorous  it 
would  be.  Keeping  plants  in  continuous  light,  however,  is  often  found  to 
result  in  less  vigor  and  in  a  disturbance  of  the  normal  reproductive 
cycle.  It  is  evident  that  the  production  of  flowers  and  fruits  is  not  some- 
thing that  inevitably  occurs  but  rather  that  it  will  happen  only  when 
environmental  factors  are  favorable  for  it.  In  1920  Garner  and  Allard  pub- 


Light  315 

lished  the  results  of  their  pioneer  observations  which  showed  that  flower- 
ing is  not  determined  by  the  intensity  or  the  quality  of  light  alone  but  by 
the  length  of  daily  exposure  to  light,  or  the  photoperiod.  What  essentially 
is  involved  is  the  relative  length  of  the  alternating  light  and  dark  periods, 
or,  perhaps  more  accurately,  the  length  of  the  dark  period  for  some 
plants  and  of  the  light  period  for  others.  This  phenomenon  of  photo- 
periodism  has  now  been  subjected  to  intensive  study.  A  history  of  the 
work  on  it  until  1948  was  written  by  Murneek  (1948).  Other  surveys 
of  the  subject  or  particular  aspects  of  it  are  those  by  Garner  (1937), 
Burkholder    (1936),    Hamner    (1944),    Leopold    (1951),    and    Naylor 

(1953). 

All  plants  do  not  respond  alike  to  photoperiodic  stimulation.  In  the  so- 
called  short-day  forms,  flowering  is  induced  by  relatively  short  periods 
of  daily  illumination  ( and  thus  longer  dark  periods ) .  Such  plants  flower 
naturally  in  fall  or  early  spring.  Long-day  plants  require  a  longer  period 
of  light  and  in  nature  are  summer-flowering  forms  (Fig.  13-4).  Many 
plants,  such  as  the  tomato,  are  day-neutral  and  will  flower  under  long 
or  short  photoperiods  or  continuous  illumination. 

This  classification  is  not  a  very  exact  one,  for  different  steps  in  the 
reproductive  process  may  each  have  their  optimal  photoperiod.  Thus  most 
strawberries  flower  under  a  relatively  short  day  but  fruit  under  a  long 
one,  and  Phlox  is  a  long-day  plant  for  flowering  but  is  day-neutral  for 
fruiting.  The  optimal  period  for  the  formation  of  flower  primordia  at  a 
growing  point  may  be  different  from  the  one  determining  the  later 
growth  and  opening  of  the  flowers.  These  relationships  have  been  dis- 
cussed by  Roberts  ( 1954 ) . 

There  is  a  close  relation  between  temperature  and  photoperiodism 
which  has  been  studied  by  a  number  of  workers,  among  them  Purvis 
(1953)  and  Vlitos  and  Meudt  (1955).  High  temperature  will  sometimes 
induce  flowering  even  when  day-length  is  not  favorable  for  it.  In  vernali- 
zation (p.  339)  it  is  necessary  not  only  to  expose  the  germinating  seeds  to 
low  temperature  but  to  provide  the  proper  photoperiod  for  later  growth. 
Schwabe  (1951)  concludes,  from  experiments  with  vernalized  short-day 
and  long-day  Chrysanthemum  cuttings,  that  the  effects  of  vernalization 
and  of  day-length  in  this  plant  are  operative  at  different  stages  in  the 
train  of  reactions  leading  to  flower  initiation.  Sometimes  a  high  level  of 
nutrition,  especially  of  nitrogen,  may  be  substituted  for  day-length.  Short- 
day  soy  plants  have  a  higher  concentration  of  nitrogen  than  do  long-day 
ones.  In  many  cases  an  exposure  for  a  few  days  to  a  photoperiod  favorable 
for  flower  production  will  result  in  flowering  regardless  of  the  one  to 
which  the  plant  is  later  exposed.  Plants  vary  in  their  sensitivity  to  this 
photoperiodic  induction. 

Plant  parts  affected  by  photoperiodic  stimulation  in  most  cases  are  the 


316 


Morpho genetic  Factors 


Fig.  13-4.  Above,  long-day  plant,  Nicotiana  sylvestris.  Below,  short-day  plant,  Nico- 
tiana  tahacum,  var.  Maryland  Mammoth.  At  left,  under  long  days;  at  right,  under  short 
days.  (  From  Melchers  and  Lang. ) 


young  but  fully  developed  leaves.  Evidence  indicates  that  a  flower-form- 
ing substance  is  produced  in  these  which  then  diffuses  through  living 
cells  to  the  meristem  and  there  stimulates  the  formation  and  growth  of 
floral  primordia  (p.  397).  This  substance  can  be  transmitted  by  grafting 
from  a  plant  in  flower  to  one  which  is  not,  and  the  latter  plant,  even 


Light  317 

though  kept  under  a  photoperiod  unfavorable  for  flowering,  will  then 
flower.  The  age  of  the  plant  may  change  its  photoperiodic  response.  In 
Kalonchoe,  for  example,  young  plants  3  months  old  flower  only  in  short 
days,  but  after  5  months  they  have  become  day-neutral  (Harder  and 
von  Witsch,  1940« ) . 

Even  though  the  initiation  of  floral  primordia  has  begun  under  a  given 
photoperiod,  the  later  differentiation  of  the  various  structures  can  be 
greatly  altered  by  changing  the  length  of  the  period.  Thus  in  the  stami- 
nate  inflorescence  of  maize,  after  the  initiation  of  primordia,  later  growth 
under  longer  photoperiods  will  cause  the  flowers  to  be  infertile  and 
even  to  show  progressive  changes  toward  a  vegetative  condition.  The 
glumes  develop  ligules  and  the  lemmas  differentiate  into  blade,  ligule, 
and  sheath  until  the  spikelet  becomes  much  like  a  vegetative  shoot  and 
can  be  propagated  as  such  (Galinat  and  Naylor,  1951).  When  trans- 
ferred to  a  photoperiod  unfavorable  for  flowering,  buds  which  would 
have  produced  flowers  will  sometimes  grow  into  abnormal  vegetative 
shoots  (phyllody),  as  reported  by  Behrens  (1949)  and  others.  Skok  and 
Scully  (1955)  present  evidence  that  floral  development  is  associated 
with  a  dark-dependent  mechanism  and  the  elongation  of  the  main  axis 
with  quite  a  different  and  light-dependent  one. 

The  length  of  the  photoperiod  may  affect  the  differentiation  of  the 
sexes.  This  is  well  shown  by  the  work  of  Schaffner  ( 1931)  on  sex  reversal 
in  staminate  plants  of  hemp,  Mercurialis  annua  (Fig.  13-5).  He  planted 
seeds  in  the  greenhouse  every  2  weeks  from  July  15  until  May  15  and 
found  that  in  the  beginning,  when  days  were  long,  the  flowers  were  all 
staminate  but  that  the  percentage  of  pistillate  ones  steadily  increased 
up  to  the  plantings  of  Nov.  1  and  15  (which  came  to  flower  during  the 
shortest  days)  and  that  the  percentage  of  these  flowers  gradually  de- 
creased after  this  until  in  the  long  days  of  spring  the  plants  were  all 
staminate  again.  Long  days  obviously  favor  the  production  of  staminate, 
and  short  days,  of  pistillate,  flowers.  Similar  results  were  obtained  by 
others,  as  by  Jones  ( 1947 )  in  Ambrosia. 

In  Cannabis  sativa  under  a  16-hour  day  flowering  takes  place  in  from 
4  to  6  weeks,  the  leaves  become  more  complex  (with  up  to  nine  leaflets), 
and  the  plants  are  about  half  males  and  half  females.  Under  8-hour  days, 
however,  development  is  more  rapid,  flowering  is  reached  in  3  or  4 
weeks,  and  the  plants  are  about  half  hermaphrodites  and  half  females 
(Petit,  1952). 

Day-length  also  affects  reproduction  in  the  lower  plants.  In  the  alga 
Vaucheria  sessilis  (League  and  Greulach,  1955)  the  production  of  sex 
organs  was  earlier  and  more  abundant  under  18-hour  days  than  under 
8-hour  ones.  Addition  of  glucose  and  peptose  to  the  culture  medium 
hastened  their  formation  under  short  days.  Sex  organs  were  not  produced 


318  Morpho genetic  Factors 

unless  there  was  a  high  concentration  of  fat  globules  near  the  point  of 
origin.  These  authors  believe  that  this  is  not  a  case  of  true  photoperiodism 
but  that  the  low  production  under  short  days  results  from  a  limited 
availability  of  food. 

Klein  (1948)  reports  that  in  the  fungus  Pilobolus  there  is  a  definite 
cycle  of  asexual  reproduction  caused  by  periods  of  light  and  darkness, 


100 


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Fig.  13-5.  Graph  showing  percentage  of  reversal  of  staminate  flowers  to  pistillate  ones 
in  genetically  staminate  plants  of  Mercurialis  annua  planted  at  different  dates.  Day- 
length  markedly  affects  sex  expression.  ( From  Schaffner. ) 

sporangiophores  maturing  at  the  end  of  a  dark  period  and  new  ones  re- 
maining immature  at  the  end  of  the  light  one.  Light  is  essential  to  growth, 
but  a  dark  period  seems  necessary  to  establish  a  periodicity  of  growth 
and  maturation  of  the  fruiting  bodies.  Periodicities  other  than  those 
found  in  nature  could  be  established  in  this  plant  by  artificial  illumina- 
tion. Among  these  were  light-dark  cycles  (in  hours)  not  only  of  12-12 


Light  319 

but  16-16,  15-9,  and  9-15.  The  16-16  period  was  quite  consistent  and  evi- 
dently had  been  acquired  by  the  plant. 

The  physiology  of  photoperiodism  presents  many  problems  which  are 
too  compiex  to  be  discussed  here.  One  hypothesis  proposes  that  in  the 
light  a  substance  is  produced  which  persists  in  the  subsequent  dark 
period.  In  the  latter  another  is  formed  which  is  destroyed  by  a  very 
brief  exposure  to  light.  These  substances  interact  to  make  a  flower- 
forming  substance.  In  the  short-day  species  Kalanchoe  Blossfeldiana, 
which  has  been  studied  intensively  ( Harder,  1948 ) ,  a  single  leaf  borne  at 
the  tip  of  the  plant  ( those  above  it  having  been  removed )  if  exposed  to 
a  long  day  will  almost  completely  prevent  flowering  in  the  plant  below. 
Harder,  Westphal,  and  Behrens  (1949)  conclude  that  in  it  is  formed  a 
substance  which  inactivates  the  flower-forming  hormone  before  this 
reaches  the  floral  primordium.  Auxin  presumably  is  involved  in  some  of 
these  processes.  This  has  been  discussed  by  various  workers,  among  them 
Konishi  (1956). 

In  some  cases  the  photoperiodic  reaction  can  be  changed.  Working 
with  an  early-blooming  variety  of  peas  which  is  day-neutral,  Haupt 
( 1957 )  reduced  flowering  by  removing  the  cotyledons  and  modifying 
the  soil  nutrients.  The  plants  now  reacted  as  though  they  were  long- 
day  and  late-blooming  types.  He  found  that  a  true  late-blooming 
variety  which  is  normally  a  long-day  plant  lost  its  photoperiodic  reac- 
tion and  bloomed  early  if  a  scion  from  a  blooming  plant  was  grafted 
into  it. 

Earliness  of  blooming  may  be  due  to  other  factors  than  day-length. 
Thus  in  an  early-blooming  and  a  late-blooming  variety  of  Chrysanthe- 
mum, both  grown  under  short  days,  Doorenbos  and  Kofranek  ( 1953 ) 
found  that  the  initiation  of  the  florets  took  place  at  the  same  rate,  but  the 
time  from  the  end  of  this  stage  until  the  date  of  blooming  was  28  days 
in  the  early  variety  and  42  days  in  the  late  one. 

Photoperiodism  has  been  studied  chiefly  in  relation  to  the  differentia- 
tion of  reproductive  structures,  but  it  has  a  pronounced  effect  on  others 
also.  Among  instances  of  this  are  the  following: 

Pfeiffer  ( 1926 )  grew  buckwheat  with  daily  illuminations  of  5,  7,  12, 
17,  19,  and  24  hours  and  found  that  maximum  stem  length  and  diameter 
were  produced  in  the  17-hour  day. 

The  effect  of  the  photoperiod  is  different  on  different  parts  of  the  plant 
and  under  different  conditions.  Hall  (1949)  grew  gherkins  under  green- 
house conditions  from  seedling  to  maturity.  At  high  nitrogen  levels, 
plants  given  a  16-hour  day  had  larger  stems  than  those  under  8  hours 
but  at  low  nitrogen  levels  this  was  reversed  and  plants  under  the  shorter 
days  grew  larger.  Under  the  8-hour  photoperiod  more  nodes  and  leaves 


320  M or pho genetic  Factors 

were  produced  but  the  total  leaf  area  was  smaller  and  there  were  fewer 

roots. 

Deats  ( 1925 ) ,  studying  tomato  and  pepper,  found  that  the  amounts  of 
both  phloem  and  xylem  varied  directly  with  the  length  of  day. 

Garner  and  Allard  ( 1923 )  made  the  significant  observation  that  as  the 
photoperiod  becomes  less  favorable  for  vegetative  growth  the  structure 
of  the  plant  becomes  somewhat  xeromorphic— the  stem  tends  to  become 
more  branched,  underground  parts  to  enlarge,  pubescence  to  increase, 
abscission  layers  to  cause  leaf  fall,  and  flowers  to  appear. 

In  a  study  of  heterosis  in  beans,  Malinowski  (1934)  crossed  two  races 
and  grew  them  and  their  hybrids  under  long  and  short  days.  In  long  days 
the  Fx  plants  were  larger  in  every  way  than  the  parents.  In  short  days 
they  were  about  the  size  of  the  parents  and  flowered  6  weeks  earlier  than 
under  long  days.  This  acceleration  of  flowering  seems  to  have  cut  down 
their  vegetative  growth  and  reduced  heterotic  vigor. 

Mac  Vicar  and  Struckmeyer  (1946)  grew  soybeans  with  a  deficiency 
of  boron  in  different  photoperiods.  The  deficiency  symptoms  were  much 
more  severe  under  long-day  treatment  than  under  short.  The  boron 
content  of  all  the  plants  was  much  the  same,  and  these  authors  believe 
that  the  effect  of  day-length  was  to  alter  the  boron  requirement  of  the 
plants. 

The  relative  size  of  the  leafy  shoot  to  roots  or  tubers  is  markedly  in- 
fluenced by  day -length.  Radish,  for  example,  grown  under  short  days, 
as  in  a  greenhouse  in  the  winter,  forms  a  very  large  root  and  a  small 
shoot,  but  in  the  longer  days  of  spring  the  root  is  relatively  much 
smaller.  Other  plants  with  storage  roots  behave  in  the  same  way,  as  do 
potatoes  in  the  ratio  of  tops  to  tubers  ( Pohjakallio,  1953).  Zimmerman 
and  Hitchcock  (1929)  observed  that  in  dahlias  short  days  produce  heavy, 
fleshy  root  systems  but  long  days,  fibrous  ones.  These  workers  also  found 
( 1936 )  that  growing  Jerusalem  artichokes  under  short  days  stimulated 
tuber  production  but  that  the  same  result  was  obtained  by  subjecting 
only  the  tip  of  the  stem  to  short  days  by  capping  it  part  of  the  time  with 
black  cloth.  This  indicates  that  the  control  of  tuberization  by  day-length 
is  centered  in  the  growing  tip  and  its  young  leaves.  In  general,  the 
growth  of  underground  storage  regions  is  stimulated  by  day-lengths 
different  from  those  favorable  for  the  vegetative  growth  of  the  shoot. 
Where  the  photoperiod  is  such  that  the  shoot  in  its  growth  is  unable  to 
use  carbohydrate  beyond  a  certain  amount,  this  accumulates  in  storage 
regions.  Jenkins  (1954)  reports  that  long  days  and  relatively  high  tem- 
peratures are  necessary  for  bulb  formation  in  shallots.  In  Poa,  long  days 
favor  the  growth  of  bulbils  and  short  days  of  ears  ( Schwarzenbach, 
1956). 

In  potatoes  (Chapman,  1958),  short  photoperiods  induce  tuber  for- 


Light  321 

mation.  A  tuber-forming  stimulus  is  produced  near  the  growing  points 
of  the  plant  and  moves  basipetally.  It  is  able  to  cross  a  graft  union  and 
produce  tubers  in  a  noninduced  plant.  In  plants  with  forked  stems, 
one  half  was  given  short  periods  and  the  other  long.  Tubers  were 
produced  on  that  part  of  the  stolon  below  the  short-day  branch. 

Reduction  of  growth  of  the  axis,  with  the  formation  of  leafy  rosettes, 
is  favored  by  relatively  short  days.  Thus  Oenothera  forms  rosettes  in  the 
fall  and  tall  flowering  stems  in  the  next  spring.  Lettuce  makes  compact 
heads  in  the  short  days  of  early  spring  but  shoots  upward  in  the  longer 
ones  of  June. 

In  strawberries,  long  days  increase  leaf  size  and  cell  number  (Arney, 
1956).  Ashby  (1950b)  reports  that  day-length  also  affects  leaf  shape  in 
Ipomoea,  In  16-hour  days,  plants  begin  to  flower  at  the  fifteenth  or 
sixteenth  node  and  lobing  begins  at  the  fifth  to  seventh  node.  Under  8-hour 
days,  however,  flowering  begins  at  the  first  node  and  lobing  is  almost 
entirely  suppressed. 

Gotz  (1953)  has  made  an  intensive  study  of  the  effect  of  day-length 
on  the  formation  of  plantlets  on  the  leaves  of  three  species  of  Bryo- 
phyllum.  In  short  days  neither  plantlets  nor  their  primordia  are  formed 
nor  are  flowers  produced,  and  the  leaves  become  somewhat  more  suc- 
culent. Under  long  days,  however,  plantlets  appear  in  abundance.  The 
effect  of  different  day-lengths  on  plantlet  production  can  be  studied  in 
different  leaves  on  the  same  plant.  Neither  grafting  a  scion  from  a  long- 
day  plantlet-producing  plant  into  a  short-day  plant,  or  injecting  sap 
from  one,  will  induce  the  formation  of  these  structures. 

The  photoperiod  also  affects  rooting  of  cuttings.  Some  species  root 
best  under  long  days  and  others  under  short  (Stoutemyer  and  Close, 
1946).  The  photoperiod  under  which  the  stock  plant  has  been  growing 
actually  affects  the  rooting  of  cuttings  taken  from  it  more  than  does  that 
under  which  the  cuttings  themselves  are  grown  (Pridham,  1942). 

As  to  leaf  structure,  Glimmer  ( 1949 )  found  that  in  Kalanchoe  a  change 
in  the  photoperiod  affects  the  thickness  of  the  epidermal  cell  walls,  the 
size  of  the  vein  islets,  and  the  form,  size,  and  number  of  mesophyll  cells 
but  that  the  number  of  stomata  responds  more  slowly  and  the  size  and 
form  of  the  epidermal  cells  are  unaffected.  In  the  ten  species  she  studied, 
plants  grown  under  short  days  had  thicker  leaves  than  under  long  ones, 
and  this  was  almost  entirely  because  of  greater  size  of  the  mesophyll 
cells,  which  elongate  at  right  angles  to  the  surface  of  the  lamina.  They 
also  increase  somewhat  in  width.  If  a  single  leaf  on  a  Kalanchoe  plant 
growing  under  long  days  is  itself  exposed  to  short  days,  it  grows  con- 
siderably thicker  and  changes  its  form  somewhat.  It  is  significant  that 
these  changes  are  transmitted  to  other  leaves  directly  above  this  one, 
suggesting  that  a  morphogenetic  substance  is  involved.  Detached  and 


322  Morphogenetic  Factors 

rooted  leaves  respond  to  day-length  by  the  same  changes  in  form  and 
structure  as  do  those  that  remain  attached  to  the  plant  ( Schwabe,  1958 ) . 

In  many  woody  plants  studied,  both  flowering  and  vegetative  growth 
are  markedly  affected  by  the  photoperiod  (Wareing,  1956;  Downs  and 
Borthwick,  1956).  In  general,  short  days  induce  dormancy  and  long  ones 
prolong  growth.  Marked  ecotypes  as  to  photoperiod  have  been  found  in 
a  number  of  species. 

Cellular  characters  are  also  affected.  Von  Witsch  and  Fliigel  (1952) 
found  that  in  leaves  of  Kalanchoe  Blossfeldiana  ( 2n  =  34 )  formed  in  long 
days  the  mesophyll  cells  have  chromosome  numbers  between  128  and 
135.  Under  short  days  these  cells  are  much  larger  and  the  degree  of 
polyploidy  is  increased,  the  chromosome  number  going  up  to  about  540. 
In  tetraploid  plants  of  Hyoscyamus  niger  produced  by  colchicine,  the 
critical  day-length  for  flowering  and  the  time  preceding  the  elongation 
of  the  internodes  were  both  shortened,  the  number  of  leaves  was  re- 
duced, and  the  time  of  flowering  delayed,  as  compared  with  diploid 
plants  (Lang,  1947). 

The  problems  of  photoperiodism  are  complicated  by  the  fact,  empha- 
sized by  Biinning  ( 1956 )  and  others,  that  there  are  endogenous  rhythms 
in  certain  of  the  physiological  processes  of  the  plant.  It  has  been  found, 
for  example,  that  a  light  period  of  12  hours  alternating  with  12  hours  of 
darkness  gives  in  many  plants  a  different  result  from  an  alternation  of  6 
hours  of  light  and  6  hours  of  darkness  and  thus  two  cycles  in  a  day.  The 
total  amount  of  light  and  darkness  are  the  same  but  their  effects  are  not. 
There  is  evidently  a  changing  sensitivity  in  the  reaction  of  the  plant 
during  the  day  to  various  environmental  factors.  This  fact  is  of  much 
importance  for  plant  physiology  but  its  significance  for  morphogenesis 
has  as  yet  not  been  very  fully  considered.  The  existence  of  innate  rhythms 
may  account  for  the  conflicting  results  obtained  in  experiments  on  the 
morphogenetic  effects  of  various  environmental  factors. 

RELATION  TO  OTHER  FACTORS 

The  various  morphogenetic  effects  of  light  provide  an  excellent  example 
of  the  complexity  of  interaction  of  factors  in  plant  development.  Light 
powerfully  influences  flowering,  but  so  do  temperature,  growth  sub- 
stances, nutrition,  and  genes,  and  in  some  cases  water  supply  and  gravity. 
They  often  have  parallel  effects  on  vegetative  structures  as  well.  These 
factors  frequently  can  be  interchanged  to  some  extent  and  produce  the 
same  result,  as  when  temperature  is  substituted  for  photoperiod,  and 
vice  versa.  Auxin  is  closely  concerned  with  many  of  the  traits  that  light 
affects,  but  the  exact  relation  between  light  and  auxin  is  not  clear.  Some- 
times light  seems  to  destroy  it  and  sometimes  to  stimulate  its  produc- 


Light  323 

tion.  Specific  photoperiodic  reactions  have  been  found  to  be  gene-con- 
trolled. The.morphogenetic  effects  of  bright  light  and  of  limited  water 
supply  are  sometimes  hard  to  disentangle.  It  is  difficult,  as  has  been 
said  before,  to  separate  any  one  factor  sharply  from  the  others  and  to 
study  it  in  isolation.  All  are  concerned  with  the  entire  organized  system 
that  is  the  plant. 


CHAPTER    14 

Water 


Water  is  closely  involved  with  many  activities  of  the  plant,  especially 
photosynthesis  and  transpiration.  It  fills  the  cell  vacuoles  and  constitutes 
the  bulk  of  protoplasm.  It  maintains  the  turgidity  of  the  tissues  and  thus 
is  an  important  factor  in  growth.  Botanists  still  are  very  far  from  explain- 
ing the  complex  problems  of  the  water  relations  of  plants.  These  have 
been  discussed  in  an  extensive  physiological  literature  (see  Crafts,  Cur- 
rier, and  Stocking,  1949;  Kramer,  1945,  1955;  Meyer,  1938;  and  Walter, 
1955). 

Xeromorphy.  Water  is  also  of  significance  in  problems  of  plant  struc- 
ture and  thus  for  morphogenesis.  Where  it  is  relatively  scarce  or  the 
amount  that  can  be  absorbed  is  limited  for  other  reasons  (as  in  saline 
soils)  or  where  evaporation  is  excessive,  plants  display  characteristic 
structural  features.  Such  xerophytes  tend  to  have  reduced  leaf  surfaces, 
heavy  cuticle,  small  and  thick-walled  cells,  high  stomatal  frequency, 
abundant  mechanical  tissue,  and  large  root  systems,  and  they  often  are 
spiny  or  succulent.  These  traits,  collectively  termed  xeromorphy,  have 
been  regarded  as  adaptations  which  increase  absorption  or  reduce  tran- 
spiration and  thus  maintain  a  sufficient  water  supply  under  dry  condi- 
tions. Xerophytes  may  show  other  adaptations  such  as  hairy  surfaces, 
rolled  leaf  blades,  and  stomata  sunken  in  pits  or  otherwise  protected 
against  undue  exposure  to  evaporation.  The  characteristic  structures  of 
xerophytic  plants  have  long  attracted  the  interest  of  ecologists  and  pro- 
vide much  of  the  subject  matter  for  the  science  of  ecological  anatomy. 

Such  traits  presumably  have  arisen  through  the  action  of  natural  se- 
lection and  are  thus  not  ultimately  attributable  to  the  direct  effect  of  the 
environment.  Many  plants,  however,  if  grown  under  conditions  where 
water  is  scarce  or  transpiration  high,  have  been  observed  to  assume 
some  degree  of  xeromorphism.  Leaf  surfaces  will  tend  to  be  somewhat 
reduced,  cells  smaller  and  thicker-walled,  and  mechanical  tissue  more 
abundant.  Such  structural  changes  are  clearly  the  result  of  an  environ- 
mental factor— a  reduction  in  amount  of  available  water.  What  is  in- 
herited here  is  this  specific  response  to  the  environment. 

There  has  been  considerable  controversy,  however,  as  to  whether  or 

324 


Water  325 

not  such  changes  are  adaptive  and  are  advantageous  to  the  plant.  That 
they  should  be  so  is  a  plausible  conclusion,  and  for  such  traits  as  heavy 
cuticle  it  may  be  correct.  Its  general  validity  has  been  challenged  by 
a  number  of  people,  notably  Maximov,  who  has  reviewed  the  problem 
comprehensively  ( 1929,  1931 ) ,  especially  as  to  the  physiological  basis  of 
drought   resistance.    Maximov   called    attention   to   the   earlier   work    of 
Zalenski  (1904),  published  (chiefly  in  Russian)  a  quarter  of  a  century 
before  and  largely  neglected  outside  the  country  of  its  origin.  Zalenski 
observed  that  the  veining  of  the  leaves  in  plants  growing  in  dry,  open 
spaces  was  much  more  abundant  than  in  the  leaves  of  those  in  the  shade 
or  in  protected  spots.  These  observations  he  then  extended  to  a  com- 
parative study  of  the  structure  of  leaves  on  the  same  tree.   Here  he 
found  that,  as  a  rule,  leaf  structure  changed  with  the  level  of  insertion 
on  the  tree,  the  structure  being  more  xeromorphic  with  increasing  dis- 
tance from  the  root.  The  progressively  higher  leaves  had  smaller  cells 
throughout,  smaller  stomata  and  more  of  them  per  unit  of  area,  greater 
vein  length  per  unit  of  area,  thicker  and  less  sinuous  walls  in  the  epi- 
dermal cells,  a  greater  contrast  between  palisade  and  spongy  layers,  less 
intercellular  space,  and  better  developed  mechanical  tissue.  These  re- 
lationships were  later  called  "Zalenski's  law"  and  were  independently 
discovered  by  others,  among  them  Yapp  ( 1912 ) .  Zalenski's  results  are 
evident  in  herbaceous  as  well  as  in  woody  plants.  Some  data  that  he 
presents  for  Dactylis  glomerata  are  shown  in  Table  14-1.  Salisbury  ( 1927) 

Table  14-1.  Variations  in  Anatomical  Elements  of  Leaves  of  Different 
Tiers  in  Dactylis  glomerata  * 

Tier 1  2  3  4  5 

Height  of  insertion  ( cm. ) 0  10.2  25.2  37.0  51.0 

Length  of  leaf  ( cm. ) 7.1  10.3  18.5  18.0  13.2 

Breadth  of  leaf  (cm. ) 0.30  0,35  0.54  0.52  0.45 

Length  of  vascular  bundles 

(mm./sq.  cm.  of  leaf  surface)  371  511  557  625  626 
Mean  diameter  of  cells  of 

upper  epidermis   ( mm. )..  .  0.0418  0.0294  0.0272  0.0217  0.0189 

Number  of  stomata  in  field ..  .  34  42  61  80  64 

Length  of  stomata  ( mm. )..  .  0.0434  0.0415  0.0403  0.0356  0.0384 


o 


From  Maximov  (1929),  after  Zalenski. 


found  that  stomatal  frequency  per  unit  area  increases  with  the  height  at 
which  the  leaf  is  borne  but  that  the  stomatal  index  (ratio  of  stomata  to 
epidermal  cells  in  the  same  region)  changes  relatively  little.  This  is  a 
necessary  implication  of  Zalenski's  observations. 

These   structural   characters   are   among   those   regarded   as   typically 
xeromorphic.  Zalenski,  Yapp,  and  others,  however,  have  explained  them 


326  Morpho genetic  Factors 

without  relating  them  to  water  conservation  but  simply  as  direct  or 
indirect  results  of  decreasing  cell  size  with  progressively  higher  leaf 
insertion.  Small  cell  size,  in  turn,  grows  out  of  the  greater  difficulty 
with  which  water  is  obtained  by  the  higher  leaves,  since  they  have  to 
lift  it  farther  and  against  the  competition  of  the  lower  ones.  It  follows 
that  at  the  critical  period  of  rapid  leaf  growth,  which  results  primarily 
from  cell  expansion  through  the  absorption  of  water,  the  cells  of  the 
upper  leaves  cannot  attain  the  size  of  the  lower  ones.  The  other  struc- 
tural traits  are  a  consequence  of  this  basic  difference.  That  such  a  con- 
clusion is  correct  is  indicated  by  other  evidence,  such  as  the  fact  that  if 
lower  leaves  are  removed  while  the  upper  ones  are  still  growing  the 
latter  will  resemble  in  structure  leaves  that  would  normally  be  lower 
on  the  stem. 

Xeromorphy  in  these  upper  leaves  therefore  seems  unlikely  to  be  an 
adaptation  for  reducing  water  loss.  Indeed,  it  was  later  shown  that 
upper  leaves  may  transpire  more  rapidly  than  the  lower  ones.  These 
results  have  cast  doubt  on  the  adaptive  character  of  the  traits  of 
xerophytes  in  general.  Maximov  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that  when 
water  is  abundant  many  xerophytes  transpire  more  rapidly  than  meso- 
phytes  and  it  is  only  under  drought  conditions  that  their  water  loss  is 
markedly  cut.  He  attributes  this,  and  therefore  the  quality  of  drought 
resistance  in  general,  not  to  any  structural  traits  but  to  protoplasmic 
characters,  notably  osmotic  concentration  and  changes  in  cell  colloids 
that  would  enable  the  plant  to  conserve  its  water  supply  and  thus 
endure  dry  conditions  better  than  other  plants.  Eckardt  (1953)  agrees 
with  this  conclusion.  The  physiology  of  drought  resistance  has  been  re- 
viewed by  Iljin  (1957). 

In  earlier  years  a  number  of  Russian  investigators,  assuming  that  types 
with  small  cells  were  more  resistant  to  drought  than  those  with  large 
cells,  determined  for  various  cereal  varieties  their  "anatomical  coefficients" 
(chiefly  cell  size),  hoping  to  find  a  means  of  identifying  resistant  types 
by  direct  inspection.  This  possibility  was  not  supported  by  the  work  of 
Maximov.  More  recently,  however,  Lai  and  Mehrotra  (1949),  working 
with  sugar  cane,  have  found  that  some  cell  characters,  notably  small 
size,  seem  in  certain  cases  to  be  associated  with  drought  resistance. 

Farkas  and  Rajhathy  ( 1955 )  reexamined  anatomical  gradients  in  some 
herbaceous  plants,  particularly  tomato,  and  found  that  cell  size  in 
leaves  decreases  from  below  upward  and  that  number  of  stomata  per 
unit  area  increases,  thus  again  confirming  Zalenski  (Fig.  14-1).  Under 
dry  conditions  this  gradient  is  much  steeper.  They  found  several  other 
physiological  gradients  some  of  which  may  be  explained  as  dependent 
on  that  for  water.  In  others  the  relation  to  the  latter  is  not  clear.  Stage 
of  development  of  the  leaves  also  complicates  the  problem  here. 


Water 


327 


Shields  (1950),  who  has  reviewed  the  whole  subject  of  xeromorphy, 
agrees  in  general  with  Zalenski,  Maximov,  and  Yapp  that  this  type  of 
structure  has  little  significance  as  an  adaptation  in  drought  resistance. 
She  also  emphasizes  the  importance  of  physiological  factors  in  relation  to 
water  loss.  Many  of  the  structural  characteristics  of  xerophytes,  she  sug- 
gests, may  be  the  result  of  physiological  differences.  Thick  cell  walls  and 
abundance  of  mechanical  tissue  may  result  from  active  photosynthesis 
in  a  plant  where  all  its  products  cannot  be  used  in  growth  because  of 
the  shortage  of  water. 

Ashby  ( 1948Z? ) ,  however,  presents  evidence  that  the  relative  xeromorphy 
of  the  upper  leaves,  at  least  as  indicated  by  cell  size,  is  not  due  to  corn- 


er 

16 
15 
1U 


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<->  12 

^  10 

%  9 


150 

m 

130 
120 
"10 
100 
90 
80 
70 
50 
SO 

w 


120 
110 
100 
90 
80 
1  70 
-    I  60 
05  50 

uo 

30 
20 
10 


7^ 


^^t 


t\ 


V 


=** 


VB/aftf/ache 


'pidermiszellen- 
grolie 


-" 


A  \ 


y 


2     3 


2     3 


2     3 


2     3 


1.  Blatter 


2  Blatter 


3.  Blatter 


*.  Blatter 


Fig.  14-1.  Gradient  of  cell  size  in  tomato  leaves.  Graph  showing  stomatal  number  (in 
a  given  microscopic  field ) ,  epidermal  cell  size  ( in  microns ) ,  and  leaf  surface  ( in  square 
centimeters)  for  the  first  four  leaves  of  five  young  tomato  plants.  These  are  arranged 
in  each  case  according  to  the  ascending  order  of  stomatal  number  for  each  leaf  class. 
( From  Farkas  and  Rajhdthy. ) 

petition  for  water  but  to  the  influence  of  immature  leaves  on  those  above 
them,  an  influence  which  may  be  hormonal  in  character. 

Leaves  on  the  outside,  and  particularly  the  south  side,  of  the  crown 
of  a  tree  (sun  leaves,  p.  312)  are  often  considerably  thicker  and  more 
xeromorphic  in  appearance  than  those  in  the  center  (shade  leaves). 
This  has  been  attributed  to  the  direct  action  of  light.  This  difference  may 
be  due  in  part  to  water  relations,  for  Hanson  ( 1917 )  showed  that,  on 
the  outside  of  the  crown,  conditions  favored  much  more  rapid  evaporation 
than  in  the  interior.  He  found  that  leaves  on  the  outside  are  smaller, 
more  deeply  lobed,  and  lower  in  water  content  and  that  they  transpire 
faster  per  unit  of  area  (Fig.  14-2).  This  has  frequently  been  confirmed. 
Huber  (1926)  agrees  that  sun  leaves  result  from  a  water  deficit.  Soding 


328  M 01 -pho genetic  Factors 

( 1934 )  grew  trees  in  pots  and  found  that,  by  adding  a  small  amount  of 
salt  to  the  soil,  leaves  like  sun  leaves  were  formed  by  the  plant.  Light, 
however,  probably  has   a  share  in  the  production  of  xeromorphy,   for 


Fig.  14-2.  Effect  of  environment  on  leaf  structure.  Sections  of  leaves  of  Acer  saccharum 
from  1,  south  periphery  of  the  tree;  2,  center  of  crown;  3  and  4,  base  of  crown.  Various 
factors  are  doubtless  involved  in  these  changes,  but  differences  in  rate  of  transpiration 
( higher  in  exposed  leaves  than  in  the  others )  seem  especially  important.  ( From 
Hanson. ) 

bright  light  has  been  shown  to  reduce  leaf  area  and  to  increase  blade 
thickness.  The  xeromorphy  observable  in  many  tropical  plants  may  check 
the  harmful  effects  of  too  intense  insolation. 

Still  other  factors  are  probably  involved  in  the  development  of  this  sort 


Water  329 

of  leaf  structure.  Miiller-Stoll  (1947b)  has  evidence  that  xeromorphy  of 
plants  in  peat  bogs  is  due  to  a  deficiency  of  nitrogen  rather  than  of  water. 
He  fertilized  such  plants  and  observed  a  marked  increase  in  leaf  area  and 
cell  size  and  a  decrease  in  stomatal  frequency,  cell- wall  thickness,  and 
venation.  Lack  of  nitrogen  and  lack  of  water  thus  seem  to  produce 
similar  structural  changes.  These  two  factors  are  associated  in  other 
morphogenetic  phenomena. 

Experimental  Work.  Many  experiments  have  been  performed  to  de- 
termine directly  the  effect  on  plant  structure  of  varying  amounts  of 
water  in  the  soil  or  in  the  air.  Only  a  few  of  these  can  be  mentioned 

here. 

Rippel  (1919)  studied  white  mustard  growing  in  moist  and  in  dry 
soil.  Vein  length  per  unit  area  of  leaf  surface  was  considerably  greater 
in  dry  soil.  In  both,  it  increased  progressively  from  the  first  leaf  to  the 
fifth,  and  this  gradient  was  steeper  in  dry  soil  than  in  wet. 

Penfound  (1931)  paid  particular  attention  to  stem  anatomy  and  found 
that,  although  increased  soil  moisture  reduced  xeromorphic  traits,  it  in- 
creased the  relative  amount  of  xylem  in  the  stem. 

Cain  and  Potzger  (1940)  brought  Gaijlussacia  plants  into  the  green- 
house. They  varied  the  amount  of  available  water  and  also  grew  some  of 
the  plants  in  front  of  a  fan.  Though  dry  air  and  fan  induced  some 
xeromorphy,  the  mesophyll  was  considerably  thicker  in  plants  in  the 
moister  soil,  contrary  to  most  earlier  observations. 

Simonis  (1952)  studied  four  genera  grown  in  soils  of  high  and  low 
water  content.  In  all,  the  leaf  surface  was  reduced  under  water  deficit, 
but  the  morphological  responses  of  different  plants  were  somewhat  dif- 
ferent. Water  content  tended  to  be  unchanged  under  dry  conditions, 
or  sometimes  even  was  increased,  and  succulence  was  generally  greater. 
Simons  (1956)  grew  year-old  apple  seedlings  in  greenhouse  pot  cul- 
ture in  moist  and  dry  soil.  Reduction  in  water  supply  affected  leaf  area 
and  also  thickness  and  size  of  cells  in  epidermis,  palisade,  and  xylem. 

Fewer  experiments  have  been  done  on  the  morphogenetic  effects  of 
differences  in  the  humidity  of  the  air.  Eberhardt  (1903)  grew  a  wide 
variety  of  plants  under  bell  jars,  maintaining  light  and  temperature  the 
same  in  all  but  changing  the  humidity.  Dry  air  tended  to  produce  the 
ordinary  xeromorphic  traits  and  also  an  increase  in  hairiness  ( Figs.  14-3 
and  14-4).  The  results  of  Lebedincev  (1927)  and  Rettig  (1929)  were 
much  the  same.  The  effects  of  dry  air  were  more  pronounced  when  the 
soil  was  also  dry. 

At  the  opposite  extreme  from  xeromorphy,  produced  by  water  deficit, 
are  those  changes  that  result  from  submersion  in  water.  As  a  rule,  the 
roots  of  such  plants  are  small  or  lacking,  the  vascular  and  mechanical 
tissues  poorly  developed,  the  leaves  thin  and  often  much  dissected,  the 


330  Morpho genetic  Factors 

stomata  vestigial  or  absent,  and  the  cell  walls  thin.  These  traits  are  gen- 
erally regarded  as  adaptations  to  an  aquatic  habitat.  A  few  heterophyllous 
water  plants  (p.  216)  can  live  either  submersed  or  growing  in  the  air  with 


Fig.  14-3.  Diagram  of  cross  sections  of  stems  of  Achyranthes,  showing  relative  de- 
velopment of  tissues  in  air  which  is  dry  ( I ) ,  normal  ( II ) ,  and  humid  ( III ) .  b,  xylem; 
1,  phloem;  s,  sclerenchyma;  m,  pith.  Dry  air  tends  to  reduce  size  of  pith  and  cortex 
and  to  increase  development  of  xylem  and  sclerenchyma.  ( From  Eberhardt. ) 

their  roots  in  soil.  Among  these  are  Polygonum  amphibium  and  the 
water  buttercup,  Ranunculus  aquatilis.  In  these  plants  the  land  form, 
essentially  mesophytic  in  structure,  is  very  different  from  the  water  form 


3 


»=ss 


c 


I  II 

Fig.  14-4.  Outer  cortex  and  epidermis  of  Aster  sinensis  grown  in  air  that  is  of  normal 
humidity  ( I )  and  that  is  dry  ( II ) .  The  latter  shows  greater  wall  thickness  in  collen- 
chyma  and  larger  bundles  of  sclerenchyma.  E,  epidermis;  C,  cortex;  S,  sclerenchyma. 
( From.  Eberhardt. ) 

and  in  some  cases  was  not  at  first  recognized  as  belonging  to  the  same 
species.  Occasionally,  as  in  the  buttercup,  foliage  transitional  from  one 
to  the  other  may  be  found.  In  plants  like  the  mermaid  weed,  Proser- 
pinaca  palustris,   leaves   borne   in   the   air   are   broad    and   little-lobed 


Water 


331 


Fig.  14  5.  A  species  of  Myriophyllum,  an  "amphibious"  plant,  showing  differences  be- 
tween leaves  grown  in  water  and  in  air.  ( From  Fassett. ) 

whereas  the  submersed  ones  are  much  dissected  (Fig.  14-5).  Potamogeton 
and  similar  forms  are  entirely  aquatic  but  in  some  species  there  are 
both  broad  floating  leaves,  exposed  on  their  upper  surfaces  to  the  air,  and 
delicate  submersed  ones. 

Various  explanations  have  been  proposed   (p.  216)   for  the  differencs 


332  Morphogenetic  Factors 

between  shoots  grown  in  water  and  in  air,  especially  in  Proserpinaca. 
Transpiration,  seasonal  differences,  and  reversion  to  juvenile  stages  may 
be  involved.  Combes  (1947)  found  that  in  Oenanthe  low  temperature 
is  effective  in  producing  deeply  incised  leaves.  Allsopp  (1955)  has 
studied  the  water  fern,  Marsilea,  grown  under  various  conditions,  and 
has  discussed  the  general  problem  of  the  structure  of  water  plants.  The 
land  form  of  leaf  has  four  leaflets,  and  there  are  stomata  on  both  sur- 
faces, but  the  water  form  is  merely  lobed  and  lacks  stomata  in  the  lower 
epidermis  (Fig.  14-6).  Raising  the  osmotic  concentration  of  the  culture 


5%  U.  E. 


I7.U.E. 


5%  L.E. 


I%LE. 


Fig.  14-6.  Comparable  sporeling  leaves  of  Marsilea  Drummondii,  an  "amphibious" 
plant.  Form  of  leaf  and  structure  of  upper  and  lower  epidermis  in  leaves  grown  in 
media  containing  5  per  cent  glucose  (left)  and  1  per  cent  (right).  The  former  re- 
semble typical  land  forms  and  the  latter,  water  forms.  ( From  Allsopp. ) 

medium  by  adding  glucose  produces  the  land  type  of  leaf.  Whether  this 
is  an  osmotic  or  a  nutritional  effect  is  not  certain.  Allsopp  concludes  that 
it  is  the  water  balance  of  the  developing  tissues,  determined  by  the 
osmotic  pressure  of  the  surrounding  liquid,  and  the  relative  humidity  of 
the  air  or,  in  general,  the  diffusion  pressure  deficit  of  the  water  of  the 
environment,  which  produce  the  structural  features  distinctive  of  land 
or  water  forms.  Here,  again,  the  morphogenetic  problem  involves  much 
more  than  the  direct  effect  of  a  single  environmental  factor. 

Effect  of  Transpiration  Stream.  Another  aspect  of  the  problem  of  the 
morphogenetic  effects  of  water  involves  the  influence  of  water  supply 


Water 


333 


and  transpiration  rate  on  the  development  of  vascular  tissue.  Does  a 
strong  transpiration  stream  stimulate  the  formation  of  conducting  cells 
and  thus  serve  as  a  "functional  stimulus"? 

There  is  clearly  a  quantitative  relation  between  a  transpiring  surface 
and  the  vascular  tissue  supplying  it.  D.  J.  B.  White  (1954),  in  a  study  of 
the  relation  of  laminar  area  to  petiolar  xylem  in  the  bean  leaf,  found 
that  there  is  an  allometric  developmental  correlation  between  the  two, 
the  cross-sectional  area  of  xylem  growing  about  two-thirds  as  fast  as 
laminar  area  (Fig.  14-7).  There  have  also  been  a  good  many  measure- 
ments of  the  amount  of  vascular  tissue  at  different  levels  in  the  stem,  both 
absolutely  and  in  proportion  to  the  area  of  leaf  lamina  above.  Reliable 


L09X 
2-5 


"  Immature 


20 


V5 


0-5  10      Log  L     15  20 

Fie.  14-7.  Relative  growth  of  area  of  lamina  (L)  and  cross-sectional  area  of  petiolar 
xylem  (X)  in  immature  leaves  of  bean.  (From  D.  ].  B.  White.) 

data  as  to  the  amount  of  transpiration  in  relation  to  cross  section  of 
vascular  tissue  are  difficult  to  obtain.  Riibel  (1920)  measured  the  xylem 
area  at  different  levels  on  a  sunflower  plant  and  the  total  leaf  area  above 
each  level.  In  plants  grown  in  a  normally  sunny  situation  there  was 
about  0.21  sq.  mm.  of  vascular  tissue  per  square  decimeter  of  leaf  area, 
as  compared  with  0.10  sq.  mm.  in  shaded  plants.  Since  there  is  more 
transpiration  in  the  sun,  there  is  evidently  a  relation  here  between 
transpiration  and  the  amount  of  conducting  tissue.  In  the  lowest  stem 
levels  there  was  from  Vi  to  V3  sq.  mm.  of  cross  section  of  conducting 
tissue  to  every  gram  of  dry  weight  of  leaves  above  it,  but  in  young  and 
vigorous  leafy  plants  this  increased  to  V2  sq.  mm.,  again  showing  a 
presumptive  relation  to  transpiration.  The  proportion  of  wood  to  phloem 


334  Morphogenetic  Factors 

decreased  at  upper  levels.  The  leaves  at  different  levels  transpired  at 
about  the  same  rate. 

Alexandrov,  Alexandrova,  and  Timof eev  ( 1927 )  observed  that  in 
Bryonia  (a  running  vine)  the  number  of  vessels  in  any  part  of  the  stem 
varies  with  the  dimensions  of  the  leaves  in  that  region.  The  size  of 
the  vascular  tissue  in  a  petiole  is  also  related  to  the  area  of  its  lamina. 

In  fir,  spruce,  and  beech,  Huber  ( 1928 )  found  that  the  relative  con- 
ducting surface  (the  ratio  of  the  area  of  conducting  tissue  to  the  fresh 
weight  of  leaves  above  it)  increases  from  base  to  apex  in  the  stem.  In 
lateral  branches  this  ratio  was  smaller  than  in  the  main  stem,  a  fact 
presumably  related  to  the  dominance  of  the  latter.  The  relative  conduct- 
ing surface  and  the  amount  of  transpiration  were  determined  for  various 
plants  by  Huber  and  the  rate  of  flow  of  water  through  the  vascular  sys- 
tem calculated.  This  was  found  to  be  relatively  high  for  herbaceous 
plants,  low  for  conifers  and  xerophytes,  and  intermediate  for  broad- 
leaved  trees,  thus  seeming  to  be  related  to  the  amount  of  transpiration. 
Huber  also  observed  ( 1924 )  that  in  oak  branches  growing  in  bright  sun- 
light a  square  decimeter  of  leaf  area  transpired  75  mg./hour  and  was 
supplied  through  a  cross-sectional  area  of  0.42  sq.  mm.  of  vascular  tissue. 
In  branches  growing  in  shade  there  were  46  mg.  of  water  transpired 
through  a  vascular  cross  section  of  0.20  sq.  mm.  In  other  words,  the 
greater  the  transpiration  stream  passing  through  the  vascular  system, 
the  larger  this  system  was.  He  believes,  however,  that  the  amount  of 
water  carried  upward  depends  primarily  on  the  osmotic  pull  exerted 
by  the  leaves  and  the  resistance  to  flow  in  the  vascular  tissues  rather 
than  solely  on  the  size  of  the  vascular  tissue  itself. 

These  various  facts  show  that  there  is  a  definite  correlation  between 
the  amount  of  water  passing  through  the  vascular  tissue  and  the  amount 
of  such  tissue  that  is  developed.  This,  consequently,  suggests  that  the 
transpiration  stream  itself  acts  as  a  formative  stimulus  for  the  differentia- 
tion of  vascular  tissue.  Doubt  as  to  the  correctness  of  such  a  conclusion, 
however,  is  raised  by  some  remarkable  results  reported  by  Werner  ( 1931 ) 
in  maize.  He  was  able  to  grow  a  plant  of  almost  normal  size  (suspended 
in  the  air  in  a  transpiration  experiment)  that  was  connected  to  its  root 
system  in  the  soil  by  only  a  single  extremely  thin  root  about  10  cm. 
long.  The  entire  water  supply  for  this  plant,  the  stem  of  which  was 
several  centimeters  wide,  passed  through  a  vascular  strand  only  about 
0.5  mm.  in  diameter.  Here,  at  least,  there  is  little  evidence  that  a  heavy 
transpiration  flow  stimulates  a  proportionate  development  of  vascular 
tissue.  Similarly,  in  a  frond  of  Osmunda,  all  the  water  transpired  by  a 
large  blade  area  is  drawn  through  a  leaf  trace  which  is  very  small  as  it 
leaves  the  stele.  At  the  base  of  the  frond  this  expands  into  a  ring  of 
large  bundles. 


Water 


335 


In  such  cases  as  these,  one  is  forced  to  conclude  that  much  more  vascu- 
lar tissue  is  normally  developed  than  is  required  to  carry  the  normal 
transpiration  stream.  The  relation  so  frequently  observed  between 
area  of  transpiring  surface  and  cross-sectional  area  of  conducting  tissue 
may  therefore  be  simply  another  instance  of  developmental  correlation, 
of  one  tissue  keeping  step  with  another  (p.  107),  and  may  be  without 
causal  significance  for  the  differentiation  of  vascular  tissue. 

There  are  other  ways  in  which  water  may  have  morphogenetic  sig- 
nificance. Positive  hydrostatic  pressures  often  occur  at  the  time  of  early 
and  rapid  leaf  growth,  and  leaves  developing  then  tend  to  be  large  and 
to  have  shallow  lobes.  A  little  later,  when  sap  pressure  is  lower  or  absent, 
the  leaves  are  smaller  and  the  lobes  deeper.  Experiments  of  Pearsall 


•OOi       n       n       n 


75- 


PERCENT 

OF 

FLORETS 

CLEISTOGAMOUS      5Q 
BLACK, 

CHASM06AM0US 
WHITE  25 


PERCENT  OF  WATER 

Fig.  14-8.  Relation  between  the  percentage  of  water  in  the  soil  and  the  percentage 
of  cleistogamous  florets  in  Stipa.  ( From  W.  V.  Brown. ) 


and  Hanby  (1926)  tend  to  confirm  this,  since  when  they  applied  con- 
siderable hydrostatic  pressure  to  stems  while  the  leaves  were  develop- 
ing, the  lobes  were  shallow,  but  they  were  deeper  under  less  pressure. 
The  angle  at  which  the  lateral  veins  go  off  in  palmate  leaves  seems  to 
affect  their  ability  to  deliver  water.  Where  this  angle  is  more  than  90° 
the  flow  of  water  under  pressure  is  reduced.  This  fact  may  be  related 
to  the  determination  of  leaf  shape. 

Osmotic  pressure  has  important  morphogenetic  effects  since  it  is  one 
of  the  factors  determining  the  amount  of  cell  enlargement.  Various  cir- 
cumstances affect  the  osmotic  concentration  of  the  cell  sap.  One  of  these 
is  chromosome  number,  for  Becker  (p.  40)  observed  that  in  a  polyploid 
series  of  moss  cells  the  concentration  varied  inversely  with  the  degree  of 
polyploidy.  Schlosser  ( 1935 )  found  in  tomato  that  maternally  inherited 
differences  in  osmotic  concentration  in  the  cytoplasm,  as  well  as  in  the 


336  M  or  pho  genetic  Factors 

environment,  affected  the  expression  of  genes  for  plant  height.  The 
character  of  growth  may  also  be  influenced.  If  the  alga  Stigeoclonium 
is  grown  in  relatively  high  osmotic  concentrations,  its  cells  round  up 
and  divide  in  all  planes  to  form  a  so-called  palmella  colony.  In  weaker 
solutions  vegetative  activity  is  increased  and  the  cells  become  cylindri- 
cal, divide  in  only  one  plane,  and  form  filaments  (Livingston,  1900). 

Water  may  also  affect  differentiation  in  other  ways,  such  as  the  in- 
creased proportion  of  cleistogamous  flowers  formed  as  soil  moisture 
decreases  (W.  V.  Brown,  1952;  Fig.  14-8). 

A  study  of  the  water  relations  of  plants,  and  especially  of  the  forma- 
tive effects  of  water  on  plant  growth,  has  recently  been  somewhat 
neglected.  These  relations  provide  a  promising  opportunity,  however,  to 
approach  some  of  the  problems  of  plant  morphogenesis  from  a  direction 
different  from  that  of  most  experimental  work  today. 


CHAPTER    15 

Temperature 


Temperature  is  obviously  of  much  importance  for  the  physiological  ac- 
tivities of  a  plant  since  the  rate  of  metabolic  processes  is  markedly 
affected  by  it.  Though  its  chief  significance  is  in  physiology,  it  also 
influences  development  in  various  ways.  These  have  been  summarized 
by  Went  (1953). 

Both  light  and  temperature  apparently  produce  their  morphogenetic 
effects  by  speeding  up  or  slowing  down  particular  physiological  processes. 
What  the  effect  in  a  given  case  will  be  evidently  depends  on  the  sensi- 
tivity of  the  plant  to  these  stimuli  in  a  particular  part  of  its  body  or  on  a 
particular  phase  of  its  development.  The  effect  of  temperature  is  especially 
important  on  rate  of  growth.  The  optimum  temperature  for  this  may  be 
different  in  different  regions  of  the  plant,  at  different  stages  of  develop- 
ment, or  even  at  different  times  of  day.  This  may  result  in  a  change  in 
proportions  of  various  parts  and  thus  of  form  and  structure.  Biinning 
(1935),  for  example,  observed  that  the  later  in  the  season  the  seeds  of 
beans  mature,  the  shorter  is  the  epicotyl  of  seed  and  seedling  and  the 
quicker  do  the  primary  leaves  reach  maturity.  This  he  found  to  be  a 
temperature  effect,  for  high  temperature  during  the  5  weeks  preceding 
seed  maturity  produces  longer  epicotyls  and  a  slower  development  of 
primary  leaves. 

In  Ipomoea,  Njoku  ( 1957 )  found  that  the  higher  the  night  tempera- 
ture (with  a  good  level  of  mineral  nutrition)  the  less  deeply  lobed  were 
the  leaves  (Fig.  15-1).  Here  what  temperature  seems  to  affect  directly 
is  the  rate  of  production  of  leaves  at  the  growing  point,  and  this,  in  turn, 
is  correlated  with  depth  of  lobing.  Many  other  cases  have  been  found 
where  temperature  thus  exerts  an  indirect  effect  on  form  and  structure 
because  of  the  fact  that  different  parts  are  differently  susceptible  to 
its  influence. 

Thermoperiodism.  There  is  often  a  daily  rhythm  in  reaction  to  tem- 
perature as  there  is  to  light.  At  any  temperature  that  is  constant  through- 
out the  24  hours  many  plants  will  grow  less  rapidly  than  if  their  environ- 
ment is  relatively  cool  at  night  and  warm  during  the  day.  The  optimum 

337 


338  Morpho genetic  Factors 

temperature  for  growth  may  therefore  be  different  under  different  con- 
ditions. This  thermoperiodism  affects  growth  in  various  ways  (Went, 
1944,  1945,  1948).  Went  found  in  tomato,  for  example,  that  if  the  green- 
house temperature  is  held  constant  the  optimum  is  about  26.5°C,  at  which 
there  is  a  steady  growth  in  length  of  23  mm.  per  day.  At  all  other  tem- 
peratures, growth  is  less  (Fig.  15-2).  Plants  kept  warm  (26.5°)  during 
the  day,  however,  but  cooler  at  night  ( 17  to  20° )  grow  still  better,  about 
27  mm.  per  day.  It  is  significant  that  this  low  temperature  is  effective  only 
if  it  is  applied  during  the  dark  period  of  daily  growth.  The  same  thermo- 
periodism is  evident  in  fruit  development,  the  best  fruit  set  occurring 
when   the  night  temperatures   are    15   to  20°.    Evidently   two   different 


3-5P 


30 


X 

(II 

c 

01 

a 

<T3 


25 


-5   20 


1  5" 


J L 


-L 


a L 


Fig.  15-1.  The  effect  of  low  and  of 
high  night  temperature  on  shape  of 
successive  leaves  in  Ipomoea  caerulea. 
Shape  index  measures  degree  of  lob- 
ing.   ( From  Njoku. ) 


23456789 
Leaves,  numbered  from  base 


processes  are  involved,  one  going  on  in  the  light  and  the  other  in  the 
dark,  and  with  different  temperature  optima.  Plants  differ  considerably 
in  their  response  to  thermoperiodism  ( Knapp,  1956 ) .  Sproston  and  Pease 
( 1957 )  have  shown  that  thermoperiodism  is  related  to  the  production  of 
the  sexual  stage  in  the  fungus  Sclerotinia. 

There  is  a  close  relation  between  temperature  and  photoperiodism, 
for  it  has  frequently  been  shown  that  a  particular  temperature  can  be 
substituted  for  day-length  in  determining  the  balance  between  vegetative 
growth  and  flowering.  Thus  in  Rudbeckia,  a  long-day  plant,  flowers  are 
produced  in  shorter  days  if  the  temperature  is  kept  high  (Murneek, 
1940).  Flowering  in  beets  can  be  controlled  by  manipulating  the  relation 


Temperature  339 

between  temperature  and  the  photoperiod  (Owen,  Carsner,  and  Stout, 
1940),  a  technique  which  has  been  termed  photothermal  induction. 

The  problem  of  dormancy,  of  why  plants  or  parts  of  them  fail  to  grow 
until  particular  conditions  are  satisfied,  has  implications  for  morpho- 
genesis, particularly  in  relation  to  buds,  since  there  are  usually  very  many 
buds  on  a  plant  that  do  not  develop.  Whatever  determines  the  particular 
ones  that  are  to  grow  has  an  important  influence  on  the  form  of  the  plant. 
Factors  that  inhibit  or  stimulate  growth  of  these  meristematic  regions 
have  been  studied  chiefly  in  connection  with  growth  substances  (p.  386), 
but  others  are  involved.  Among  them  temperature  has  an  important  place. 
It  is  well  known  that  low  temperature  is  one  of  the  most  effective  means 
for  breaking  the  dormancy  of  seeds,  buds,  and  other  plant  parts.  The 


30  -""Vday 


20- 


10 


day  temperature  16.5* 
night  temperature  as 
indicated  on  abscissa 


temperature,   constant 
day  and  night 


3k>-  2S°  20°  15°  10°  S'C 

Fig.  15-2.  Thermoperiodicity  in  tomato.  Stem  growth  (in  millimeters  per  day)  in 
plants  kept  constantly  at  the  indicated  temperature  ( lower  curve )  and  for  8  hours  dur- 
ing the  day  at  26.5 °C  but  at  night  at  the  temperature  indicated  (upper  curve).  (From 
Went. ) 

influence  of  temperature  on  bud  growth  has  been  widely  studied  by 
horticulturists  because  of  its  practical  importance  (see  Chandler  et  al., 
1937). 

Vernalization.  A  more  significant  effect  of  temperature  for  morpho- 
genetic  problems  is  evident  in  the  processes  of  vernalization,  by  which 
flowering  is  accelerated  through  the  application  of  low  temperature  at  a 
particular  stage  of  development.  Horticulturists  have  known  for  many 
years  that  the  chilling  of  seeds  or  seedlings  will  in  many  cases  force 
plants  into  bloom  earlier  than  would  otherwise  occur.  Scientific  study 
of  this  effect,  however,  began  in  comparatively  recent  years  and  at  first 
was  explored  chiefly  by  Russian  plant  physiologists,  especially  Lysenko. 
A  conspicuous  example  of  the  effect  of  vernalization  is  the  speeding  up 


340  Morphogenetic  Factors 

of  flowering  in  some  of  the  cereal  grains  so  that  "winter"  varieties, 
superior  in  certain  respects,  can  be  treated  like  "spring"  varieties.  A  win- 
ter race  of  rye,  for  example,  is  normally  sown  in  the  fall  and  flowers  and 
fruits  the  next  season.  If  planted  in  the  spring  it  will  produce  abundant 
vegetative  growth  but  no  flowers.  A  spring  race  sown  in  the  spring  will 
fruit  in  that  growing  season.  If  seed  of  winter  rye  is  soaked  in  water, 
however,  and  is  then  exposed  to  low  temperature  (0  to  10° C  or  there- 
abouts) for  a  few  hours  or  days,  it  can  be  sown  in  the  spring  and  will 
bear  flowers  and  fruit  just  as  rapidly  as  spring  rye  does.  Grain  germi- 
nated at  1°C  and  then  planted  will  produce  rye  that  flowers  in  68  days, 
but  if  germinated  at  18 °C,  flowering  does  not  take  place  for  150  days 
(Gregory  and  Purvis,  1938).  The  vernalized  seed  may  be  kept  dormant 
for  some  time  or  even  dried  and  it  will  still  grow  like  spring  rye  when 
it  is  planted. 

These  facts  are  explained  on  the  assumption  that  development  is  to  a 
great  extent  independent  of  growth,  that  in  an  annual  seed  plant  there 
is  a  specific  series  of  developmental  stages,  each  a  necessary  precursor 
to  the  next,  and  that  these  stages  require  for  their  completion  different 
environmental  conditions,  especially  as  to  temperature  and  light.  This 
is  an  aspect  of  the  general  concept  of  phasic  development  previously 
discussed  (p.  205). 

In  these  cereals  the  first  stage  is  the  one  in  which  the  floral  initials 
are  formed,  and  for  this  process  low  temperatures  are  necessary.  Winter 
rye  sown  in  the  fall  will  produce  these  initials  because  it  is  exposed  to 
the  low  temperatures  of  winter  but  if  it  is  sown  in  the  spring  the  tem- 
perature is  not  low  enough  for  this  to  happen.  Vernalization  thus  acts  as 
a  substitute  for  winter  temperature. 

The  next  stage,  the  development  of  the  flowers  themselves,  usually 
requires  higher  temperatures  but  also  relatively  long  days.  Flowering 
will  be  delayed  indefinitely  if  plants  at  this  stage  are  exposed  to  short 
light  periods.  In  the  long,  warm  days  of  spring,  both  winter  and  spring 
varieties  will  thus  come  into  flower.  The  difference  between  them  is  that 
spring  varieties  will  form  floral  primordia  in  these  warm  days  and  winter 
varieties  will  not  do  so  without  treatment. 

In  certain  plants  a  definite  number  of  primordial  structures  are  formed 
at  the  growing  point  of  the  embryo,  and  it  can  be  shown  that  the  fate  of 
some  of  these  has  not  been  determined  in  the  seed  but  that  leaves  or  flow- 
ers will  form  from  them,  depending  on  environmental  conditions.  Thus 
in  winter  rye  there  are  usually  25  embryonic  primordia.  The  first  seven 
will  always  develop  into  leaves.  The  next  18  are  indeterminate,  and  the 
lower  the  temperature  to  which  they  are  exposed,  the  more  of  them  will 
develop  flowers.  At  high  spring  temperatures,  none  of  them  will  do  so 
unless  previously  chilled. 


Temperature  341 

Different  plants  respond  very  differently  to  vernalization,  and  in  some 
it  is  without  effect  (Kondratenko,  1940).  Vernalized  plants  may  be  de- 
vernalized,  usually  by  high  temperature  following  the  cold  treatment, 
and  they  may  sometimes  even  be  revernalized  (Lang  and  Melchers, 
1947). 

The  induction  of  flowering  by  low  temperature  is  by  no  means  limited 
to  the  cereal  grains  or  to  seed  treatment.  Young  plants  beyond  the  seedling 
stage  may  be  vernalized  and  thus  forced  into  flower,  and  some  biennial 
varieties  will  flower  in  their  first  season  if  subjected  to  cold.  The  grow- 
ing stem  tip  is  the  region  sensitive  to  the  vernalizing  influence.  Low- 
temperature  effects  on  growing  plants,  particularly  as  to  flowering, 
have  been  widely  investigated.  This  work  is  reviewed  by  Thompson 
(1953). 

The  exact  way  in  which  low  temperature  produces  its  effects  in  ver- 
nalization is  not  clearly  known  but  in  some  cases  it  has  been  thought  to 
influence  the  production  and  distribution  of  auxin  and  perhaps  also  of 
substances  that  stimulate  flowering  (p.  397).  Hatcher  (1945),  however, 
finds  that  the  auxin  content  of  grains  of  winter  and  spring  races  of 
cereals  is  the  same  and  that  there  is  no  detectable  amount  of  auxin  in 
the  embryos  either  at  normal  or  low  temperatures.  He  concludes  that  it 
is  not  concerned  in  the  process  of  vernalization. 

Although  the  most  conspicuous  effect  of  vernalization  is  the  acceleration 
of  flower  development,  vegetative  characters  may  also  be  affected,  such  as 
leaf  size.  Hansel  ( 1953 )  found  that  early  leaves  were  longer  if  germina- 
tion temperatures  were  slightly  below  0°C  than  if  they  were  slightly  above 
this  (Fig.  15-3).  Internal  differentiation  is  also  affected  (Roberts  and 
Struckmeyer,  1948). 

The  literature  of  vernalization  and  of  its  relation  to  photoperiodism 
and  phasic  development  is  extensive.  The  history  of  research  in  this  gen- 
eral field  has  been  reviewed  by  McKinney  (1940)  and  Whyte  (1948). 
The  latter  is  one  of  a  series  of  papers  on  this  general  subject  brought  to- 
gether by  Murneek  and  Whyte  (1948).  Among  other  related  publica- 
tions are  those  of  Gregory  and  Purvis  ( 1938),  and  Whyte  (1939). 

Other  Temperature  Effects.  There  are  many  other  instances  where 
morphogenetic  effects  of  temperature  have  been  observed.  Some  typical 
examples  of  recent  investigation  in  this  field  are  the  following: 

Burstrom  ( 1956 )  finds  that  under  higher  temperatures  the  final  length 
of  cells  in  roots  is  reduced  because  of  the  shorter  period  of  cell  elonga- 
tion. Cell-wall  plasticity  and  calcium  requirement  are  also  reduced. 

Schwabe  (1954),  working  with  Chrysanthemum,  limited  low-tempera- 
ture treatment  to  the  growing  tip  and  confirmed  earlier  conclusions  that 
this  is  the  region  where  the  stimulus  of  vernalization  is  perceived.  The 
stimulus  did  not  p^tss  across  a  graft  union  but  it  was  translocated  to 


342  Morphogenetic  Factors 

lateral  buds  that  were  distant  from  the  one  that  was  chilled  and  had 
formed  some  time  after  it  was  treated. 

Wittwer  and  Teubner  ( 1957 )  observed  that  in  tomato  low-temperature 
treatment  of  seeds  had  no  effect,  but  exposure  of  very  young  seedlings  to 
low  night  temperatures  (10  to  13°C)  for  2  or  3  weeks  induced  earlier 
flowering  and  more  flowers  in  the  first  cluster,  in  contrast  to  those  grown 
at  higher  temperatures  (18  to  21°C).  Cold  treatment  of  older  seedlings 
increased  the  number  of  flowers  in  later  clusters.  Other  factors,  especially 


16 
I2h 


•  1st  Lamina 
a  2d  Lamina 
O  'Scores' 


B 


o 

c 

la 

O 

-J 


-    • 


140 


Co 

3o  3 


J L 


I     I        I 


an-      "3  -2    -60  *l       *3 
treated    Temperature  of  Vern.  oq 


2o 


lo 


Fig.  15-3.  Effect  of  vernalizing  temperatures  on  length  of  lamina  of  first  (A)  and 
second  ( B )  leaves  in  winter  rye,  and  on  stage  of  differentiation  of  spike  as  meas- 
ured by  an  arbitrary  scale  of  "scores."  Controls  at  left.  ( From  Hansel. ) 


nitrogen  nutrition,  also  affect  flower  formation  and  complicate  the  prob- 
lem of  studying  it. 

Hall  (1950)  compared  buckwheat  plants  in  culture  with  their  roots  and 
shoots  at  different  temperatures  with  others  where  the  entire  plant  was 
grown  at  either  high  or  low  temperature.  Development  was  more  normal 
under  the  latter  condition.  High  temperature  for  the  shoot  checked  vege- 
tative growth  and  hastened  flowering,  maturity,  and  senescence,  and  low 
air  temperature  there  prolonged  ontogeny.  Increase  in  duration  of  the 


Temperature  343 

vegetative  phase,  however,  did  not  result  in  the  production  of  more  plant 

material. 

L.  D.  Tukey  ( 1952 )  subjected  bearing  branches  of  sour  cherry  to  sev- 
eral different  night  temperatures  and  found  that  higher  temperatures 
accelerated  development  during  stages  I  and  II  (early  growth  and  stone 
formation)  but  checked  it  in  stage  III   (fleshy  pericarp  growth)    (Fig. 

2-5).  .  . 

Leopold  and  Guernsey  (1954)  treated  germinating  peas  with  various 

growth  substances  and  followed  this  with  low  temperature.  The  combi- 
nation of  chemical  with  temperature  stimulation  they  termed  chemical 
vernalization.  It  hastened  flowering,  but  only  if  carbon  dioxide  was  later 
present.  Changes  in  day-length  had  no  effect.  They  conclude  that  there 
are  two  stages  in  the  growth  of  young  pea  plants  which  are  affected,  the 
first  requiring  auxin  and  low  temperature  and  the  second  requiring 
carbon  dioxide.  The  function  of  carbon  dioxide  here  is  not  understood. 

Chaudri,  Biinning,  and  Haupt  (1956)  observed  that  the  exposure  of 
young  onion  plants  to  3  hours  of  low  temperature  during  the  dark  por- 
tion of  the  photoperiod  hastened  the  development  of  bulbs.  This  effect 
was  greatest  when  the  low  temperature  was  applied  during  the  latter 
part  of  the  dark  period. 

Fisher  ( 1954 )  worked  with  a  trifoliate  New  Zealand  species  of  Ranun- 
culus in  which  the  juvenile  leaves  are  undivided.  Sometimes  the  adult  ones 
show  a  partial  reversion  to  this  juvenile  form.  He  grew  plants  under 
controlled  conditions  and  found  that  when  the  temperature  was  relatively 
high  (20°C  in  the  daytime  and  15°C  at  night)  there  was  a  complete 
reversion  to  the  undivided  juvenile  leaf  shape  but  that  at  lower  tem- 
peratures ( 10  and  5°  )  the  adult  form  persisted. 

Steinberg  (1953)  studied  Mammoth  Rustica  tobacco,  a  type  which 
came  originally  from  a  cross  between  Nicotiana  rustica  and  N.  tabacum. 
This  is  indeterminate  in  growth  and  very  rarely  flowers,  but  it  can 
readily  be  made  to  do  so  if  the  night  temperatures  are  dropped  to  50 
or  60°F,  regardless  of  day-length.  In  this  respect  it  is  unlike  Maryland 
Mammoth  (p.  316),  which  also  is  indeterminate  in  growth  but  flowers  only 
in  short  days,  regardless  of  temperature.  The  indeterminate  character  of 
growth  in  both  is  due  to  the  fact  that  flowering  is  prevented,  in  one  type 
by  high  temperature  and  in  the  other  by  long  days.  Steinberg  suggests 
that  there  may  be  a  separate  genetic  basis  for  the  two  types  of  reaction. 

Benson-Evans  and  Hughes  ( 1955 )  observed  that  in  the  liverwort 
Lunularia  cruciata,  which  is  world-wide  in  distribution  but  rarely  repro- 
duces sexually  except  in  a  "Mediterranean"  type  of  climate,  the  induc- 
tion of  archegoniophores  requires  subjection  to  low  temperature,  later 
followed  by  higher  temperature  and  long  days,  thus  fitting  it  to  its  par- 
ticular ecological  distribution. 


344  M or pho genetic  Factors 

Margalef  ( 1953 )  found  that  in  cultures  of  the  green  alga  Scenedesmus 
obliquus  low  temperatures  cause  cell  size  to  increase,  although  other  fac- 
tors have  a  minor  effect  on  it.  Since  cells  in  this  species  grow  faster 
in  length  than  in  width,  large  cells  have  a  more  slender  shape  than 
small  ones,  so  that  temperature  indirectly  affects  cell  shape. 


CHAPTER    16 

Various  Physical  Factors 


There  are  a  number  of  other  morphogenetic  factors  which  may  be  grouped 
together  as  physical  ones  in  a  general  sense,  notably  such  clearly  me- 
chanical factors  as  external  compression,  tension,  bending  and  swaying; 
gravity  and  inner  tissue  tension,  together  with  absolute  size  and  bio- 
electrical  factors,  each  with  its  bearing  on  development. 

Those  factors  which  may  be  called  mechanical  in  the  strict  sense  are 
relatively  simple  in  character  in  comparison  with  light,  electricity,  and 
many  chemical  ones  and  evidently  produce  most  of  their  morphogenetic 
effects  indirectly  through  modifying  physiological  processes  in  the  living 
cells.  Much  of  the  early  work  in  this  field  was  done  by  Schwendener 
( 1878,  1898 ) .  Among  other  problems,  he  emphasized  the  importance  of 
such  factors  in  determining  the  arrangement  of  leaf  primordia  at  the 
apical  meristem. 

Mechanical  effects  are  in  many  cases  much  like  the  ones  produced  by 
other  factors,  suggesting  that  both  are  acting  upon  the  same  proto- 
plasmic mechanisms.  Such  parallel  effects  are  familiar  to  the  student  of 
morphogenesis  and  emphasize  again  the  importance  of  the  complex  re- 
acting system  rather  than  that  of  the  relatively  simple  stimulus  or  evo- 
cator. There  has  been  a  good  deal  of  disagreement  as  to  experimental 
results  in  this  field,  much  of  which  is  probably  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
reactivity  of  the  plant  is  very  different  at  different  stages  of  its  develop- 
ment and  under  different  environmental  conditions. 

In  studying  these  effects  it  is  sometimes  difficult  to  separate  various 
plant  movements  and  tropisms  from  more  strictly  form-producing  and 
morphogenetic  phenomena.  Changes  in  the  positions  of  parts,  as  in  the 
leaves  of  Mimosa,  the  fly-traps  of  Dionaea,  the  stamens  of  various  plants, 
and  other  structures,  are  due  chiefly  to  changes  in  turgor  brought  about 
by  specific  substances.  This  is  essentially  a  problem  in  plant  physiology 
and  offers  opportunity  to  study  the  mechanisms  of  stimulus  and  response, 
with  their  various  chemical  and  electrical  correlates. 

Tropistic  responses  to  gravity  and  light,  however,  are  usually  due  to 
more  rapid  cell  elongation  on  one  side  of  the  axis  than  on  the  other  and 
are   thus,   in    part,    growth   reactions.    The    various    thigmotropisms,    or 

345 


346  Morpho genetic  Factors 

responses  to  contact,  involve  more  definitely  morphogenetic  changes. 
When  the  tip  of  a  tendril  is  lightly  touched  on  one  side,  as  by  a  small 
branch  or  wire,  the  tendril  will  coil  around  it  and  thus  tend  to  anchor 
the  plant  to  a  support.  This  coiling  results  from  the  more  rapid  growth  of 
that  side  of  the  tendril  not  touching  the  support.  There  is  evidence  that 
the  stimulus  of  contact  tends  to  produce  a  substance  that  checks  growth, 
although  the  mechanism  which  makes  a  tendril  react  thus,  and  later 
contract  in  a  coil,  pulling  the  plant  toward  a  support,  is  not  well  under- 
stood. 

Mechanical  factors  are  also  concerned  in  other  growth  reactions.  Biin- 
ning  and  his  colleagues  (1941,  1948,  1954),  working  with  Mimosa,  Si- 
napis,  and  Vicia,  have  forlnd  that  mechanical  stimulation  (stroking  with 
paper  or  agitating  on  a  shaking  machine)  checks  the  lengthening  of 
stems  in  darkness  ( etiolation )  in  much  the  same  way  that  light  does.  The 
internal  structure  of  stems  grown  in  darkness  but  mechanically  stimu- 
lated is  quite  different  from  that  of  etiolated  stems  and  hardly  to  be 
distinguished  from  ones  growing  in  the  light  (Fig.  16-1).  He  suggests 
that  both  mechanical  stimulation  and  light  partially  inactivate  auxin  ac- 
tion. Both  stimuli  are  more  effective  if  repeated  at  intervals  than  if  applied 
continuously,  a  fact  which  may  be  due  to  a  refractive  stage  following 
the  stimulus. 

Borriss  ( 1934£> )  showed  that  Coprinus  fruiting  bodies  which  would  not 
have  matured  in  the  darkness  will  do  so,  at  least  partially,  if  mechanically 
stimulated,  and  Stief el  ( 1952 )  finds  that  the  stipe  of  the  fruiting  body  of 
Coprinus  responds  to  mechanical  stimulation  and  to  light  just  as  do  the 
stems  of  higher  plants,  both  stimuli  tending  to  check  elongation. 

Mechanical  pressure  may  have  an  important  morphogenetic  effect  by 
determining  the  plane  of  cell  division  in  meristematic  tissue  (p.  49),  the 
plane  of  division  tending  to  be  parallel  to  the  direction  of  the  pressure. 

It  is  with  the  more  specifically  morphogenetic  effects  of  mechanical 
stimuli,  however,  that  we  are  particularly  concerned  here.  Chief  among 
these  are  tension,  compression,  bending,  swaying,  and  the  omnipresent 
stimulus  of  gravity. 

Tension.  Much  work  has  been  done  on  this  problem,  especially  in 
earlier  years,  but  the  results  are  often  contradictory.  Hegler  (1893) 
stretched  seedlings  of  sunflower  and  petioles  of  Helleborus  by  attaching 
weights  to  them.  After  a  2-day  application  of  150  gm.,  it  required  a 
pull  of  350  gm.  to  break  these  structures  as  compared  with  only  160  gm. 
in  the  controls.  Traction  seemed  to  have  increased  the  tensile  strength, 
and  Hegler  found  that  traction  had  increased  the  cell-wall  thickness  and 
the  amount  of  collenchyma. 

Newcombe  (1895)  reviewed  the  very  considerable  amount  of  early 
literature  in  this  field.  His  own  work  confirmed  Hegler's.  He  also  found 


Various  Physical  Factors  347 

that  if  stem  bases  were  enclosed  in  plaster  and  thus  relieved  of  mechani- 
cal strain  they  produced  less  mechanical  tissue. 

Ball  (1904),  however,  repeated  Hegler's  experiments,  using  pulleys 
and  carefully  comparing  stretched  plants  with  their  controls,  but  found 
no  difference  between  them  in  structure  or  tensile  strength.  Hibbard 
(1907)  confirmed  Ball.  Still  later  Bordner  (1909)  studied  the  problem 
again  and  confirmed  Hegler's  results,  using  similar  material.  In  stretched 
plants  the  amount  of  vascular  tissue  and  the  tensile  strength  were  in- 


Fig.  16-1.  Vicia  faba.  Outer  portions  of 
transverse  sections  through  the  second 
internode.  a,  grown  in  darkness  without 
shaking;  b,  grown  in  light;  c,  grown  in 
darkness  and  shaken.  Mechanical  stimu- 
lation has  much  the  same  effect  on 
growth  as  does  light.  ( From  Bunning. ) 


creased.  He  found  that  no  effects  were  produced  unless  the  plants  were 
growing,  a  fact  that  may  help  explain  the  conflicting  results  of  these 
various  workers. 

Flaskamper  (1910)  and  others  subjected  flower  and  fruit  stalks  to  ad- 
ditional weighting  but  found  no  change  in  histological  structure.  Wieders- 
heim  ( 1903 )  hung  weights  on  branches  of  a  weeping  variety  of  beech 
and  reported  that  these  grew  less  rapidly  and  had  shorter  cells  but  formed 
no  additional  vascular  tissue. 

In  all  this  early  work  on  mechanical  factors  the  suggestion  was  natural 


348  Morpho genetic  Factors 

that  the  plant  would  tend  to  react  in  such  a  way  as  to  oppose  the  effect 
of  the  factor  and,  in  the  cases  here  discussed,  to  develop  more  mechanical 
tissue  which  would  resist  traction  and  prevent  breakage  of  the  plant. 
Vochting  (1878),  with  his  versatile  interest  in  all  such  problems,  asked 
the  practical  question  as  to  whether  plant  axes,  subject  to  different  ten- 
sile strains  in  nature,  showed  structural  differences  as  a  result.  He  com- 
pared the  pedicels  of  squash  fruits  hanging  from  trellises  with  similar 
ones  growing  on  the  ground  and  found  more  vascular  tissue  in  the 
former.  However,  when  such  a  fruit  was  supported  on  a  platform  beside 


Fig.  16-2.  Effect  of  tension  on  wood  structure.  Left,  transverse  section  of  wood  of 
Fagus  sylvatica  from  a  root  grown  under  strong  tension;  right,  section  of  root  of  the 
same  species  not  under  tension.  Note  generally  thicker  cell  walls  in  the  former.  (From 
Jaccard. ) 

a  freely  hanging  one,  he  found  the  same  amount  of  vascular  tissue  in 
the  stalks  of  both.  Vochting  suggested  that  the  differences  first  observed 
were  due  to  differences  in  the  amount  of  transpiration  rather  than  to 
tension.  He  also  tried  to  induce  mechanical  tissue  by  traction  in  weak, 
poorly  vascularized  plants,  but  without  success.  However,  he  grafted  a 
normal  shoot  on  such  a  weak  one  and  observed  the  development  in  the 
latter  of  a  marked  increase  of  vascular  tissue. 

It  might  be  objected  that  stems  are  not  usually  subject  to  tension  but 
that  roots  are,  and  it  was  evidently  important  to  study  these  organs  as 
well.  Wildt  (1906)  fastened  the  seedling  stem  and  the  adjacent  part  of 


Various  Physical  Factors  349 

its  root  in  plaster  and  pulled  gently.  The  soft  central  tissue  disappeared 
and  a  solid  vascular  core  resulted.  Flaskamper,  who  repeated  and  con- 
firmed this,  found  that  roots  which  had  been  subjected  to  traction  had 
somewhat  less  tensile  strength  than  the  controls.  Newcombe  (1895) 
stretched  roots  of  sunflower  and  squash  and  observed  that  they  grew 
somewhat  stouter  and  were  definitely  stronger  than  the  controls.  Jaccard 
(1914)  studied  some  experiments  of  nature  in  this  field,  notably  cases 
where  a  small  root  crosses  a  larger  one  and  is  stretched  by  the  growth  in 
diameter  of  the  latter.  In  the  root  under  tension  the  cell  walls  of  the 
wood  were  thicker  than  in  the  control  (Fig.  16-2).  The  amount  of  me- 
chanical tissue  was  less,  however. 


Fig.  16-3.  Effect  of  tension  on  a  tendril. 
Device  for  subjecting  part  of  a  tendril 
to  tension  by  weight  over  pulley  (A) 
and  for  relieving  the  other  part  by  hav- 
ing a  cord  bear  all  the  tension  ( B ) . 
Stimulus  of  contact  is  the  same  in  both. 
( From  Brush. ) 


Among  the  organs  of  a  plant  most  commonly  subject  to  tension  in  na- 
ture are  tendrils.  Many  experiments  have  been  undertaken  with  them 
to  determine  whether  traction  (pulling)  affects  their  structure.  Much 
difficulty  was  found  by  early  workers  in  separating  the  effects  of  contact 
(to  which  stimulus  tendrils  are  particularly  susceptible)  from  traction. 
Brush  (1912)  placed  a  tendril  in  lengthwise  contact  with  a  thread  to 
the  free  end  of  which,  thrown  over  a  pulley,  weights  were  attached.  In 
the  control,  this  thread  was  continuous  and  sustained  all  the  pull.  In  the  ex- 
perimental one  the  thread  was  interrupted  in  the  middle  so  that  the 
tendril  itself  bore  all  the  pull.  Each  tendril  was  thus  in  contact  with  the 
thread  through  all,  or  almost  all,  its  length,  but  one  was  under  tension 
and  the  other  was  not  (Fig.  16-3).  In  both,  there  was  more  xylem  than 


350  Morphogenetic  Factors 

in  tendrils  having  no  stimulus  of  contact,  but  in  the  one  under  traction 
the  walls  of  the  fundamental  tissue  cells  were  markedly  thicker  than  in 
the  other  tendrils. 

Compression.  Because  of  technical  difficulties,  not  as  many  attempts 
have  been  made  to  produce  the  opposite  sort  of  mechanical  stimulation, 
compression  in  the  lengthwise  direction. 

Pennington  (1910)  hung  weights  on  woody  and  herbaceous  stems  of 
various  sorts  as  they  were  growing  in  height  but  found  no  appreciable 
effect  on  structure  or  mechanical  strength.  Himmel   (1927)   used  more 


S 


0RA.K5   FRJ533DRK 


Fig.  16-4.  Graph  showing  growth  of  Podophyllum  petioles,  in  inches  per  hour,  under 
lengthwise  pressure  from  various  weights.  Upper  curve,  control;  lower,  experiment. 
Growth  is  markedly  reduced  by  pressure.  ( From  Himmel. ) 

favorable  material,  the  growing  petioles  of  the  large,  umbrella-like  leaves 
of  Podophyllum.  On  the  apices  of  these  petioles  he  hung  weights  which 
were  periodically  increased  as  growth  continued.  He  found  that  growth 
rate  in  the  weighted  petioles  was  less  than  in  the  controls  but  that  growth 
in  the  former  finally  equalled  that  in  the  latter  (Fig.  16-4).  The  rigidity 
of  the  petioles  was  somewhat  increased. 

Rasdorsky  ( 1925 ) ,  working  with  sunflower  and  marigold,  approached 
the  problem  in  another  way.  He  held  up  the  plant  by  a  gently  stretched 
thread  attached  to  the  upper  part  of  its  stem  and  thus  relieved  it  from 


Various  Physical  Factors  351 

supporting  its  own  weight.  Plants  thus  treated  were  definitely  weaker 
than  the  controls.  No  structural  changes  are  reported.  The  upward  pull, 
weak  as  it  was,  may  have  stimulated  growth  in  length  and  thus  tended 
to  make  the  plant  top-heavy. 

Newcombe  (1895)  supported  the  base  of  the  stem  in  young  sunflower 
and  squash  plants  by  encasing  it  in  plaster,  thus  relieving  it  of  mechani- 
cal strain.  In  that  part  of  the  stem  under  the  cast  much  less  mechanical 
tissue  was  formed,  although  this  developed  rapidly  when  the  cast  was 
removed.  Other  effects  of  such  treatment,  especially  on  respiration,  might 
account  for  the  results  obtained. 

The  studies  on  experimental  traction  and  compression  are  contra- 
dictory and  indecisive,  and  many  factors  other  than  mechanical  ones 
may  well  be  involved.  Little  work  has  been  done  in  this  field  in  recent 
years.  Schwarz  ( 1930 )  subjected  the  problem  of  mechanical  factors  in 
development  to  critical  review  and  concluded  that  they  have  little  effect 
and  that  the  results  attributed  to  them  may  well  be  due  to  nutritional 
influences  and  transpiration.  Rasdorsky  (1931),  however,  took  issue 
with  him  strongly. 

Bending  and  Swaying.  There  is  much  more  agreement  as  to  the  effect  of 
bending  and  swaying  plant  organs.  Most  workers  find  that,  when  grow- 
ing herbaceous  stems  are  bent,  the  cells  (especially  collenchyma  and 
bast  fibers)  on  the  convex  side  are  smaller  in  cross  section  and  thicker- 
walled  than  corresponding  ones  on  the  concave  side.  The  same  results 
are  evident  in  plants  grown  on  a  clinostat,  showing  that  gravity  is  not 
involved. 

A  good  discussion  of  this  problem  is  presented  by  Biicher  ( 1906 ) .  To 
this  result  of  bending  he  gave  the  name  camptotrophism.  Since  cells  on 
the  convex  side  of  the  bend  are  evidently  under  tension  and  those  on  the 
concave  side  under  compression,  the  histological  differences  observed 
seem  related  to  the  type  of  mechanical  strain  involved.  These  effects 
agree  with  the  ones  from  the  experiments  just  reported  where  tension 
seems  to  increase  wall  thickness  and  reduce  cell  size,  and  compression 
produces  the  opposite  result.  Biicher  obtained  more  direct  evidence  in 
support  of  this  conclusion.  He  enclosed  in  plaster  most  of  the  lower 
portion  of  a  growing  hypocotyl  of  Ricinus.  The  upper  part  was  enclosed 
in  another  casing  of  plaster,  leaving  a  short  portion  of  hypocotyl  unen- 
closed between  the  two.  The  weight  of  the  upper  layer  of  plaster  was 
supported  by  the  hypocotyl,  which  was  thus  subjected,  particularly  in 
its  free  portion,  to  considerable  lengthwise  compression  (Fig.  16-5).  In 
the  control  plants  the  hypocotyl  had  relatively  small  and  thick-walled 
cells.  In  the  compressed  hypocotyls,  however,  the  cells  were  much 
larger  and  had  very  thin  walls.  This  sort  of  experiment  seems  worth  re- 
peating with  modern  techniques  of  analysis.  What,  for  example,  would 


352  Morphogenetic  Factors 

the  electron  microscope  show  as  to  the  character  of  such  cell  walls  laid 
down  under  pressure? 

Biicher  found  that  when  a  growing  shoot,  negatively  geotropic,  is 
forcibly  kept  horizontal  the  cells  of  the  upper  side  are  smaller  and 
thicker-walled  than  those  of  the  lower.  This  phenomenon  he  called 
geotrophism  and  explained  it  on  the  assumption  that  since  the  lower 
side  grows  more  rapidly  (tending  to  bend  the  stem  upward)  it  must 
be  under  compression  and  the  upper  side  under  tension.  To  test  the 
relative  effects  of  gravity  and  bending,  he  inverted  a  plant  of  Ricinus 
and  held  its  tip  bent  at  90°  to  the  axis  (and  thus  horizontal).  Campto- 
trophism  and  geotrophism  should  thus  be  brought  into  opposition.  Actu- 


Fig.  16-5.  Effect  of  vertical  compression  on  hypocotyl  of  Ricinus.  At  left,  young 
seedling,  protected  by  sheath  and  cotton  plug,  held  in  two  blocks  of  plaster  and  there 
subjected  to  compression  from  weight  of  plaster.  At  right,  bast  bundle  from  upper  part 
of  such  a  hypocotyl  ( above,  under  compression )  and  from  the  normal  control  ( be- 
low), showing  increase  in  cell  size  and  reduction  in  wall  thickness  as  a  result  of  com- 
pression. ( From  Biicher. ) 

ally,  the  plant  reacted  as  it  would  to  gravity,  with  smaller  cells  on  the 
upper,  concave  side.  Perhaps  in  such  a  case  it  is  the  difference  in  degree 
of  tension  that  determines  the  result. 

Vochting  ( 1908 )  placed  the  stem  of  a  potted  plant  in  a  horizontal  po- 
sition and  put  a  support  under  it  at  some  distance  from  the  pot.  On  the 
free  end  he  hung  weights  and  observed  a  considerable  increase  in  the 
cross  section  of  the  stem,  especially  of  its  vascular  system.  This  was  most 
marked  near  the  point  of  support,  where  the  strain  was  greatest,  and  on 
the  upper  and  lower  sides.  Growth  of  the  stem  in  length  had  ceased, 
so  that  these  changes  resulting  from  mechanical  stimulation  were  evi- 
dently in  the  secondary  tissues.  Haerdtl  (1927)  found  similar  results. 


Various  Physical  Factors  353 

Many  experiments  have  been  conducted,  beginning  with  Knight 
(1811),  on  the  effect  of  continually  swaying  plants  as  they  grow.  The 
swaying  was  done  by  clockwork  and  pendulum,  water  wheel,  or  motor. 
Observers  are  generally  agreed  that  the  cross  section  of  the  axis  tends  to 
be  elliptical  under  these  conditions,  with  its  wider  dimension  in  the 
plane  of  sway  (Fig.  16-6),  and  that  more  vascular  and  mechanical  tissue 
is  developed  than  in  the  controls  (Rasdorsky,  1925;  Burns,  1920). 

It  may  be  objected  that  in  these  swaying  experiments  conditions  are 
so  abnormal  that  results  may  be  due  to  other  factors  than  purely  mechani- 
cal ones.  The  experiments  of  M.  R.  Jacobs  (1954)  are  significant  here.  He 
supported  the  trunk  of  a  young  pine  tree  with  guy  wires  attached  about 


Fig.  16-6.  Effect  of  swaying  on  sunflower  stem,  cross  sections.  At  left,  control.  At 
right,  stem  swayed  for  3  weeks  in  the  vertical  plane  of  the  figure.  ( From  Rasdorsky. ) 

20  feet  from  the  ground  so  that  lateral  movement  below  this  point  was 
prevented  although  the  trunk  above  the  point  of  attachment  was  sub- 
ject to  ordinary  wind  sway.  This  portion  increased  normally  in  thickness 
but  the  unswayed  lower  portion  grew  much  less  rapidly  than  the  upper 
or  than  the  unsupported  controls.  When  the  guy  wires  were  removed, 
this  part  grew  rapidly  in  thickness  until  its  normal  diameter  had  been 
attained.  Evidently  in  such  cases  swaying  stimulates  cambial  activity. 
This  may  be  a  factor  in  producing  the  relatively  slender  trunks  of  trees 
in  a  forest  as  compared  with  those  grown  in  the  open. 

A  somewhat  similar  case  has  been  reported  by  Venning  (1949)  for 
celery,  an  herbaceous  plant.  One  series  of  seedlings  was  grown  in  con- 


354  Morpho genetic  Factors 

stant  wind  and  another  in  a  windless  environment.  The  former  developed 
50  per  cent  more  volume  of  collenchymatous  tissue  than  the  latter.  In  all 
such  cases,  however,  it  is  difficult  to  separate  mechanical  effects  from 
those  caused  by  increased  water  loss. 

Ultrasonics.  The  morphogenetic  effect  of  a  quite  different  mechanical 
factor,  intense  ultrasonic  vibration,  has  been  reported  by  several  work- 
ers. Takashima  and  others  ( 1951 )  found  that  in  germinating  radish  seed- 
lings exposed  for  16  minutes  the  shoots  were  much  deformed.  In  peas 
similarly  exposed,  length  of  root  and  shoot  was  increased  through  in- 
creased cell  size. 

Gravity.  Gravity  is  unlike  the  mechanical  factors  just  discussed  in 
that  it  is  continuous,  unchanging  in  intensity,  and  constant  in  direction. 
It  is  one  of  the  most  important  formative  factors,  for  plants  must  con- 
tinually regulate  their  growth  to  it.  The  upright  position  of  main-shoot 
axes,  the  downward  growth  of  primary  roots,  and  the  various  inter- 
mediate orientations  of  leaves  and  lateral  branches  and  roots  are  mani- 
festations of  geotropic  growth  reactions.  The  general  growth  pattern  of 
the  plant  body  is  a  specific  reaction  to  gravity.  The  problem  of  tropisms 
is  primarily  one  for  plant  physiology  but  the  student  of  morphogenesis 
should  not  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  these  tropisms,  whether  reactions 
to  gravity,  light,  or  other  stimuli,  are  continually  molding  the  pattern  of 
the  plant. 

One  can  distinguish  between  the  tropistic  effects  of  gravity  in  the  strict 
sense,  which  involve  the  orientation  of  parts,  and  its  truly  formative  ones. 
Conspicuous  among  the  latter  are  the  modifications  of  symmetry  from 
radial  to  dorsiventral  or  vice  versa  (p.  176).  Many  years  ago  Wiesner 
(1868)  and  others  studied  the  dorsiventral  symmetry  of  plant  struc- 
tures, especially  leaves,  when  the  axis  on  which  they  were  borne  was 
horizontal  instead  of  vertical,  and  succeeded  in  inducing  form  changes  in 
them  experimentally.  For  such  a  difference  in  form  between  the  upper 
and  the  lower  leaves  of  a  horizontal  branch  or  between  the  upper  and 
lower  sides  of  such  leaves,  Wiesner  proposed  the  term  anisophyllij  (p. 
171).  Goebel  later  distinguished  between  anisophyllous  forms  which  are 
constant  and  hereditary  and  those  which  can  be  reversed  by  changing 
the  relation  of  the  growing  structures  to  gravity. 

Gravity  has  been  found  to  modify  internal  structure  also.  Brain  (1939) 
grew  various  plants  horizontally  on  a  clinostat  and  found  that  this  modi- 
fied the  cells  somewhat,  those  on  the  clinostat  being  generally  shorter 
and  wider,  presumably  because  of  the  greater  extensibility  of  their  cell 
walls.  Larsen  (1953)  found  that  gravity  has  little  effect  on  rate  of  cell 
elongation  when  acting  on  roots  growing  in  the  normal  direction  but 
checks  such  elongation  when  acting  in  the  opposite  direction  or  at  right 
angles  to  it.  Imamura  ( 1931 )  was  able  to  change  the  position  of  palisade 


Various  Physical  Factors  355 

and  spongy  parenchyma  by  reversing  the  orientation  of  Iris  japonica 
leaves  to  gravity.  Kreh  (1925)  examined  changes  in  the  fruiting  bodies 
of  the  fungus  Lenzites  which  had  been  turned  through  an  angle  of  180° 
with  relation  to  gravity  and  found  that  in  new  growth  the  original 
dorsiventral  structure  was  restored.  Many  other  cases  of  the  effect  of 
gravity  on  structure  have  been  reported. 

It  is  often  difficult  to  distinguish  the  effects  of  gravity  from  those  of 
light,  since  a  change  in  the  relation  to  one  usually  produces  a  change 
in  the  relation  to  the  other  unless  experimental  conditions  are  carefully 
controlled.  Wiesner  (1892c)  in  a  later  paper  recognized  that  his  earlier 
results  in  anisophylly  were  due  to  light  as  well  as  to  gravity,  and 
Bussmann  ( 1939,  1941 )  found  the  same  to  be  true  of  induced  dorsiven- 
trality  in  fern  prothallia. 

Gravity  presumably  does  not  modify  plant  structure  directly  but  acts 
through  its  influence  on  other  factors.  It  produces  tension  and  compres- 
sion of  tissues  with  consequent  effects  on  cell  division  and  expansion. 
The  reaction  of  woody  plants  in  developing  stem  tissues  strong  enough 
to  resist  bending  and  wind  sway  has  been  mentioned,  and  there  must  be 
the  same  regulatory  control  of  growth  to  resist  weight  of  trunk  (Esser, 
1946).  In  this  sense,  gravity  acts  as  a  mechanical  factor.  Opatowski 
(1946)  explains  the  oblique  growth  of  trees  under  the  action  of  prevailing 
winds  as  a  mechanical  response,  based  on  the  concept  of  maximum 
strength. 

Equally  important  is  the  role  of  gravity  in  the  distribution  of  growth 
substances.  Just  how  this  occurs  is  not  clear,  but  differential  distribution 
of  substances  under  the  stimulus  of  gravity  must  be  involved  (p.  380; 
Brauner,  1927).  This  presumably  affects  the  form  of  structures  when 
symmetry  is  changed  from  radial  to  dorsiventral,  for  example.  It  also 
has  less  direct  effects.  Van  Overbeek  and  Cmzado  ( 1948 )  and  Fisher 
(1957)  have  shown  that  flower  formation  is  geotropically  stimulated  in 
horizontally  placed  pineapple  and  soybean  plants,  presumably  by 
alteration  in  the  distribution  of  growth  substances.  Other  phenomena 
of  differentiation  may  perhaps  be  explained  in  the  same  way. 

Gravity  serves  as  the  frame  of  reference  to  which  the  whole  pattern 
of  plant  growth  is  regulated.  A  plant  develops  under  the  constant  and  uni- 
form stimulus  of  gravity,  and  its  tropistic  and  morphogenetic  responses— 
hardly  to  be  distinguished  from  each  other  here— are  such  that  a  spe- 
cific bodily  form  is  produced.  Without  this  regulation  to  a  steady  orient- 
ing directive,  the  general  pattern  of  the  plant  body  would  doubtless  be 
much  less  specific  and  might  even  fail  to  be  developed.  Because  of  their 
being  anchored  in  one  spot,  plants  are  much  more  sensitive  of  such 
gravitational  form  control  than  are  animals. 

Reaction  Wood.  The  example  of  such  control  that  has  been  worked 


356  Morphogenetic  Factors 

out  most  fully  is  one  which  was  first  observed  in  the  development  of 
reaction  wood  of  conifers  and  later  in  similar  tissue  in  angiosperms. 
Students  of  wood  structure  have  long  noticed  that  horizontal  branches 
of  coniferous  trees  are  excentric  in  cross  section  (p.  175),  with  the  pith 
nearer  the  upper  side  than  the  lower.  Below  the  pith  is  a  wedge-shaped 
sector  of  wood,  reddish  in  color  when  freshly  cut,  and  hence  often 
called  "rotholz."  Since  the  lower  side  of  a  branch  is  obviously  under 
compression,  this  was  long  regarded  as  the  cause  for  the  development 
of  this  sort  of  structure,  and  it  was  called  "compression  wood."  Its  cells 
are  somewhat  shorter  than  those  of  normal  wood,  and  the  micellae  in 
their  walls  are  less  steeply  pitched.  Such  wood  is  absent,  save  exception- 
ally, in  vertical  axes  and  thus  in  the  main  trunk  but  develops  wherever 
such  an  axis  is  forced  to  grow  at  an  angle  from  the  vertical,  as  in  a  tree 
bent  partly  over.  Such  wood  grows  somewhat  more  in  length  than  does 
normal  wood  and  thus  produces  considerable  longitudinal  compression. 
If  a  tree  grown  in  an  oblique  position  is  sawn  across,  beginning  on  the 
lower  side,  the  saw  therefore  tends  to  bind. 

This  tissue  has  now  been  shown  not  to  be  the  result  of  growth  under 
compression  but  to  have  a  nature  and  function  of  much  morphogenetic 
significance.  It  is  now  more  correctly  called  reaction  wood.  Together 
with  the  corresponding  tissue  in  angiosperms,  it  has  been  studied  by 
various  wood  anatomists,  especially  Hartmann  (1932,  1942,  1943),  whose 
work  has  been  extended  somewhat  by  Sinnott  (1952).  In  young  conifers, 
especially  pines,  before  the  growing  season  began,  these  workers  tied 
some  of  the  lateral  branches  downward  and  others  upward.  They  also 
tied  the  tip  of  the  main  axis  into  a  position  out  of  the  vertical,  sometimes 
even  in  a  loop.  When  new  shoots  of  the  current  year  developed  from 
the  terminal  buds  of  these  various  axes,  these  new  shoots  tended  to  have 
the  same  direction  of  growth  that  they  would  have  had  if  the  shoot  out 
of  which  they  grew  had  not  been  fixed  in  an  atypical  position  (Fig.  16-7). 
The  main  axis  bent  around  so  that  it  again  grew  upward.  The  lateral 
branches  (in  white  pine)  grew  out  at  an  angle  of  about  70°  from  the 
main  trunk  and  thus  from  the  directional  pull  of  gravity.  In  other  words, 
there  was,  in  a  sense,  a  regeneration  of  the  normal  growth  pattern  of 
the  tree. 

In  this  process  the  reaction  wood  performs  an  essential  function,  for  it 
always  occurs  in  such  a  place  that  its  greater  lengthwise  growth  will  tend 
to  bend  the  new  shoot  (and  the  free  portion  of  the  old  shoot)  into  a 
direction  which  would  be  normal  for  it.  If  a  lateral  branch  has  been 
bent  upward,  for  example,  the  reaction  wood  will  be  on  the  upper  side, 
for  this  will  push  the  branch  down.  Such  a  change  continues  until  the 
orientation  of  the  shoot  is  normal,  when  reaction  wood  again  develops  on 
the  lower  side,  as  in  ordinary  branches.  Its  function  here  seems  to  be  to 


Various  Physical  Factors  357 

counteract,  by  its  upward  push,  the  downward  pull  caused  by  the 
weight  of  the  branch.  A  bent-over  terminal  shoot  develops  reaction  wood 
on  its  lower  side  and  thus  pushes  the  axis  up  to  vertical.  If  the  terminal 
shoot  is  removed,  an  excess  of  reaction  wood  begins  to  develop  on  the 
under  side  of  the  lateral  branches  just  below  the  tip  and  one  of  them 
is  finally  pushed  up  to  the  vertical  and  becomes  a  new  "leader."  Some- 
times two  share  this  leadership,  neither  becoming  quite  vertical. 


Fig.  16-7.  Development  of  reaction  wood  in  pine  in  three  branches  which  had  been 
bent  upward  artificially.  Reaction  wood  normally  is  formed  on  the  lower  side  but  in 
the  new  growth  on  these  branches  it  develops  on  the  upper  side  after  bending  and 
thus  tends  to  push  them  back  to  their  normal  orientation.  (From  Sinnott.) 

Angiosperm  branching  is  regulated  in  much  the  same  way  except  that 
the  reaction  wood  here  is  normally  on  the  upper  side  of  a  branch  and 
acts  by  producing  tension  rather  than  compression,  thus  pulling  the 
branches  into  place  instead  of  pushing  them.  Wardrop  ( 1956 )  believes 
that  the  distribution  of  tension  (reaction)  wood  in  Eucalyptus  is  regula- 
tory and  operates  to  maintain  normal  tree  form  much  as  reaction  wood 
does  in  the  conifers. 

That  compression  itself  is  not  responsible  for  the  formation  of  this 
wood  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  when  a  terminal  shoot  is  bent  around  and 


358  Morpho genetic  Factors 

tied  in  a  vertical  loop,  reaction  wood  is  formed  on  the  under  side  of  both 
the  upper  and  lower  parts  of  the  loop.  In  the  former,  the  wood  is  under 
compression  but  in  the  latter  under  tension.  That  gravity  is  not  directly 
responsible  is  shown  by  the  appearance  of  reaction  wood  on  the  upper 
sides  of  branches  which  are  being  pushed  down.  In  every  case  the  de- 
velopment of  this  wood  is  such  that  it  will  bring  back  the  normal  pattern. 

The  reaction  of  each  part  of  the  plant  seems  to  be  a  specific  orienta- 
tion to  the  direction  of  gravitational  pull.  This  reaction  is  different  in 
different  parts  of  the  growth  pattern  of  the  tree.  In  herbaceous  material 
(branches  of  Aster)  the  author  has  found  that  a  lateral  branch  tied  out 
of  position  will  tend  to  assume  its  normal  angle  to  gravity  rather  than 
its  normal  angle  to  the  main  axis  of  the  plant.  When  gravity  is  replaced 
experimentally  by  centrifugal  force,  reaction  wood  is  also  produced 
(Scott  and  Preston,  1955). 

Auxin  has  been  shown  to  be  responsible  for  the  relation  between  a 
terminal  bud  and  lateral  ones  below  it  (p.  386),  and  it  is  presumably 
concerned  with  the  production  of  reaction  wood  (Wershing  and  Bailey, 
1942).  The  problem  of  morphogenetic  significance  is  why  there  is  just 
enough  auxin  (and  thus  enough  reaction  wood)  at  just  the  right  place 
and  time  to  produce  such  a  specific  pattern  of  branching  that  this  can 
be  used  as  a  diagnostic  character  for  the  species.  Here  is  the  problem 
of  organic  form  in  one  of  its  simplest  but  most  puzzling  manifestations. 

Spurr  and  Hyvarinen  (  1954a  )  have  reviewed  the  literature  of  reaction 
wood  in  the  conifers. 

Tissue  Tension.  Another  factor,  mechanical  in  its  nature,  which  may 
be  of  some  morphogenetic  importance  is  tissue  tension.  Not  all  the  cells 
in  a  tissue  are  equally  turgid,  and  cell  walls  differ  in  their  elasticity  and 
their  plasticity.  Tissues  also  grow  at  different  rates.  These  differences 
often  cause  tensions  between  cells  or  groups  of  cells  which,  since  plant 
cells  adhere  firmly  to  each  other,  cannot  be  reduced  by  cellular  readjust- 
ments in  position. 

In  an  early  and  thorough  paper  Gregor  Kraus  (1867)  examined  this 
problem.  He  measured  the  length  of  a  piece  of  growing  herbaceous  inter- 
node  and  then  sliced  it  into  longitudinal  strips,  each  consisting  of  only 
one  tissue  (pith,  wood,  cortex,  or  epidermis).  When  he  measured  the 
length  of  these,  he  found  that  the  outer  ones  had  shrunk  in  comparison 
with  their  original  length  before  isolation  but  that  the  inner  ones  had 
expanded.  Evidently  there  was  considerable  tension  between  them  in 
the  intact  internode,  the  outer  tissues  being  stretched  and  the  inner  ones 
compressed. 

The  degree  of  tissue  tension  is  not  constant  but  is  usually  low  in  young 
internodes,  increases  farther  back,  and  finally  decreases  in  most  cases 
to  zero  as  growth  finally  ceases.  The  distribution  of  tension  among  the 


Various  Physical  Factors  359 

tissues  also  changes.  Schiiepp  (1917)  found  that  there  was  tension  in  the 
growing  point  but  that  here  it  was  opposite  in  its  distribution  from  that 
in  tissue  which  was  extending.  Schneider  (1926)  found  no  tension  in  the 
growing  point  itself  but  saw  it  first  in  the  leaf  primordia,  which  for  this 
reason  tend  to  bend  inward. 

What  bearing  tissue  tension  may  have  on  differentiation  or  on  the  de- 
velopment of  form  is  not  clear  but  it  may  be  of  some  importance.  In 
young  ovaries,  however,  where  presumably  form  and  structure  are  being 
determined,  there  seems  to  be  little  tension  though  this  increases  in 
later  stages  of  development.  A  remarkable  instance  of  tension  in  dead, 
dry  wood  has  been  reported  by  M.  R.  Jacobs  ( 1945),  who  found  that  if  a 
board  which  includes  the  whole  width  of  the  log  is  sawed  at  one  end  part 
way  down  by  a  series  of  parallel  longitudinal  cuts  the  strips  thus  sepa- 
rated tend  to  spread  apart  fanwise,  indicating  the  existence  of  a  very 
considerable  degree  of  tension  between  the  inner  and  the  outer  parts  of 
the  log. 

Absolute  Size.  Another  morphogenetic  factor,  which  in  a  sense  may 
be  regarded  as  physical,  is  absolute  size  itself.  It  is  clear,  as  Galileo  long 
ago  pointed  out  in  his  principle  of  similitude,  that  as  any  body  increases 
in  size  its  volume  enlarges  as  the  cube  of  the  diameter  but  its  surface 
only  as  the  square.  Thus  the  ratio  of  surface  to  volume  will  progressively 
decrease.  In  a  living  organism,  where  physiological  activity  is  often 
limited  by  the  amount  of  available  surface  for  interchange  of  material 
between  organism  and  environment,  or  between  one  tissue  and  another, 
the  surface-volume  relationship  is  of  much  importance  and  is  obviously 
related  to  changes  in  shape  and  structure. 

This  shows  most  simply  in  the  increased  elaboration  of  bodily  form 
as  size  increases.  Among  algae,  for  example,  the  smaller  types  are 
relatively  simple  and  compact  but  the  larger  ones,  through  branching 
or  surface  convolution,  have  a  much  more  elaborate  conformation,  with 
the  result  that  the  ratio  of  surface  to  volume  is  not  very  different  in  the 
two.  A  good  example  of  the  same  thing  is  the  difference  between  the 
small,  rounded  chloroplasts  of  higher  plants  and  the  very  much  larger 
chromatophores  of  some  of  the  lower  ones,  which  are  elaborately  branched 
and  dissected.  Internal  anatomy  displays  the  same  tendency,  for  in  the 
sporeling  of  a  fern  the  vascular  cylinder  is  a  solid  rod  but  as  the  plant 
grows  this  soon  opens  out  to  form  a  hollow  tube.  It  may  later  be  broken 
up  into  a  ring  of  bundles  or  even  a  series  of  concentric  rings  or  tubes. 
The  radial  thickness  of  each  strand  thus  tends  to  be  approximately  the 
same,  with  the  result  that  the  surface  of  contact  between  xylem  and 
phloem,  so  important  in  the  physiology  of  the  plant,  remains  relatively 
constant.  Every  unit  mass  of  phloem  tissue  has  essentially  the  same 
"frontier"  on  the  xylem  as  every  other  one,  and  none  is  limited  in  its  water 


360  Morpho genetic  Factors 

supply.  Similarly,  as  roots  increase  in  size,  the  number  of  radial  arms 
increases,  with  the  result  that  the  xylem-phloem  surface  remains  relatively 
constant. 

There  are  many  examples  of  this  correlation  between   absolute  size 
and  complexity  of  conformation,  a  fact  which  Bower   (1930)   was  the 


N 


* 


/ 


rv* 


Fig.  16-8.  The  effect  of  absolute  size  on  structural  complexity.  Steles  of  Lycopodium 
scariosum  of  seven  progressively  larger  sizes  showing  the  increase  in  complexity  that 
accompanies  increased  size.  ( From  Bower. ) 

first  to  bring  forcefully  to  the  attention  of  botanists  ( Fig.  16-8 ) .  Although 
the  advantage  of  such  a  correlation  is  obvious,  the  problem  of  how  it  is 
brought  about  morphogenetically  is  not  clear.  The  advantage  is  not 
effective  physiologically  until  the  structures  are  mature  and  functioning 
but  the  pattern  is  laid  down  in  the  meristem.  It  may  be  that  this  is  simply 
a  case  of  inheritance  of  a  particularly  advantageous  developmental  pat- 


Various  Physical  Factors  361 

tern  which  has  arisen  through  natural  selection,  as  have  other  embryonic 

characters. 

The  relation  between  size  and  form  here  seems  to  be  too  immediate, 
however,  to  be  accounted  for  in  this  long-range  fashion.  An  inherited 
pattern  ought  to  be  evident  in  a  small  and  stunted  as  well  as  in  a  large 
individual,  but  the  effect  of  size  seems  to  be  more  direct.  One  is  tempted 
to  see  here  another  example  of  the  regular  spacing  of  structures  to  which 
attention  has  earlier  been  called  (p.  199).  In  the  same  way  there  may  be 
maintained  a  constant  ratio  between  primary  xylem  and  phloem,  a  ratio 
which  originates  within  the  tissues  of  the  primary  meristem.  This  morpho- 
genetic  problem,  which  has  an  important  bearing  on  the  origin  of  differ- 
entiation and  of  structure  in  general,  seems  especially  favorable  for 
biochemical  and  perhaps  even  mathematical  attack. 

Bioelectrical  Factors.  For  many  years  the  possibility  that  electricity, 
in  one  way  or  another,  might  affect  the  physiological  and  developmental 
activities  of  plants  has  interested  botanists,  and  there  is  a  very  consider- 
able literature  on  the  subject.  Unfortunately,  this  is  a  field  that  is  theo- 
retically and  technically  so  complex  that  few  workers  are  qualified  to 
obtain  dependable  results  in  it,  and  much  of  the  published  work  is  there- 
fore of  doubtful  value.  The  present  writer  is  certainly  not  competent  to 
review  it  critically. 

Students  of  tropisms  have  discussed  the  possibility  that  differences  in 
electrical  potential  may  be  involved  in  these  activities.  Went  (1932) 
suggested  that  the  polar  flow  of  auxin  is  an  electrophoretic  process. 
Clark  (1938)  raised  doubt  as  to  this  idea  and  pointed  out  that  it  is  pos- 
sible by  certain  chemical  treatments  to  abolish  the  polarity  of  auxin  trans- 
port without  changing  the  electrical  polarity,  protoplasmic  streaming,  or 
other  characters  of  the  system  (p.  385).  Schrank,  however,  who  has  dis- 
cussed the  problem  in  some  detail  ( 1957 ) ,  has  shown  that  in  the  trans- 
verse distribution  of  auxin  in  the  Avena  coleoptile,  a  transverse  electrical 
polarity  precedes  the  movement  of  auxin,  thus  tending  to  support  Went's 
theory.  The  early  work  on  the  electrical  control  of  polarity  was  reviewed 
by  Thomas  (1939). 

Morphogenetically  the  most  significant  result  of  the  work  with  elec- 
tricity is  the  evidence  that  in  many  organisms  there  are  continuous  bio- 
electrical currents  and  a  distribution  of  electrical  potential  differences 
so  constant  that  a  bioelectrical  field  is  set  up  in  the  organism.  By  the  use 
of  a  very  delicate  micropotentiometer  Burr  was  able  to  demonstrate 
the  existence  of  such  a  field  in  amphibian  eggs  (1941).  Even  in  the 
young  ovaries  of  cucurbits  such  relations  between  the  form  of  the  ovary 
and  the  bioelectrical  pattern  could  be  shown  (1944).  Burr  and  Northrop 
( 1939 )  have  discussed  the  general  problem  of  electrodynamic  fields  in 
living  organisms.  Lund  ( 1931  and  others )  carried  out  a  series  of  studies  on 


362  Monpho  genetic  Factors 

electrical  potential  differences  in  trees,  as  related  to  the  phenomena  of 
polarity,  dominance,  and  correlation  in  them. 

If  bioelectrical  fields  are  actually  concerned  with  the  specific  character 
of  development,  it  would  seem  possible  to  change  them  by  applying 
other  electrical  fields  externally  and  thus  perhaps  to  modify  organic 
form.  This  turns  out  to  be  very  difficult  to  accomplish,  however.  Never- 
theless, Lund  ( 1945 )  was  able  to  inhibit  completely  the  growth  in  length 
of  an  onion  root  by  passing  an  electric  current  upward  through  it,  al- 
though the  same  current  passing  downward  produced  little  or  no  inhi- 
bition. 

It  is  tempting  to  explain  all  form  differences  as  results  of  these  constant 
bioelectric  fields,  and  they  may  well  be  concerned  with  the  control 
of  organic  development.  Such  fields  are  doubtless  related  to  the  fine 
structure  of  protoplasm  and  the  complex  pattern  of  surfaces  which  this 
presents.  Whether  the  fields  are  the  cause  of  developmental  changes  or 
are  themselves  the  result  of  chemical  or  physical  factors  is  an  important 
theoretical  question.  The  problem  of  bioelectric  factors  is  too  complex  for 
easy  solution,  but  it  should  certainly  continue  to  be  attacked  vigorously 
by  those  who  are  qualified  to  do  so. 

The  volume  by  Lund  and  his  collaborators  ( 1947 )  presents  a  good  ac- 
count of  the  problem  of  bioelectrical  fields  and  their  implications  for 
morphogenesis.  Rosene  has  gathered  for  it  a  bibliography  of  1,406  titles. 


CHAPTER    17 

Chemical  Factors  in  General 


Chemical  factors  are  of  paramount  importance  for  metabolism  and  for 
physiology  generally,  but  they  also  have  an  important  part  in  the  de- 
termination of  form  and  structure.  Physical  factors-light,  water,  tem- 
perature, gravity-produce  their  effects  on  development  chiefly  through 
the  external  environment,  but  chemical  ones  operate  morphogenetically 
both  from  inside  and  outside  the  organism,  and  in  studying  them  it  is 
necessary  to  recognize  this  fact.  Nitrogen,  for  example,  by  its  presence  in 
the  soil,  markedly  affects  the  growth  and  development  of  a  plant  rooted 
there,  but  it  does  so  because  of  what  happens  after  it  has  entered  the 
living  system  of  the  plant.  Here  it  may  be  moved  from  place  to  place  and, 
as  a  constituent  of  protoplasm,  it  affects  the  course  of  development  in 
many  ways.  The  student  of  morphogenesis  concerns  himself,  therefore, 
not  only  with  the  visible  effects  of  changing  amounts  of  nitrogen  in  the 
soil  but  with  the  history  of  this  element  as  a  part  of  the  organic  mecha- 
nism. This  is  true  for  other  chemical  substances,  whether  taken  in  from 
the  outside  or  synthesized  within  the  plant.  Much  of  differentiation  re- 
sults from  differential  distribution   of  substances  throughout  the  plant 

body. 

Many  effects  of  these  substances  are  local.  In  studying  them  experi- 
mentally it  is  therefore  not  enough  to  examine  their  effects  upon  the 
plant  as  a  whole  but  to  discover  what  happens  in  particular  parts  of  the 
plant  as  their  concentration  in  these  parts  is  altered.  The  most  important 
discoveries  in  the  field  of  growth  substances,  for  example,  have  been 
made  by  studying  their  local  effects  on  a  developing  root  or  leaf  or  ovary. 

The  role  of  chemical  substances  in  development  also  changes  with  time, 
for  the  life  of  the  plant  is  a  life  history  and  this  history  consists  of  specific 
progressive  changes.  These  are  reflected  not  only  in  alterations  in  struc- 
ture, as  between  juvenile  and  adult  foliage,  but  in  physiological  changes 
that  go  on  within  the  plant.  Some  of  these  are  gradual  but  others  are 
more  sharply  marked.  Such  is  the  transition  from  the  vegetative  to  the 
flowering  state  (p.  184),  in  which  meristematic  activity  shifts  from  one 
region  and  one  type  to  others  that  are  quite  different  and  where  there  is 

363 


364  Morphogenetic  Factors 

often  a  radical  redistribution  of  substances  in  the  plant  body.  The  plant's 
life  history  is  composed  of  such  progressive  steps.  This  concept  is  of 
importance  for  morphogenesis  and  perhaps  especially  for  its  chemical 
aspects. 

The  subject  of  chemical  factors  in  plant  life,  and  particularly  of  the 
biochemistry  of  metabolism,  is  one  of  the  chief  concerns  of  physiology, 
but  the  only  aspect  of  this  field  germane  to  the  science  of  morphogenesis 
is  the  somewhat  limited  portion  of  it  which  deals  directly  with  the  rela- 
tion of  chemical  substances  to  development.  The  present  discussion  will 
necessarily  treat  this  subject  in  nothing  more  than  a  very  brief  and 
general  fashion.  One  chapter  will  be  devoted  to  the  role  of  the  elements 
and  the  compounds  that  are  primarily  significant  for  their  role  in  nutrition 
rather  than  in  morphogenesis.  A  second  chapter  will  deal  with  those 
substances  that,  even  in  very  minute  amounts,  have  been  found  to  exert 
profound  effects  on  growth  and  development  and  are  commonly  called 
growth  substances. 

ELEMENTS 

It  has  long  been  known  that  only  a  few  of  the  chemical  elements  are 
essential  for  plant  life.  These,  in  addition  to  carbon,  oxygen,  hydrogen, 
and  nitrogen,  are  sulfur,  phosphorus,  calcium,  magnesium,  potassium,  and 
iron,  together  with  a  number  of  others,  notably  boron,  zinc,  copper, 
manganese,  cobalt,  and  a  few  others  which,  in  very  small  amounts,  are 
essential  for  the  nutrition  of  most  plants  and  are  known  as  trace  elements. 

Several  of  the  elements,  or  simple  compounds  of  them,  have  been 
found  to  have  some  effect  on  development  and  are  thus  of  morphogenetic 
importance,  though  except  for  nitrogen  this  is  relatively  minor. 

Nitrogen.  This  element  is  of  outstanding  significance  in  many  ways. 
It  is  an  essential  constituent  of  all  proteins  and  thus  of  protoplasm,  and 
from  its  presence  in  the  nucleoproteins  it  is  concerned  in  the  production 
of  new  living  stuff  and  thus  in  all  growth  and  reproduction. 

That  nitrogen  tends  to  increase  the  vegetative  growth  of  plants  has 
long  been  known,  but  it  may  also  have  certain  specific  effects  on  their 
structure.  Burkholder  and  McVeigh  (1940)  grew  maize  (both  inbred 
and  hybrid )  with  varying  applications  of  nitrogen  in  sand  culture.  Where 
nitrogen  was  abundant,  as  compared  with  plants  where  this  was  limited, 
meristems  were  better  developed,  length  and  diameter  of  stem  were 
greater,  cell  size  and  cell  number  increased  as  did  the  size  and  number 
of  the  bundles,  there  was  greater  differentiation  especially  in  the  phloem, 
and  both  sieve  tubes  and  vessels  increased  in  diameter  (Fig.  17-1). 

Plants  growing  with  little  available  nitrogen  tend  to  be  woodv  and  to 
have  thick  cell  walls,  presumably  because  much  of  the  carbohydrate  is 


Chemical  Factors  in  General 


365 


deposited  in  these  structures,  whereas  if  nitrogen  were  abundant  it 
would  be  used  in  protein  synthesis.  Shields  and  Mangum  (19.54)  studied 
the  content  of  total  and  of  amino  nitrogen  in  the  leaves  of '40  species  of 
plants  and  found  it  highest  in  thin,  mesophytic  herbaceous  leaves,  next 
in  small  xeromorphic  dicotyledons,  and  least  in  monocotyledons  with 
much  mechanical  tissue. 


L3X  38-11 


/  38-1 1 


0     0.032      0.16  08  4.0 

MILLIMOLES   OF    N    PER  LITER 

Fig.  17-1.  Nitrogen  and  hybrid  vigor.  Two  inbred  lines  of  maize  and  their  hybrid 
grown  in  sand  culture  with  various  amounts  of  nitrogen.  The  increase  in  size  with 
added  nitrogen  is  much  greater  in  the  hybrid  than  in  either  parent.  (From'Burk- 
holder  and  McVeigh. ) 

Nitrogen  supply  may  be  related  to  the  differentiation  between  male 
and  female  sex  organs,  for  Kocher  (1941),  studying  the  dioecious  species 
Melandriurh  album,  found  markedly  more  nitrogen  (as  percentage  of 
dry  weight)  in  leaves  of  female  plants  than  of  male.  This  difference 
was  slight  in  seedlings,  rose  until  flowering  took  place,  and  then  disap- 
peared. 

There  may  be  interaction  between  nitrogen  and  other  factors.  In  onion, 


366  Morpho genetic  Factors 

for  example,  Scully,  Parker,  and  Borthwick  ( 1945 )  observed  that, 
with  plants  grown  at  photoperiods  longer  than  necessary  for  bulb  pro- 
duction, variations  in  nitrogen  had  little  effect,  but  when  the  photoperiod 
was  close  to  the  critical  one  for  bulbs,  bulb  development  was  consider- 
ably greater  at  low  nitrogen  levels  than  at  high  ones. 

Cohen  ( 1953 )  reports  the  effect  of  a  nitrogen  compound,  ammonia,  on 
the  development  of  the  slime  molds  Dictyostelium  and  Polysphondylium, 
two  members  of  the  Acrasiaceae  ( p.  223 ) .  Treatment  with  a  low  concen- 
tration of  ammonia  greatly  simplifies  the  morphogenetic  expression  of 
these  forms  and  reduces  the  degree  of  their  differentiation.  The  sorocarps 
produced  resemble  those  of  the  genera  Guttulina  and  Guttulinopsis. 

Carbohydrate-Nitrogen  Ratio.  Many  other  instances  of  the  develop- 
mental effects  of  nitrogen  could  be  cited.  More  widespread  than  these 
changes  produced  by  nitrogen  directly,  however,  are  the  ones  that  re- 
sult from  the  balance  between  nitrogen  and  carbohydrates.  Horticul- 
turists know  that  nitrogen  stimulates  vegetative  growth,  that  weakly 
vegetative  plants  tend  to  flower  early,  and  that  in  vigorously  vegetative 
ones  flowering  is  either  scanty  or  does  not  occur  until  the  amount  of 
available  nitrogen  is  reduced.  This  problem  was  first  studied  intensivelv 
by  Kraus  and  Kraybill  (1918)  in  tomatoes.  They  found  that  in  strongly 
vegetative  plants  bearing  few  flowers  or  fruit  the  C/N  ratio  was  low. 
Those  producing  fruit  abundantly  had  a  high  C/N  ratio  but  had  been 
given  a  good  supply  of  nitrogen  at  the  beginning  of  their  growth.  They 
interpret  these  facts  to  mean  that  when  nitrogen  is  abundant  all  the 
carbohydrate  produced  by  the  plant  will  be  used  in  forming  new  vege- 
tative tissue.  If  nitrogen  is  in  short  supply,  however,  carbohydrates  will 
tend  to  accumulate,  and  when  the  C/N  ratio  becomes  high  enough,  the 
development  of  reproductive  structures  will  be  stimulated.  This  hap- 
pens early  in  weakly  vegetative  individuals,  but  such  plants  are  too  small 
to  produce  a  large  crop  of  fruit.  Maximum  yield  results  from  an  abundant 
supply  of  nitrogen  at  first  and  an  active  production  of  carbohydrates 
later  by  the  fully  grown  vegetative  structures.  This  is  what  normally 
happens  under  favorable  conditions.  The  important  morphogenetic  as- 
pect of  this  hypothesis  is  that  it  maintains  that  the  differentiation  of 
reproductive  organs  is  dependent  on  the  accumulation  of  carbohydrate  in 
the  plant.  Until  this  happens,  vegetative  structures  take  priority  over 
reproductive  ones  in  the  use  of  available  carbohydrate. 

In  general,  the  younger  the  tissue,  the  lower  is  the  C/N  ratio.  From 
a  low  point  in  the  seedling  it  increases  as  foliage  develops  and  as  the 
ratio  of  top  to  root  grows  larger  until  it  reaches  the  point  where  reproduc- 
tive structures  are  formed.  This  would  explain  why  flowering  normally 
is  deferred  until  the  plant  has  reached  a  considerable  vegetative  develop- 
ment. 


Chemical  Factors  in  General  367 

The  relation  of  the  C/N  ratio  to  flowering  is  evident  in  many  ways.  In 
biennially  bearing  apple  trees,  for  example,  it  is  high  in  the  bearing 
years  and  low  in  the  "off"  ones.  In  fruit  spurs  where  the  buds  are  de- 
veloping into  flower  buds,  starch  content  tends  to  be  high  and  nitrogen 
low,  whereas  in  barren  spurs  the  opposite  is  true.  Potter  and  Phillips 
(1927),  however,  found  that  flower-bud  formation  in  fruit  spurs  was 
more  closely  related  to  the  amount  of  nitrogen  than  to  any  ratio  be- 
tween this  element  and  carbohydrates. 

Loomis  ( 1932 )  has  emphasized  the  fact  that  the  effect  of  water  on 
development  resembles  that  of  nitrogen,  both  tending  to  stimulate  vege- 
tative growth.  He  believes  that  the  balance  is  not  so  much  between  carbo- 
hydrate and  nitrogen  as  between  the  factors  that  tend  to  produce  growth 
and  those  that  tend  to  induce  differentiation.  The  former  include  both 
water  and  nitrogen  together  with  any  other  factors,  such  as  temperature, 
that  favor  the  synthesis  of  new  protoplasm.  Differentiation,  on  the  other 
hand,  requires  an  excess  of  available  carbohydrate.  Why  this  is  so  is  by 
no  means  clear,  though  there  may  be  a  selective  advantage  in  a  mecha- 
nism which  tends  to  defer  the  development  of  reproductive  structures 
until  a  plant  has  reached  the  size  where  it  is  large  enough  to  produce 
fruit  abundantly. 

The  carbohydrate-nitrogen  ratio  is  related  to  other  structures  than 
reproductive  ones,  notably  the  shoot-root  ratio.  In  general,  the  higher  the 
C/N  ratio,  the  larger  is  the  relative  size  of  the  root.  When  nitrogen  is 
abundantly  available  in  the  soil,  the  increased  growth  tends  to  occur 
in  the  shoot  more  than  in  the  root.  Hicks  ( 1928b )  found  that  in  willow 
cuttings  the  carbohydrates  pass  downward  and  the  nitrogen  upward  so 
that  the  C/N  ratio  is  higher  at  the  base,  where  roots  develop,  than  at 
the  tip,  where  shoots  are  formed.  Da  vies  (1931)  also  observed  that  in 
willow  cuttings  roots  develop  in  regions  where  nitrogen,  as  a  percentage 
of  dry  weight,  is  low  and  shoots  where  it  is  high.  These  facts  obviously 
have  a  bearing  on  the  problem  of  polarity  in  regeneration  (p.  119). 

Reid  (1924)  made  stem  cuttings  from  tomato  plants  that  were  high  in 
C/N  ratio  and  from  others  that  were  low  and  found  that  the  former  made 
better  roots  than  the  latter.  She  also  observed  (1929)  that  the  relative 
development  of  the  root  in  seedlings  of  various  species  was  related  to 
the  proportion  of  carbohydrate  to  nitrogen  in  the  seed  from  which 
they  grew.  Where  this  was  high  the  seedlings  had  stronger  roots  than 
where  it  was  low. 

Despite  the  evident  relation  between  the  C/N  ratio,  as  observable  in 
the  chemical  composition  of  the  plant,  and  the  processes  of  flowering  and 
root  formation,  there  is  now  a  good  deal  of  evidence  that  this  ratio  may 
not  be  the  cause  but  rather  an  accompaniment  of  these  activities.  In  a 
number  of  instances,  such  as  the  soybean  (Murneek,  1937)  and  wheat 


368  Morphogenetic  Factors 

(Polster,  1938),  floral  initiation  begins  some  time  before  the  change 
from  low  to  high  C/N  ratio  takes  place.  In  various  plants  that  have  been 
brought  to  flowering  by  other  means,  such  as  chemical  or  photoperiodic 
stimulation,  the  increase  in  C/N  is  much  less  conspicuous  than  under 
natural  conditions.  In  many  cases,  also,  there  is  no  precise  ratio  that  may 
be  counted  upon  to  induce  flowering.  Both  in  carbohydrates  and  com- 
pounds of  nitrogen  there  are  many  different  chemical  forms,  and  it  is  a 
matter  of  doubt  whether  the  ratio  should  regard  total,  soluble,  or  easily 
available  carbohydrate,  on  the  one  hand,  and  total,  protein,  or  soluble 
nitrogen  on  the  other. 

Despite  these  criticisms,  the  general  concept  that  in  the  living  plant 
there  is  at  any  particular  stage  a  balance  between  various  chemical 
constituents  and  that  a  shift  in  this  balance  is  related  to  a  change  in  the 
activities  of  the  plant  is  an  important  one.  The  organism  tends  to  maintain 
a  homeostatic  equilibrium  among  its  various  processes  but  this  is  not  a 
static  condition,  for  the  equilibrium  changes  progressively  as  the  or- 
ganism develops  from  one  phase  to  the  next.  This  is  so  complex  that 
the  ratio  between  any  two  chemical  substances  will  usually  give  only  an 
incomplete  picture  of  it.  A  study  of  the  C/N  ratio,  whether  this  be 
cause  or  effect  of  the  onset  of  the  reproductive  phase,  will  doubtless 
continue  to  provide  information  about  this  major  step  in  the  life  history 
of  the  plant. 

Other  Elements.  Much  of  what  is  known  about  the  morphogenetic 
effects  of  the  other  essential  elements  comes  from  observation  of  changes 
in  development  produced  when  each  is  deficient  in  amount.  These  changes 
are  usually  differences  from  the  normal  amount  of  growth  or  are  ab- 
normalities of  various  sorts,  "hunger  signs"  resulting  from  insufficient 
nutrition.  The  literature  of  physiology  and  pathology  is  full  of  such  in- 
stances. Venning  (1953)  has  described  the  developmental  effects  of 
deficiencies  in  sulfur,  calcium,  nitrogen,  potassium,  phosphorus,  and  iron. 
The  effects  of  the  various  trace  elements  have  been  reviewed  by  several 
workers,  among  them  Brenchley  (1947)  and  Wallace  (1950). 

A  few  of  the  effects  of  various  elements  are  of  morphogenetic  interest. 

Phosphorus  is  of  much  importance  in  physiology  and  genetics  because 
it  is  a  constituent  of  the  nucleic  acids.  Morphogenetically  it  is  significant 
in  relation  to  mitosis.  Phosphate  promotes  cell  division  in  roots  but  has 
little  effect  on  cell  elongation,  whereas  nitrate  promotes  elongation  but 
not  division. 

Stanfield  ( 1944 )  analyzed  roots  and  tops  of  staminate  and  pistillate 
plants  of  Lychnis  dioica  and  found  that  the  staminate  had  a  higher  per- 
centage of  phosphorus  than  the  latter  in  both  vegetative  and  early  flower- 
ing phases. 

Pierce  ( 1937 )  observed  that  in  violet  plants  grown  in  nutrient  solu- 


Chemical  Factors  in  General 


369 


tions  without  calcium  the  chromosomes  in  root-tip  cells  were  markedly 
smaller  than  when  grown  in  complete  nutrient.  When  phosphorus  was 
in  excess,  however,  the  chromosomes  were  about  twice  normal  size. 
These  differences  were  also  reflected  in  the  size  of  the  nucleus. 


EXP 

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TIME    IN    DAYS 
Fig.  17-2.  Effect  of  zinc  on  tomato  plants  grown  in  nutrient  solution.  Curve  I,  plants 
to  which  zinc  was  applied  from  the  start;  Curves  II  and  III,  plants  in  which  zinc  was 
added  to  the  medium   at  the  times   indicated  by   arrows.   Dash   lines   show   growth 
without  further  addition  of  zinc.  ( From  Skoog. ) 

There  is  a  good  deal  of  evidence  that  phosphate  fertilizers  increase  the 
growth  of  roots  as  compared  with  tops,  particularly  in  root  crops. 

Calcium  is  closely  connected  with  the  formation  of  the  cell  wall.  When 
it  is  deficient  in  amount  the  cytoplasm  tends  to  break  down,  the  walls 
to  fall  apart,  and  meristems  to  degenerate.  Calcium  itself  does  not  enter 


370  M  or  pho  genetic  Factors 

into  the  composition  of  the  wall  but  produces  its  effects  through  changes 
in  the  cytoplasm  ( Sorokin  and  Sommer,  1929 ) . 

More  conspicuous  effects  of  calcium  have  sometimes  been  observed. 
Pearsall  and  Hanby   (1925),  for  example,  found  that  in  Potamogeton 


10  r 


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Fig.  17-3:  Relation  of  boron  to  cell-wall  thickness  in  three  varieties  of  celery.   (From 
A.  R.  Spurr. ) 

excess  calcium  made  the  leaves  broader  and  their  cells  more  numer- 
ous. 

In  field  plots  abundantly  fertilized  with  potassium,  plants  of  flax, 
ramie,  oats,  and  willow  showed  marked  increase  in  number  and  size  of 
bast  fibers  (Tobler,  1929).  Hemp  was  but  slightly  affected. 


Chemical  Factors  in  General 


371 


Robbins  and  his  colleagues  (1929)  have  observed  a  shape  difference  re- 
lated to  potassium.  Sweet  potato  plants  grown  with  little  potassium  have 
longer  and  more  slender  roots  as  compared  with  "chunkier"  ones  on 
plants  grown  where  this  element  is  abundant.  The  difference  seems  to  be 
due  to  the  greater  cambial  activity  in  the  well-nourished  plants  as  a 
result  of  increased  protein  synthesis  resulting  from  an  abundance  of 
potassium. 

Zinc  has  indirect  morphogenetic  importance  since  it  seems  to  be 
necessary  for  the  maintenance  of  auxin  in  an  active  state  (Skoog, 
1940;  Fig.  17-2). 

Boron  evidently  is  concerned  with  the  development  of  the  cell  wall 
and  affects  the  process  of  carbohydrate  condensation  into  wall  material 
(Spurr,  1957;  Fig.  17-3).  Reduction  in  amount  of  boron  produces  hyper- 


lAA+Co 


Fig.  17-4.  Effect  of  cobalt  on  etiolated  pea 
stem  segments  supplied  with  auxin  alone 
(below)  and  auxin  plus  cobalt  (above). 
( From  Miller. ) 


O 


12  3  4 

PER  CENT  SUCROSE 


trophy  and  hyperplasia  of  tissues,  especially  the  cambium,  in  tomato, 
turnip,  and  cotton  and  affects  the  number  and  the  maturation  of  the  fibers 
(Palser  and  Mcllrath,  1956).  MacVicar  and  Struckmeyer  (p.  320)  ob- 
served that  day-length  altered  the  boron  requirement  of  soybeans. 

Cobalt  has  been  found  by  several  workers  to  increase  the  size  of  cells, 
particularly  in  association  with  sucrose.  Miller  (1954)  reports  that  in 
etiolated  pea  stems  cobalt  salts  plus  auxin  produced  only  slight  elonga- 
tion. Sucrose  alone  had  the  same  effect,  though  it  considerably  increased 
fresh  weight  ( Fig.  17-4 ) .  When  sucrose  and  cobalt  were  applied  together 
to  the  pea  stem  there  was  greatly  increased  elongation.  He  believes  that 
water  uptake  and  wall  growth  are  separate  processes  and  suggests 
that  sucrose  tends  to  increase  cell  volume  but  that  cobalt  promotes  the 
ability  of  the  cell  to  enlarge  its  surface. 


372  M or pho genetic  Factors 

Lyon  and  Garcia  (1944)  studied  the  effects  of  anions  and  cations  on 
stem  anatomy  of  tomato  plants  in  over  40  nutrient  solutions  varying  in 
the  relative  proportion  of  nitrogen,  sulfur,  and  phosphorus,  and  of  calcium, 
potassium,  and  magnesium.  Differences  in  stem  diameter  and  in  relative 
amounts  of  phloem,  xylem,  and  pith,  as  well  as  cellular  differences  in 
parenchyma  of  pith  and  cortex,  vessels,  fibers,  phloem  cells,  and  pericycle 
fibers,  were  correlated  with  specific  differences  in  the  nutrients. 

Makarova  ( 1943 )  examined  the  relation  of  various  nutrient  elements 
to  traits  described  by  Maximov  as  xeromorphic  and  found  that,  in  gen- 
eral, such  traits  were  intensified  by  phosphorus,  boron,  and  manganese 
and  diminished  by  potassium  and  iron.  These  effects  chiefly  concern  cell 
size. 

MORE  COMPLEX  SUBSTANCES 

Sucrose  itself  may  have  certain  morphogenetic  effects.  Yates  and  Curtis 
( 1949 )  found  that  the  root-shoot  ratio  in  orchid  seedlings  growing  in 
nutrient  media  is  not  related  to  the  C/N  ratio,  as  in  so  many  cases,  but  to 
the  concentration  of  sucrose  alone,  the  optimum  concentration  for  root 
growth  being  markedly  higher  than  for  shoot  growth.  At  the  best  con- 
centration for  root  growth,  shoot  growth  was  reduced. 

In  sporelings  of  Marsilea  grown  with  varying  concentrations  of  glu- 
cose, Allsopp  ( 1954 )  observed  that  in  low  concentrations  the  plants 
showed  many  of  the  traits  of  the  water  forms  of  amphibious  plants,  and 
those  at  higher  concentrations  resembled  land  forms.  This  presumably 
is  not  owing,  however,  to  the  specific  morphogenetic  effect  of  glucose 
but  to  the  fact  that  in  the  lower  concentrations  water  is  more  available 
osmotically  and  conditions  therefore  to  some  extent  simulate  aquatic 
ones  (p.  332). 

By  using  glycogen,  soluble  starch,  or  dextrin  as  a  carbon  source  in- 
stead of  sugar,  Nickerson  and  Mankowski  (1953)  were  able  to  convert 
the  normal  budding  yeast  type,  in  Candida  albicans,  to  a  filamentous 
mycelial  type. 

Sossountzov  (1954)  tried  various  amino  acids  instead  of  inorganic 
nitrogen  as  nitrogen  sources  in  the  culture  of  fern  prothallia  and  found 
that  under  these  conditions  they  tended  to  be  atypical  but  that  in  most 
cases  the  proportion  of  filamentous  prothallia  to  cordate  ones  was  con- 
siderably increased. 

Hammett  and  Walp  (1943)  studied  10,000  fertilized  Fucus  eggs,  half 
of  which  were  exposed  to  proline  and  half  were  not,  and  observed  that 
proline  increased  differentiation  here  (as  measured  by  the  production 
and  growth  of  rhizoids)  much  as  it  has  been  shown  to  do  in  ani- 
mals. Barghoorn  (1942),  however,  found  no  definite  evidence  that  pro- 


Chemical  Factors  in  General  373 

line  stimulates  the  differentiation  of  protoxylem  in  roots  of  cotton  and 

beans. 

By  adding  certain  chemical  substances  to  the  medium,  Tatum,  Barratt, 
and  Cutter  ( 1949 )  produced  various  nonheritable  morphological  changes 
in  Neurospora  and  Syncephalastrum  which  they  termed  paramorphs. 
Anionic  surface-active  agents  such  as  Aerosol  induced  the  formation  of 
compact  colonial  paramorphs.  Sorbose  proved  to  be  the  most  effective 
paramorphogen.  Discovery  of  the  mechanisms  by  which  these  substances 
cause  the  production  of  such  specific  forms  in  these  very  simple  organisms 
might  yield  important  information  on  the  origin  of  forms  at  higher  levels. 

There  is  a  considerable  group  of  chemical  substances,  the  vitamins, 
which  are  of  great  importance  in  animal  nutrition.  Many  of  them  are 
synthesized  by  plants,  and  some  are  now  known  to  be  essential  for  the 
growth  of  certain  plants  or  plant  structures.  Vitamin  Bx  (thiamin),  for 
example,  can  be  shown  to  be  necessary  for  the  growth  of  excised  roots  in 
culture,  but  it  is  synthesized  in  the  shoots.  Nicotinic  acid  also  seems  to  be 
essential  for  root  growth,  but  what  other  vitamins  may  also  be  necessary 
for  the  life  of  plants  is  not  certainly  known.  All  the  vitamins  are  effective 
in  extremely  small  concentrations. 

The  morphogenetic  importance  of  the  vitamins  for  plants  seems  not 
to  be  very  great.  Reid  (1941)  has  evidence  that  vitamin  C  affects  cell 
size  in  the  meristematic  region,  and  there  are  a  few  similar  instances. 
Schopfer  (1950)  has  reviewed  the  problem  of  the  vitamins  in  morpho- 
genesis. 


CHAPTER    18 

Growth  Substances 


The  chemical  substances  discussed  in  the  previous  chapter  are  primarily 
important  in  the  nutrition  of  the  plant,  and  most  of  them  are  required 
in  relatively  large  amounts  since  they  contribute  to  the  composition  of 
protoplasm.  In  relatively  few  cases,  however,  have  they  been  shown  to 
be  of  any  very  great  morphogenetic  significance. 

There  is  another  group  of  physiologically  active  substances  which  are 
not  concerned  with  nutrition  and  which,  although  present  in  most 
cases  in  very  low  concentrations,  are  of  great  importance  for  the  growth, 
development,  and  differentiation  of  plants.  They  have  been  given  various 
names-hormones,  inductors,  Wuchsstoffe,  activators,  evocators,  growth 
regulators,  and  growth  substances.  They  were  first  studied  in  animal 
physiology  but  in  recent  decades  they  have  assumed  major  importance 
for  an  understanding  of  the  development  of  plants  as  well.  They  are 
diverse  in  character  and  effect  and  are  the  chemical  means  by  which 
many  morphogenetic  processes  are  controlled.  Among  these  processes 
are  growth,  tropisms,  many  correlations,  and  the  determination  and 
differentiation  of  specific  organs  and  structures  in  the  plant  body.  Indeed, 
as  our  knowledge  of  these  substances  increases,  more  and  more  of  the 
activities  in  development  and  differentiation  are  found  to  be  affected  by 
them,  and,  in  interaction  with  the  genes,  they  seem  to  be  the  chief 
agents  in  morphogenesis.  It  must  not  be  forgotten,  however,  that  they 
are  agents  merely  and  that  the  ultimate  control  of  development  lies  in 
the  factors  that  determine  the  concentration,  distribution,  and  interaction 
of  these  and  other  chemical  and  physical  mechanisms.  Here  lies  the  ulti- 
mate problem. 

Many  of  these  substances,  in  great  diversity,  are  produced  and  con- 
trolled by  the  plant  itself  and  are  thus  of  particular  interest  in  normal 
morphogenesis.  It  has  been  shown,  however,  that  a  large  number  of 
synthetic  compounds  have  effects  comparable  to  naturally  occurring  ones, 
and  this  has  greatly  extended  the  means  for  experimental  attack  on  de- 

374 


Growth  Substances  375 

velopmental  problems    (Zimmerman  and   Wilcoxon,    1935;   Zimmerman, 
1951b;  and  an  extensive  series  of  other  papers ) . 

The  literature  in  this  active  field  is  large,  and  in  a  brief  space  little 
more  than  a  very  general  introduction  to  it  can  be  made.  The  student 
may  be  referred  to  a  number  of  books,  symposium  volumes,  and  reviews, 
among  which  are  the  following:  Boysen-Jensen  (1936);  Went  and  Thi- 
mann  (1937);  Avery  and  Johnson  (1947);  Thimann  (1948);  Skoog 
(1951);  Soding  (1952);  Audus  (1953);  Leopold  (1955);  Wain  and 
Wightman  (1956);  and  the  Eleventh  Symposium  of  the  Society  for  Ex- 
perimental Biology  (1957). 

The  term  hormone  was  first  used  by  Starling  in  1904  with  reference  to 
secretin,  a  substance  important  in  animal  physiology.  Such  hormones  are 
regarded  as  "chemical  messengers"  since  they  are  produced  in  one  part 
of  the  body  and  carried  to  some  other  part,  where  they  affect  develop- 
ment and  various  physiological  processes.  Their  discovery  marked  a  great 
advance  in  an  understanding  of  the  chemical  control  of  growth  and 
differentiation. 

With  the  demonstration  that  there  are  substances  in  plants  which  are 
physiologically  active  in  similarly  small  amounts,  the  term  hormone  was 
carried  over  into  plant  physiology  by  Fitting  (1909)  in  relation  to  a 
substance  in  orchid  pollen  which  produced  swelling  of  the  ovary.  Various 
phytohormones  are  now  recognized.  This  word  is  not  a  particularly 
happy  one,  however,  for  plants  lack  the  efficient  circulatory  system  of 
animals.  Indeed,  many  of  these  substances  exert  their  effects  in  the 
region  where  they  are  produced  and  thus  are  not  "messengers"  at  all. 
The  most  important  natural  plant  hormones,  the  auxins,  also  differ 
from  typical  animal  ones  in  being  relatively  nonspecific  and  involved  in 
a  great  variety  of  growth  processes  rather  than  in  particular  ones.  Huxley 
( 1935 )  discussed  the  relationship  of  these  various  substances,  in  animals 
and  plants,  and  suggested  a  classification  and  terminology  for  them. 
Evidently  there  are  many  compounds  and  processes  involved,  and  for 
plants,  at  least,  it  seems  preferable  to  use  for  all  such  morphogenetically 
active  materials  the  relatively  noncommittal  term  growth  substances.  This 
will  be  employed  in  the  present  discussion  to  refer  to  those  substances 
of  whatever  sort  or  activity  that,  in  low  concentration,  are  involved  in 
the  control  of  growth,  development,  and  differentiation.  It  should  be 
recognized  that  some  of  these  substances  are  effective  in  retarding  these 
processes  rather  than  in  their  stimulation. 

The  history  of  the  work  on  growth  substances  has  been  reviewed  by  a 
number  of  authors  (Leopold,  1955,  Chap.  1;  Went,  1951a;  and  Audus, 
1953).  Most  of  it  dates  from  about  the  beginning  of  the  second  quarter 
of  the  present  century  and  was  largely  confined,  at  the  start,  to  workers 
in  continental  Europe.  Among  early  students  of  the  subject  were  Boysen- 


376  M or pho genetic  Factors 

Jensen,  Cholodny,  Dolk,  Fitting,  Kogl,  Laibach,  Paal,  and  Went.  The 
modern  understanding  of  auxin  was  established  by  an  important  paper 
by  the  last-named  botanist  in  1928. 

Growth  substances  have  been  shown  to  be  present  in  many  species 
and  throughout  the  plant  kingdom,  in  algae,  mosses,  ferns,  and  a  great 
variety  of  seed  plants.  They  have  relatively  less  effect  on  the  growth  of 
fungi. 

TYPES  OF  GROWTH  SUBSTANCES 

There  are  many  growth  substances  but  the  best  known  and  those  ap- 
parently of  the  greatest  general  importance  are  the  ones  that  occur 
naturally  in  plants  and  are  usually  termed  the  auxins.  These  were  identi- 
fied first  in  the  oat  coleoptile  but  are  now  known  to  be  present  in  almost 
all  plants  and  to  be  concerned  in  a  great  variety  of  developmental 
processes.  There  has  been  a  good  deal  of  discussion  as  to  how  many 
auxins  there  are,  but  one  of  them,  identified  by  Kogl  and  his  colleagues 
(1933)  as  3-indoleacetic  acid,  seems  to  be  of  primary  importance,  and 
all  known  auxins  are  related  to  it  chemically.  In  the  present  discussion  the 
term  "auxin"  will  be  generally  limited  to  this  and  chemically  similar 
compounds. 

Our  knowledge  of  indoleacetic  acid  (IAA)  is  now  very  substantial 
but  there  are  a  considerable  number  of  other  naturally  occurring  growth 
substances,  or  substances  which  have  been  thought  by  many  to  exist  in 
plants,  which  are  unrelated  to  this  chemically  but  are  important  in  various 
ways.  About  these  we  know  much  less.  Here  belong  the  wound  hormones 
( traumatins ) ;  the  various  flower-forming  substances  (florigens);  the  so- 
called  root-forming,  stem-forming,  and  leaf -forming  substances  or  calines; 
the  gibberellins;  the  hormones  concerned  with  the  determination  of  sex; 
various  substances  that  amplify  or  antagonize  the  effects  of  auxin;  and 
others.  About  the  chemical  nature  of  most  of  these  little  is  known,  and 
the  very  existence  of  some  of  them  is  in  doubt.  The  conception  of  "organ- 
forming  substances,"  in  the  narrow  sense,  is  far  from  being  established 
and  has  been  involved  in  the  general  discussion  of  determination.  It  is 
clear,  however,  that  there  are  a  great  many  compounds,  some  of  them 
very  specific  in  their  influence,  which  in  minute  amounts  have  important 
effects  on  one  or  another  of  almost  all  phases  of  plant  development.  An 
understanding  of  their  nature  and  mode  of  action  is  proving  of  much 
importance  for  the  solution  of  morphogenetic  problems. 

It  should  again  be  emphasized  that  most  growth  substances  in  plants 
are  much  less  specific  in  their  effects  than  are  the  hormones  of  animals. 
Thus  IAA  is  concerned  in  cell  expansion,  cell  division,  cambial  activity, 


Growth  Substances 


377 


abscission,  parthenocarpy,  tumor  formation,  root  production,  dominance 
relationships  among  buds,  nastic  responses,  and  tropisms  generally.  The 
effect  in  each  case  must  evidently  be  a  function  of  the  specificity  of  the 
responding  system,  including  other  biologically  active  compounds,  rather 
than  of  a  particular  evocating  substance. 

The  developmental  effects  of  growth  substances  are  chiefly  of  three 
sorts:  on  growth  in  general  (defined  as  permanent  increase  in  volume), 
on  the  correlations  of  growth,  and  on  development  and  differentiation  of 
specific  structures.  These  may  involve  very  different  problems. 

GROWTH  SUBSTANCES  AND  PLANT  GROWTH 

Growth  of  the  plant  as  a  whole  may  be  controlled  by  various  growth 
substances.  Van  Overbeek  (1935)  showed  that  in  genetically  dwarf  races 


12  3  4 

STAGE    OF  DEVELOPMENT 


I  2  3 

STAGE   OF   DEVELOPMENT 


Fig.  18-1.  Yield  of  diffusible  auxin  from  long  shoots  (left)  and  short  shoots  (right) 
at  successive  stages  in  development  in  Ginkgo.  ( From  Gunckel  and  Thirnann. ) 

of  maize  there  was  much  less  auxin  than  in  plants  of  normal  height,  indi- 
cating that  auxin  was  associated  with  growth  in  stem  length.  The 
dwarfing  gene  here  effects  a  more  rapid  destruction  of  auxin  rather  than  a 
lesser  production  of  it.  Von  Abrams  (1953)  sprayed  IAA  on  etiolated 
plants  of  dwarf  and  tall  varieties  of  peas.  The  dwarf  increased  30  per 
cent  in  height  but  the  tall  one  was  slightly  reduced,  an  instance  of  the 
frequently  observed  fact  that  the  effect  of  auxin  is  different  with  different 
material.  In  a  number  of  other  cases  the  dwarfing  of  plants  has  been 
shown  to  be  related  to  a  deficiency  of  auxin. 

Auxin  particularly  affects  growth  in  length,  especially  of  the  stem,  and 
in  many  cases  has  been  found  to  be  the  factor  that  determines  length 
growth  of  the  internodes.  Gunckel  and  Thirnann   (1949)   compared  the 


378  Morpho genetic  Factors 

amount  of  auxin  in  developing  short  shoots  and  long  shoots  of  Ginkgo  and 
found  that  elongation  of  the  latter  was  associated  with  a  sharp  rise  in 
auxin  content  (Fig.  18-1). 

Auxin  is  also  involved  in  the  growth  of  fruits  (Fig.  18-2),  though  not 
all  the  steps  in  the  process  are  yet  well  understood  (Murneek,  1954; 
Lund,  1956).  There  are  reviews  by  Nitsch  (1952)  and  Luckwill  (1957). 
An  increase  in  auxin  content  often  occurs  at  pollination,  again  at  fertiliza- 


Fig.  18-2.  Centers  of  origin  of  auxin  in  the  development  of  a  fruit.   1,  from  mother 
plant;  2,  from  pollen;  3,  from  developing  ovules.  (From  Nitsch.) 


tion,  and  usually  during  endosperm  growth  and  the  development  of  the 
seeds.  This  increase  of  auxin  in  the  ovary  is  often  followed  by  its  increase 
in  the  pedicel  and  adjacent  regions. 

That  fruit  development  is  stimulated  by  growth  substances  is  made 
clear  by  the  occurrence  of  parthenocarpy,  or  growth  of  fruits  without 
fertilization  and  seed  development  (Fig.  18-3).  Gustafson  (1936)  in- 
duced parthenocarpy  in  cucurbits  by  applying  synthetic  growth  sub- 
stances to  the  pistil,  and  this  has  now  been  done  frequently  with  other 


Growth  Substances  379 

plants.  He  also  showed  that  fruits  which  are  naturally  parthenocarpic 
have  a  much  higher  concentration  of  auxin  than  do  seed-bearing  ones. 
In  some  cases  parthenocarpy  does  not  require  application  of  a  growth 
substance  to  the  unfertilized  ovary  but  simply  the  presence  in  the  air  of 
the  greenhouse  of  vapor  of  a  specific  substance.  Induction  of  partheno- 
carpy is  by  no  means  universally  possible  and  has  been  found  more 
frequently  in  members  of  the  Solanaceae  and  Cucurbitaceae  than  in 
other  families.  The  subject  has  been  reviewed  by  Vazart  (1955). 


Fig.  18-3.  Parthenocarpy.  Left,  normally  pollinated  tomato  fruit  with  many  seeds. 
Right,  parthenocarpic  fruit  produced  by  treatment  with  synthetic  growth  substance. 
( Courtesy  Boyce  Thompson  Institute. ) 

Davidson  (1950)  found  that  several  marine  algae  were  stimulated  in 
their  growth  by  synthetic  substances  in  the  sea  water  (Fig.  18-4).  Al- 
though auxin  seems  rarely  to  be  concerned  with  the  growth  of  fungi, 
Fraser  (1953)  reports  that  indoleacetic  acid  stimulates  growth  in  the 
common  mushroom. 

Cell  Enlargement.  The  primary  effect  of  auxin  on  plant  growth  seems 
to  be  its  promotion  of  increase  in  cell  size,  especially  in  the  stem  and 
in  its  longitudinal  dimension.  In  phototropism  the  side  of  the  axis  away 
from  the  light  grows  faster  than  the  lighted  one,  and  Went  ( 1928 )  and 
others  showed  that  auxin  is  more  abundant  on  this  shaded  side.  Avery 


380  M or pho genetic  Factors 

and  Burkholder  (p.  30)  found  that  the  more  rapid  elongation  here  was 
the  result  of  increase  in  cell  length  rather  than  in  cell  number. 

Most  tropisms  have  now  been  shown  to  be  due  to  greater  growth  on  the 
convex  side  because  of  longer  cells  there  (Fig.  18-5).  In  both  photo- 
tropism  and  geotropism,  however,  the  role  of  auxin  is  different  in  root  and 
shoot.  If  a  young  plant,  for  example,  is  placed  in  a  horizontal  position, 
auxin  can  be  shown  to  accumulate  on  the  lower  side,  though  how  this 
occurs  is  not  well  understood.  In  the  stem,  this  results  in  a  bending 
upward  of  the  axis.  The  young  primary  root,  however,  will  bend  down- 


THALLUS 

HOLDFAST 

NO.  HOLDFASTS 


CONCEN  TRATION 

Fig.  18-4.  Effect  of  different  concentrations  of  indoleacetic  acid  on  the  growth  of 
Fucus,  as  measured  by  length  of  thallus  and  length  and  number  of  holdfasts,  in  com- 
parison with  untreated  controls.  ( From  Davidson. ) 

ward,  the  cells  elongating  faster  on  its  upper  side.  Evidently  the  same 
concentration  which  stimulates  cell  elongation  in  the  stem  checks  it  in 
the  root,  another  example  of  the  difference  in  the  effect  of  auxin  under 
different  conditions.  Geiger-Huber  and  Huber  (1945)  found  that  by 
continually  decapitating  a  root  its  auxin  content  was  markedly  reduced 
and  that  it  now  bent  upward  instead  of  downward. 

How  much  of  the  difference  in  cell  size  among  the  various  tissues  of 
the  plant  is  due  to  auxin  it  is  hard  to  say  but,  directly  or  indirectly,  this 
substance  is  probably  involved  in  most  of  the  differences  in  degree  of 


Growth  Substances 


381 


cell  enlargement  that  occur  between  the  meristematic  condition  and  ma- 
turity. Gibberellin  acts  in  a  similar  manner. 

Cell  Division.  Growth  substances  are  also  associated  often  with  cell 
division  and  with  meristematic  activity  generally.  Buds,  especially  as  they 
begin  to  expand,  are  rich  in  auxin.  Cambial  activity  is  closely  related  to 
the  presence  of  auxin  (Snow,  1935;  Fig.  18-6;  Soding,  1936),  and  the 
progressive  awakening  of  the  cambium  in  the  spring  from  the  stem  tips 
downward  is  accompanied  by  a  progressive  increase  in  auxin  concen- 
tration (Avery,  Burkholder,  and  Creighton,  1937b;  Fig.  18-7;  Gouwentak 
and  Maas,  1940). 


Fig.  18-5.  Cell  size  in  geotropic  curva- 
ture. Lengthwise  section  through  the  con- 
vex side  (upper)  and  the  concave  one 
(lower)  of  a  root  of  Zea  bending  down 
geotropically.  Bending  is  produced  by 
the  greater  elongation  of  the  cells  on  the 
upper  side  resulting  from  a  relatively 
weak  concentration  of  auxin  there.  ( After 
MacDougal. ) 


Various  synthetic  growth  substances  have  been  found  to  stimulate 
cell  division  even  in  tissues  which  are  mature  or  nearly  so.  Such  a  sub- 
stance, applied  to  a  young  stem,  will  often  produce  there  a  callus-like 
mass  of  cells,  so  that  it  is  easy  to  see  why  growth  substances  are  associated 
with  the  formation  of  galls  and  tumors.  This  ability  to  produce  cell 
division  in  older  tissues  has  often  been  used  for  the  determination  of 
chromosome  numbers  in  their  cells,  since  it  is  now  possible  to  observe 
mitotic  figures  there. 

The  various  wound  hormones  produce  their  effect  by  increasing  the 
division  of  cells  below  wound  surfaces. 


382 


Morphogenetic  Factors 


Cells  which 
normally    ' 
form  fibres 


Phloem 


Primary    , 
xylem 


Secondary 
xylem 


Primary 
xylem 


Fig.  18-6.  Stimulation  of  cambial  activity  by  auxin.  Above,  two  bundles  from  control 
plant,  decapitated  but  no  auxin  applied.  Below,  a  similar  region  from  a  plant  in  which 
auxin  had  been  applied  to  the  decapitated  tip.  Cambial  growth  is  markedly  stimu- 
lated by  the  auxin.  ( From  Snow. ) 


Growth  Substances 


383 


*ft 


I 


I 


7.8 


5.4 


9.2 
10.0 


7.3 
6.8 

8.2 

2.7 
78 


6.2 

4.0 
3.5 

0.0 

0.0 


Fig.  18-7.  Concentration  gradient  of  growth  hormone  (in  terms  of  Avena  curvature) 
at  various  levels  in  a  twig  of  Aesculus  on  May  16,  when  the  growth  of  the  current 
year  ( above  arrow )  was  just  completed.  ( From  Avery,  Burkholder,  and  Creighton. ) 


GROWTH  SUBSTANCES  AND  CORRELATION 

Of  much  significance  for  morphogenesis  is  the  role  of  growth  sub- 
stances in  the  correlation  of  growth  (Thimann,  1954/?).  Here  is  involved 
the  whole  problem  of  organized  development.  These  substances  seem  to 
be  the  agents  by  which  many  such  correlations  are  achieved,  but  one 
should  hesitate  to  call  them  "growth  regulators"  since  the  actual  regula- 
tion must  go  further  back,  to  the  mechanism  that  controls  their  distribu- 
tion and  local  concentration  and  binds  the  parts  and  processes  into  an 
organism. 

Differential  Movement.  An  important  fact  about  auxin  is  that  in  living 


384  Morphogenetic  Factors 

cells  it  does  not  move  in  all  directions  but  has  a  definitely  polar  flow, 
going  from  the  more  apical  regions  of  the  plant  downward  ( p.  141 ) .  This 
was  first  observed  in  the  oat  coleoptile,  where  auxin  is  formed  at  the  tip 
and  then  passes  basipetally,  regardless  of  how  the  axis  is  oriented.  If  a 
portion  of  the  coleoptile  is  cut  off  and  inverted  and  auxin  is  then  applied 
to  the  end  now  uppermost,  it  will  not  move  downward,  though  auxin 
placed  at  the  other  end  will  move  up,  in  the  original  polar  direction. 
Such  polar  transport  is  also  shown  in  the  stem  axis,  in  which  auxin 
moves  down  through  the  phloem.  Inverted  stems,  after  some  time  and 
apparently  after  the  development  of  some  new  vascular  tissues,  may  gain 
the  ability  to  transport  auxin  in  the  opposite  direction  from  the  original 
one  (Went,  1941). 

Auxin  transport  may  not  invariably  be  polar,  for  Jacobs  (1954)  has 
reported  that,  if  relatively  weak  concentrations  are  used  instead  of  the 
strong  ones  commonly  employed  in  experiments,  there  is  a  good  deal  of 
upward  translocation.  In  a  young  internode  of  Coleus  he  found  that 
about  one-third  as  much  auxin  moved  upward  as  downward.  He  also  ob- 
served that  in  young  bean  hypocotyls,  although  auxin  transport  was  al- 
ways basipetal,  the  ability  to  transport  it  at  all  was  lacking  in  very  young 
seedlings  but  increased  as  they  grew  older.  It  was  greatest  in  the  upper 
portion  of  the  hypocotyl  and  decreased  toward  the  base.  Oserkowsky 
( 1942 )  concluded  that  where  auxin  moves  only  basipetally  it  is  carried 
in  living  cells  but  that  transport  in  both  directions  may  result  from 
diffusion  through  dead  cells  or  cell  walls.  Leopold  and  Guernsey  (1953fl) 
showed  that  in  Coleus  the  flow  was  clearly  basipetal  in  the  shoot  and 
in  the  opposite  direction  in  the  root  ( Fig.  18-8 )  and  that  flowering  stems 
transport  auxin  in  both  directions.  Haupt  (1956),  however,  reports  that 
polar  transport  of  auxin  is  as  clear  in  the  floral  structures  he  studied  as  it 
is  in  vegetative  shoots.  Niedergang-Kamien  and  Skoog  ( 1956 )  were  able 
to  reduce  or  inhibit  polar  flow  by  triiodobenzoic  acid  (Fig.  18-9)  and 
suggest  that  the  reported  effect  of  this  substance  on  growth  correlations 
is  due  to  this  fact. 

Nevertheless,  polar  transport  of  auxin  seems  to  be  a  general  phenome- 
non and  is  obviously  of  much  morphogenetic  importance  since  it  under- 
lies the  marked  structural  differentiation  between  the  two  ends  of  the 
plant  axis.  It  is  probably  involved  in  the  polar  character  of  regeneration 
(p.  119)  and  in  many  other  developmental  events. 

Auxin  flow  may  show  a  transverse  as  well  as  a  longitudinal  polarity, 
notably  in  geotropic  movements.  The  accumulation  of  auxin  in  the 
lower  half  of  a  horizontally  placed  axis,  although  doubtless  a  response  to 
the  stimulus  of  gravity,  is  not  simply  a  downward  diffusion  but  is  made 
possible  by  differential  and  unidirectional  changes  in  the  permeability 
of  the  cells.   Such  transverse  polarities  have  been  emphasized  by  de 


Growth  Substances 


385 


Haan  (1936),  who  reexamined  the  fact  earlier  noted  by  Noll  that  when 
primary  roots  are  bent,  lateral  roots  grow  chiefly  from  their  convex  sides 
(Fig.  18-10).  He  observed  that  in  such  cases  the  root  primordia,  push- 
ing out  through  the  cortex,  bend  toward  what  is  at  that  point  the  convex 
side  of  the  root  (Fig.  18-11),  and  he  interprets  this  as  the  result  of  a 
transverse  polar  gradient  in  a  root-forming  hormone.  Such  transverse 
reactions  of  plants  are  extensively  discussed  by  Borgstrom  (1939),  who 
shows  their  importance  in  many  structural  and  physiological  characters 
of  plants. 


TIP 


0     0  2    0.4  06    08     1.0 
CONC    TIBA     IN    MG./L 


Fig.  18-8.  Relative  amount  of  basipetal  Fig.  18-9.  Effect  of  2,3,5-triiodobenzoic 
transport  of  auxin  in  various  regions  of  acid  on  polar  transport  of  auxin.  Graph 
the  vegetative  and  of  the  flowering  axis       showing   reduction    in    amount    of    auxin 


of  Coleus  ( From  Leopold  and  Guernsey. ) 


transported  basipetally  in  sunflower  epi- 
cotyl  cylinders  which  had  been  pre- 
treated  for  2/2  hours  with  various  concen- 
trations of  TIBA.  (From  Niedergang- 
Kamien  and  Skoog. ) 


No  satisfactory  explanation  of  polar  auxin  transport  is  available  (p.  361). 
The  suggestion  of  Went  (1932)  that  electrophoretic  diffusion  might  ac- 
count for  it  has  been  shown  by  Clark  ( 1938 )  to  be  doubtful,  since  the 
polar  transport  of  auxin  can  be  abolished  by  the  application  of  sodium 
glycocholate  without  producing  any  change  in  the  electrical  polarity. 
Schrank,  however,  in  a  series  of  papers  ( 1957  and  others )  presents  evi- 
dence that  electrical  polarity  is  the  essential  basis  for  the  polar  transport 
of  auxin.  The  question  of  auxin  transport  is  part  of  the  more  general  one 
as  to  why  many  substances  move  about  the  plant  in  certain  directions 
more  than  in  others.  Auxin  is  doubtless  important  in  the  development  of 
growth  patterns,  and  an  understanding  of  the  mechanism  of  its  differen- 
tial movement  would  clear  up  many  morphogenetic  problems. 


386  Morphogenetic  Factors 

Dominance,  Inhibition,  and  Stimulation.  Whatever  the  mechanism  for 
the  differential  distribution  of  growth  substances  may  be,  there  is  no  ques- 
tion that  it  has  much  to  do  with  the  effect  of  one  part  on  another  and 
thus  with  growth  correlation  in  general  (Chap.  4). 

Meristematic  regions  are  commonly  centers  of  auxin  production,  and 
from  them  this  substance  moves  to  others  where  it  may  either  stimulate 
or  inhibit  growth.  The  most  familiar  example  of  this  is  the  so-called 
dominance  of  apical  buds.  It  is  well  known  that  in  most  cases,  if  such  a 


Fig.  18-10.  Curved  primary  root  of  a  lu- 
pine seedling,  showing  lateral  roots  grow- 
ing from  convex  sides  only.  (After  Noll.) 


Fig.  18-11.  Cross  section  of  a  curved  root 
like  that  in  Fig.  18-10,  showing  that  the 
lateral  root,  in  its  course  through  the 
cortex,  bends  toward  the  convex  side,  X. 
(After  Noll.) 


bud  is  present,  the  buds  below  it  will  not  grow  but  that  they  will  do  so 
if  the  apical  bud  is  removed.  Thimann  and  Skoog  (1934)  showed  that  if 
this  apical  bud  is  cut  off  and  paste  containing  indoleacetic  acid  placed 
on  the  stump  the  lower  buds  will  not  develop,  though  in  the  controls, 
with  paste  alone,  they  do  so.  Such  a  result  has  been  confirmed  many 
times  and  has  led  to  the  widely  held  view  that  auxin  inhibits  growth  of 
the  lower  buds  and  thus  produces  the  dominance  of  the  apical  one. 

Snow,  in  a  series  of  papers  (1937,  1940,  and  others),  calls  attention  to 
some  facts  that  are  not  easily  explained  on  this  hypothesis.  He  finds  that 


Growth  Substances  387 

buds  farthest  from  the  apex  are  most  inhibited,  which  does  not  seem 
logical  if  auxin  from  the  terminal  bud  is  the  inhibitor.  Furthermore, 
inhibition  may  sometimes  pass  upward,  although  auxin  typically  passes 
downward.  Snow  believes  that  auxin  is  either  changed  into  an  inhibiting 
substance  (for  which  Libbert,  1955,  has  evidence)  or  stimulates  the  pro- 
duction of  one  and  that  the  greater  the  distance  from  the  apex,  the 
greater  the  amount  of  the  inhibitor.  Such  a  substance  is  not  polar  in 
movement  and  can  thus  pass  into  lateral  buds  as  auxin  presumably  can- 
not. 

Champagnat  ( 1955  and  others )  has  studied  especially  the  effects  upon 
bud  growth  of  the  cotyledons  or  leaves  that  subtend  them  and  comes  to 
the  conclusion  that  both  inhibitory  and  stimulatory  substances  are  in- 
volved. 

Thimann  (1954£>)  is  inclined  to  think  that  auxin  itself  is  the  major 
inhibiting  influence  and  that  the  various  apparent  objections  to  this 
hypothesis  may  be  met  by  assuming  that  auxin  may  sometimes  move  in 
an  apolar  direction  and  that  its  effects  may  be  different  under  different 
circumstances.  He  does  not  rule  out  the  possibility  of  the  existence  of 
other  and  specifically  inhibiting  substances. 

Meanwhile  other  workers  have  emphasized  the  importance  of  nu- 
trition in  apical  dominance.  Van  Overbeek  (1938)  observed  that  after 
removal  of  the  terminal  bud  the  auxin  content  of  the  stem  decreases.  He 
believes  that  in  some  way  auxin  blocks  the  passage  of  nutrients  to  the 
lateral  buds,  which  have  only  a  poor  vascular  connection  with  the  main 
cylinder.  When  the  amount  of  auxin  is  reduced  a  better  connection  is 
established,  nutrients  enter  the  buds,  and  thev  begin  to  develop. 

The  nutrient  theory  of  apical  dominance  is  strongly  supported  by 
Gregory  and  Veale  (1957).  They  suggest  that  the  degree  of  dominance 
is  proportional  to  the  supply  of  available  carbohydrate  and  nitrogen  and 
that  competition  among  the  various  buds  explains  the  difference  in  relative 
bud  growth.  Auxin  is  concerned  in  this  competition  since  a  high  auxin 
content  prevents  the  formation  of  the  vascular  connections  between  bud 
and  vascular  cvlinder. 

The  underlying  mechanism  in  such  an  apparently  simple  phenomenon 
as  bud  dominance  is  still  by  no  means  clear.  The  general  fact  of  domi- 
nance is  established,  however,  and  helps  toward  an  understanding  of 
some  of  the  differences  among  plants  in  their  bodily  patterns,  for  what- 
ever determines  bud  growth  determines  the  shape  of  the  plant.  There  are 
usually  a  great  number  of  potential  growing  points  on  an  axis  but  most 
of  them  do  not  develop  into  shoots,  apparentlv  because  of  inhibitory' 
action  mediated  in  one  way  or  another  by  growth  substances.  Plants  differ 
in  the  degree  of  this  inhibition.  For  example,  in  Aster  novaeangliae  there 
is   one  main   stem  with   only  a   few   floral   branches   at   the  top.   Aster 


388  Morpho genetic  Factors 

multiflorus,  on  the  other  hand,  is  much  branched  and  bushy.  Delisle 
( 1937 )  found  that  in  the  former  species  the  concentration  of  auxin  at  the 
tip  was  high  (Fig.  18-12).  In  the  latter  it  was  much  lower,  suggesting 
that  the  copious  branching  resulted  from  weak  inhibition.  After  re- 
moval of  the  apex  in  the  young  plant,  A.  novaeangliae  became  much 
branched,  and  application  of  auxin  to  the  tip  of  A.  multiflorus  resulted 
in  the  growth  of  a  main  stem  with  relatively  small  branches.  Thus  an 
important  taxonomic  character  is  related  to  the  amount  of  auxin  present 
in  the  plant. 

Many  of  the  effects  of  growth  substance  in  correlation  are  stimulatory 
rather  than  inhibitory.  There  is  a  close  relation,  for  example,  between  the 
presence  of  growing  seeds  and  the  development  of  a  fruit,  the  seeds  pro- 
ducing the  auxin  necessary  for  fruit  growth.  In  some  cases,  as  has  been 


20 


5  15 

8 


» 


20 


30  40  SO 

LENGTH  Or    TIP    IN   MM 


60 


SO 


Fig.  18-12.  Effect  of  auxin  on  inhibition  of  branching  in  Aster.  Auxin  concentrations 
at  successive  distances  from  apex  in  A.  novaeangliae,  an  unbranched  species.  The 
amount  of  auxin  in  A.  multiflorus,  which  is  more  branched.,  is  considerably  less.  ( From 
Delisle. ) 


mentioned,  synthetic  growth  substances  may  be  substituted  for  the 
natural  auxin  and  seedless  fruits  produced.  Growth  of  the  receptacle 
may  also  be  related  to  seed  production.  When  Nitsch  (1950)  removed 
the  growing  achenes  from  a  strawberry,  the  fleshy  portion  stopped  grow- 
ing, but  if  synthetic  growth  substance  replaced  the  achenes,  the  normal 
development  of  the  strawberry  was  resumed  (Figs.  18-13,  18-14).  If 
only  some  of  the  achenes  were  removed,  the  weight  of  the  mature  ripe 
fruit  was  proportional  to  the  number  of  achenes  remaining.  Nitsch  found 
that  the  achenes  contained  a  large  amount  of  auxin  but  that  this  was 
absent  from  the  receptacle. 

Galston  ( 1948 )  has  described  an  example  of  competitive  correlation 
in  asparagus.  Root  primordia,  stimulated  by  auxin,  are  formed  during 


Growth  Substances 


389 


a  period  of  minimum  stem  growth,  but  once  they  are  laid  down,  stem 
growth  again  accelerates.  Compensatory  correlations  (p.  98)  of  various 
sorts  also  have  their  basis  in  auxin  action.  Removal  of  the  root  tip  almost 
always   stimulates    growth    of   lateral    roots   below    it,   somewhat    as    in 


Fig.  18-13.  Relation  of  presence  of  achenes  to  growth  of  strawberry.  All  achenes 
have  been  removed  early  in  development  except  three  vertical  rows  ( left )  or  three 
horizontal  ones  (right).  Growth  of  the  receptacle  is  limited  to  the  region  in  contact 
with  the  achenes.  ( From  Nitsch. ) 

Mar.,  1950] 


30 


25 


20 


15 


10 


DIAME  TER 
IN      MM. 


I 
2 


O o- — o o o 


le 


is 


18 


21 


25 


DAYS  AFTER  POLLINATION 
Fig.  18-14.  Auxin  and  growth  of  the  straw- 
berry. Curve  1,  control.  Curve  2,  growth  of 
fruit  from  which  all  achenes  were  removed 
and  auxin  in  lanolin  paste  substituted.  Curve 
3,  like  2  but  without  the  auxin.  (From 
Nitsch. ) 


Fig.  18-15.  Effect  of  2,4-D  on 
leaf  shape.  Below,  leaf  of  un- 
treated plant  of  Pisum  sativum. 
Above,  plant  treated  with  2,4-D 
paste.   ( From  Wenck. ) 


390  Morpho genetic  Factors 

apical-bud  dominance.  Active  growth  of  lateral  roots  may  also  inhibit 
apical  growth  (Street  and  Roberts,  1952). 

Correlations  of  position  may  be  the  result  of  auxin  activity  in  many 
cases.  Thus  where  an  upright  terminal  shoot  of  a  coniferous  tree  is  re- 
moved, one  of  the  lateral  branches  will  swing  up  from  its  nearly  horizontal 
position  to  a  vertical  one  and  replace  the  lost  leader,  evidently  in  re- 
sponse to  the  absence  of  auxin  previously  produced  by  the  apical  bud.  In 
woody  plants  the  orientation  of  branches  with  reference  to  the  main 
axis  and  to  gravity  also  seems  to  be  due  to  auxin  action  since  it  is  regu- 
lated by  the  production  of  reaction  wood  ( p.  356 ) ,  which  seems  to  result 
from  the  presence  of  auxin.  The  precise  amount  of  auxin  (and  thus  of 
reaction  wood  formed)  determines  the  angle  that  a  given  branch 
will  assume  and  thus  the  branching  pattern  and  form  of  the  whole  tree. 

The  form  of  individual  organs,  ultimately  the  result  of  dimensional 
correlations,  may  be  affected  by  growth  substances,  particularly  in  leaves 
(von  Denffer,  1951;  Linser  and  others,  1955;  Wenck,  1952;  Fig.  18-15). 

Such  correlating  activities  are  doubtless  present  in  the  lower  plants  as 
well.  Moner  (1954)  describes  the  action  of  a  substance,  as  yet  unidenti- 
fied, which  is  concerned  with  the  development  of  the  precisely  formed 
colonies  of  the  alga  Pediastrum. 

Much  evidence  is  therefore  available  that  the  correlated  and  integrated 
character  of  the  plant,  whatever  its  final  cause  may  be,  is  the  immediate 
result  of  specific  amounts  of  growth  substances  at  specific  places  and 
times.  What  controls  this  precise  production  and  distribution  of  these 
substances  is  a  more  difficult  problem. 

GROWTH  SUBSTANCES  AND  THE  DETERMINATION 

OF  STRUCTURE 

The  effect  of  growth  substances  on  the  specific  form  and  structure  of 
plants  has  attracted  more  attention  than  any  other  of  their  morpho- 
genetic  activities. 

Tropisms  and  other  auxin-mediated  orientations  of  plant  parts  to  cer- 
tain factors  in  the  environment,  notably  gravity  and  light,  account  for 
many  features  of  external  form,  though  the  familiar  patterns  of  plant 
growth  are  produced  by  interaction  between  these  tropisms  and  certain 
specific  inner  factors.  Sometimes  a  simple  tropism  may  produce  such 
a  profound  change  in  plant  form  as  to  be  significant  morphogenetically. 
In  "lazy"  maize  (van  Overbeek,  1936),  for  example,  the  stalk  grows 
flat  on  the  ground,  not  through  mechanical  weakness  but  because  of  the 
characteristic  distribution  of  auxin  in  it.  Tropisms  are  primarily  the 
concern  of  physiology,  however,  and  there  is  no  room  here  to  consider 
the  extensive  literature  in  which  they  are  discussed. 


Growth  Substances  391 

The  arrangement  of  structures  in  a  radially  symmetrical  pattern  doubt- 
less involves  differential  distribution  of  auxin,  but  little  is  known 
about  this.  When  such  radially  symmetrical  structures  are  placed  in  a 
horizontal  position  they  often  tend  to  become  dorsiventral,  as  in  certain 
flowers  and  stems.  Since  most  such  direct  effects  of  gravity  seem  to  be 
produced  by  differential  distribution  of  auxin,  as  in  the  well-known 
cases  of  geotropism,  auxin  presumably  is  involved  in  structural  dorsi- 
ventrality  as  well.  Its  role  here  in  young  liverwort  plants  has  been 
described  by  Kohlenbach  ( 1957 ) . 

Of  wider  morphogenetic  interest  are  the  effects  of  growth  substances 
on  the  determination  of  specific  structures.  From  his  study  of  flower 
production  Sachs  (1882)  suggested  that  organ-forming  substances  are 
operative  in  plants,  especially  in  the  determination  of  flowers  and  roots. 
The  growth  of  knowledge  of  morphogenetically  effective  substances 
revived  interest  in  this  hypothesis,  and  it  has  stimulated  a  wide  range  of 
experiments  which  have  thrown  much  light  on  the  mechanisms  of  de- 
velopment. Organ-forming  substances  of  many  types  have  been  postu- 
lated in  the  formation  of  roots,  stems,  leaves,  flowers,  galls,  sexual  struc- 
tures, and  others.  Just  how  such  substances  produce  their  effects  is  not 
known,  and  the  actual  existence  of  some  of  them  is  not  yet  proved,  but 
the  theoretical,  and  also  the  practical,  importance  of  these  problems  is 
great.  The  most  obvious  way  to  account  for  development  is  to  postulate 
the  operation  of  a  series  of  such  substances.  The  difficulties  of  this  con- 
ception, however,  are  obvious,  for  a  very  large  number  of  them  would  be 
necessary.  The  tendency  today  is  to  assume  the  activity  of  a  relatively 
small  number  and  to  explain  the  variety  and  specificity  of  their  effects 
through  their  interactions  and  in  other  ways. 

Root  Formation.  Van  der  Lek  (1925)  observed  that  a  piece  of  stem 
(used  as  a  cutting),  on  which  there  was  a  bud  or  young  leaf,  formed 
roots  at  its  base,  whereas  a  naked  stem  piece  did  so  much  less  readily  or 
not  at  all.  This  suggested  that  there  was  a  substance,  formed  in  buds 
and  leaves,  that  moved  downward  and  stimulated  root  production.  Went 
( 1929 )  demonstrated  this  by  showing  that  an  extract  from  the  leaves  of 
Acalypha,  applied  to  the  apex  of  a  cutting,  promoted  root  formation  at 
its  base.  Several  workers  soon  discovered  that  auxin  and  various  natural 
and  synthetic  substances  also  have  this  effect  and  that  cuttings  could 
be  made  to  root  by  the  application  of  such  substances. 

In  1935  Laibach  and  Fischnich  described  a  technique  by  which  indole- 
acetic  acid  in  lanolin  paste  applied  to  a  stem  would  promote  root  for- 
mation. In  the  same  year  Zimmerman  and  Wilcoxon  ( 1935 )  reported 
that  several  synthetic  substances  such  as  indolebutyric,  indolepropionic, 
phenylacetic,  and  naphthaleneacetic  acids  had  this  effect  and  could 
be  used  in  horticultural  practice  to  hasten  the  rooting  of  cuttings  when 


392  M or pho genetic  Factors 

this  was  otherwise  slow  or  difficult.  The  root-forming  activity  of 
2,4-dichlorophyenoxyacetic  acid,  2,4-D  (Zimmerman  and  Hitchcock,  1942), 
was  especially  conspicuous.  By  their  application  in  paste  or  other  means 
under  favorable  conditions  root  initials  may  be  produced  almost  any- 
where on  the  plant.  These  substances  are  not  equally  active,  and  some  of 
them  which  have  less  value  in  root  formation  show  other  morphogenetic 
effects.  "Root-forming  hormones"  are  now  familiar  aids  in  plant  propa- 
gation (Fig.  18-16).  These  substances  are  chiefly  effective  in  the  produc- 
tion of  root  primordia  and  in  most  cases  they  actually  check  the  later 
growth  of  the  roots.  Because  of  their  great  theoretical  and  practical  in- 
terest, much  work  has  been  done  on  the  root-forming  effects  of  growth 


Fig.  18-16.  Effect  of  "root  hormones"  on  cuttings  of  holly.  At  left,  controls.  At  right, 
plants  treated  with  mixture  of  indolebutyric  and  naphthaleneacetic  acid.  (Courtesy 
Boyce  Thompson  Institute. ) 

substances.  There  are  a  number  of  general  reviews  of  this  work,  among 
them  Pearse,  1939;  Thimann  and  Behnke,  1947;  and  Avery  and  Johnson, 
1947. 

The  movement  of  synthetic  substances,  like  that  of  natural  auxin,  is 
polar  except  when  their  concentration  is  high.  If  applied  at  the  apical 
end  of  a  cutting,  they  tend  to  pass  downward  and  to  stimulate  root  for- 
mation at  the  base.  If  applied  basally,  they  form  roots  there.  The  experi- 
ments of  Czaja  and  others  have  previously  been  described  (p.  124)  in 
which  regeneration  in  pieces  of  root  is  also  polar  in  character,  shoot  buds 
forming  on  the  upper  end  and  root  primordia  on  the  lower.  This  is  evi- 
dently owing  to  the  accumulation  of  auxin  at  the  lower  (distal)  end  and 
its  consequent  relatively  low  concentration  at  the  upper  one,  a  low  con- 
centration being  related  to  shoot  growth  and  a  higher  one  to  root  growth 


Growth  Substances 


393 


(Fig.  18-17).  When  slices  were  repeatedly  trimmed  off  from  the  lower 
surface,  shoot  primordia  began  to  appear  there,  presumably  because  of 
the  removal  of  auxin  and  the  consequent  reduction  in  its  concentration. 
When  concentrations  of  growth  substances  are  much  higher  than  in 
natural  conditions,  they  tend  to  have  a  local  effect  and  to  produce  a 
downward  bending  of  the  leaves  (hyponasty )  and  the  formation  of  callus. 
Upon  the  latter,  root  primordia  often  appear.  Growth  substances  ap- 
plied to  the  soil  may  be  absorbed,  carried  up  in  the  transpiration  stream, 
and  affect  the  structure  of  the  growing  plant. 


.INCREASE 
AUXIN 


UNTREATED 


DECREASE 
AUXIN 


INTACT 
ROOT 


ROOT 
SEGMENTS 


AFTER 
REGENERATION 


Fig.  18-17.  Auxin  and  regeneration.  In  a  root  segment  of  Taraxacum,  placed  hori- 
zontally (2),  regeneration  is  normally  polar,  shoots  developing  at  the  proximal  end 
and  roots  at  the  distal  one  (see  Fig.  6-4).  When  the  amount  of  auxin  is  increased  at 
the  proximal  end,  roots  are  produced  there  ( 1 ) .  When  it  is  decreased  at  the  distal 
end,  shoots  develop  there  ( 3 ) .  ( From  Warmke  and  Warmke. ) 

It  is  recognized  that  growth  substances  are  not  the  only  factors  con- 
cerned in  root  formation.  A  supply  of  sugar  is  necessary.  Indeed,  the 
stimulating  effect  of  leaves  on  root  formation  may  be  due  in  part  to  their 
production  of  nutrients.  In  grafting  experiments  between  rooting  and 
nonrooting  varieties  of  Hibiscus,  van  Overbeek  and  Gregory  (1945) 
found  that  something  formed  in  the  leaves,  in  combination  with  auxin, 
is  required  for  root  growth,  and  van  Overbeek,  Gordon,  and  Gregory 
(1946)  showed  that  this  is  not  a  hormone  since  it  can  be  replaced  by 
sucrose  or  nitrogenous  substances.  The  importance  of  a  high  carbohy- 
drate-nitrogen ratio  in  root  determination   has   already  been   discussed 


394  Morpho genetic  Factors 

(p.  367).  Torrey  (1950)  observed  that  pea  root  tips  transferred  directly 
to  a  culture  medium  provided  with  IAA  produce  lateral  roots  at  once 
but  that  tips  transferred  after  growing  a  week  in  culture  do  not  do  so  for 
some  time.  A  substance  (not  auxin)  stimulating  lateral  root  formation 
seems  to  originate  in  the  lower  part  of  the  root  and  moves  upward, 
producing  laterals  in  acropetal  succession. 

It  has  been  observed  that  the  rooting  response  is  often  altered  (gen- 
erally increased )  when  two  different  substances,  such  as  indoleacetic  acid 
and  naphthaleneacetic  acid,  are  combined.  Went  (1939)  applied  dif- 
ferent substances  successively  rather  than  in  mixtures  and  found  that 
cuttings  of  etiolated  pea  seedlings,  which  do  not  root  after  treatment 
with  auxin  alone,  will  do  so  if  phenylacetic  acid  is  first  used,  though 
this  substance  by  itself  is  ineffective.  He  believes  root  formation  results 
from  the  interaction  of  two  factors  and  suggests  that  phenylacetic  acid 
may  act  to  mobilize  or  activate  a  specific  root-forming  factor,  rhizocaline 
(Bouillenne  and  Went,  1933;  Bouillenne,  1950;  Libbert,  1956).  The 
question  of  the  existence  of  such  a  specific  factor  has  been  studied  by  a 
number  of  workers.  Evidence  for  it  is  largely  indirect,  and  rhizocaline 
has  not  been  isolated;  but  auxin  is  evidently  not  the  only  factor  operative 
in  the  initiating  of  root  primordia. 

It  must  not  be  concluded  that  growth  substances  can  produce  roots 
anywhere  on  the  plant.  They  are  often  formed,  to  be  sure,  in  unusual 
places,  as  along  the  surface  of  the  stem.  Even  in  such  instances,  how- 
ever, the  initiation  of  root  primordia  does  not  take  place  anywhere  and 
indiscriminately  but  only  in  certain  cells  or  at  certain  zones  that  are 
potentially  capable  of  forming  them.  At  such  points  roots  may  be  formed 
under  the  stimulus  of  other  factors  such  as  ethylene,  carbon  monoxide, 
wounding,  or  abnormal  nutrition.  The  nature  and  location  of  such  re- 
gions are  variable  and  depend  on  the  general  growth  pattern  of  the  plant 
treated.  There  is  a  difference,  for  example,  between  monocotyledons  and 
dicotyledons  as  to  rooting  response.  Treatment  with  growth  substances 
is  one  of  the  methods  by  which  knowledge  may  be  gained  as  to  the 
potentialities  of  various  cells  and  tissues,  not  only  for  root  formation  but 
for  other  developmental  activities. 

Auxin  and  Rhizoids.  Auxin  is  present  in  the  coenocytic  alga  Bryopsis 
and  is  most  abundant  in  that  part  of  the  plant  where  rhizoids  are  com- 
monest. Jacobs  (1951)  finds  that  an  application  of  indoleacetic  acid 
stimulates  rhizoid  formation  in  the  region  where  these  are  least  abundant. 
He  regards  this  as  analogous  to  the  effect  of  auxin  on  root  initiation  in 
higher  plants. 

Leaf  Formation.  Attempts  have  been  made  to  find  substances  which 
might  be  involved  specifically  in  the  development  and  growth  of  the 
leaf  blade.  In  some  cases  leaf  growth  is  dependent  on  the  presence  of  a 


Growth  Substances 


395 


factor  coming  from  the  cotyledons.  Pilet  (1952)  observed  that  Semper- 
vivum  leaves  parasitized  by  Endophyllum  sempervdvi  contain  much 
more  auxin  than  normal  ones  and,  presumably  for  this  reason,  are  accel- 
erated in  their  development.  The  effectiveness  of  adenine  in  leaf  formation 
has  been  observed  by  various  workers  (D.  Bonner  and  Haagen-Smit, 
1939).  Auxin  does  not  seem  to  promote  the  growth  of  the  blade  as  a  whole, 


V 


Fig.  18-18.  Section  through  leaf  blades 
of  Kalanchoe  Blossfeldiana.  At  left,  from 
a  plant  grown  under  long  days.  At  right, 
from  one  grown  under  short  days.  The 
difference  in  thickness  is  entirely  due  to 
cell  size.  (  From  Harder  and  von  Witsch. ) 


however,  although  when  embryonic  leaves  are  treated  with  it,  various 
changes  may  be  produced  (Laibach  and  Fischnich,  1936;  Zimmerman, 
1951k;  Applegate  and  Hamner,  1957).  These  are  probably  to  be  looked 
upon  as  injuries  rather  than  formative  effects.  Wenck  (1952)  has  studied 
the  stimulatory  and  inhibitory  effects  of  auxin  and  of  various  auxin 
antagonists  on  leaf  growth  in  a  number  of  species. 


396  Morpho genetic  Factors 

Went  ( 1938 )  here  postulated  a  phyllocaline,  analogous  to  rhizocaline. 
Later  ( 1951/?)  he  extended  his  concept  of  the  calines  more  fully  into  the 
details  of  leaf  form  and  structure.  He  calls  attention  to  the  importance  of 
adenine  for  mesophyll  growth  and  shows  that  vein  tissue,  on  the  other 
hand,  can  be  increased  by  auxin  without  affecting  mesophyll  develop- 
ment. There  are  thus  two  morphogenetic  tendencies  in  leaf  development: 
one  toward  the  formation  of  veins  and  induced  by  auxin  and  the  other 
of  mesophyll,  induced  by  adenine.  Whatever  factor  induces  the  former 
( as  well  as  the  stem  and  petiole )  may  be  called  a  caulocaline  and  the  lat- 
ter a  phyllocaline,  whatever  their  chemical  nature  may  turn  out  to  be. 
Leaf  shape  is  affected  by  the  balance  between  the  two.  Leaves  with  a 
dominance  of  phyllocaline  will  tend  to  be  palmate  for  they  will  have  an 
excess  of  mesophyll,  whereas  those  with  more  caulocaline  will  tend  to  be 
pinnate  or  parallel-veined,  since  they  will  have  relatively  more  vein 
tissue.  One  may  question,  however,  whether  the  problem  of  organic  form 
can  be  solved  quite  as  simply  as  this. 

Harder  ( 1948 )  observed  that  in  certain  succulents,  such  as  Kalanchoe 
Blossfeldiarui,  variations  in  leaf  shape  and  structure  depend  on  the  day- 
length.  Plants  grown  under  short  days  have  short,  apetiolate,  and  markedly 
succulent  leaves  (Fig.  18-18).  A  single  leaf  subjected  to  short  days  will 
transmit  this  "short-day  shape"  to  the  immature  leaves  above  it  which  are 
developing  under  a  long  day-length.  This  effect  Harder  and  von  Witsch 
(1940b)  attribute  to  a  growth  substance  they  call  metapkisin,  which  is 
not  identical  with  either  auxin  or  florigen. 

Stem  Formation.  It  has  proved  difficult  to  demonstrate  any  substances 
specifically  related  to  the  growth  of  the  stem.  Went  (1938)  decapitated 
pea  seedlings  and  measured  the  length  of  the  secondary  lateral  branches. 
He  gives  evidence  that  stem  growth  here  depended  on  the  roots,  not  on 
the  cotyledons,  and  suggests  that  it  was  due  to  caulocaline  in  conjunction 
with  auxin.  In  later  experiments  neither  auxin  from  the  apex  nor  water 
supply  from  the  root  appeared  to  control  stem  growth,  and  Went  again 
attributed  this  to  caulocaline  coming  from  the  stem  base  and  the  root 
system. 

Flower  Formation.  The  existence  of  flower-forming  substances  has  a 
firmer  foundation.  They  were  postulated  by  Sachs,  who  held  them  re- 
sponsible for  changing  a  plant  from  a  vegetative  to  a  reproductive  state. 
The  demonstration  that  such  a  change  could  be  induced  by  altering  the 
carbohydrate-nitrogen  ratio  (p.  366)  and  by  photoperiodism  (p.  315)  cast 
doubt  upon  this  idea.  More  recent  work,  however,  has  come  to  its  support. 
Kuijper  and  Wiersum  (1936),  for  example,  found  that  if  a  soybean  plant 
is  brought  to  a  flowering  state  by  exposure  to  short  day-lengths  and 
another  kept  flowerless  by  long  days  a  shoot  of  the  former  grafted  into  the 
latter  causes  the  flowerless  plant  to  form  flowers  abundantly.  Hamner 


Growth  Substances  397 

and  Bonner  (1938)  reported  that  this  effect  could  be  produced  in 
Xanthium  through  a  barrier  of  lens  paper  without  actual  union  of  tissues. 
Withrow  and  Withrow  ( 1943),  however,  failed  to  confirm  this  and  showed 
that  where  transmission  of  the  flowering  stimulus  had  occurred  there 
had  been  a  slight  fusion  between  cells  which  had  grown  through  the  lens 
paper.  Nevertheless,  in  grafting  experiments  like  these,  a  substance  evi- 
dently passes  from  scion  to  stock  across  the  graft  union  and  induces 
flowering.  To  such  a  substance  the  name  florigen  has  been  applied. 

Other  experiments  in  photoperiodism  also  suggest  the  operation  of  such 
a  flower-forming  substance.  Cajlachjan  (1938),  by  localizing  the  recep- 
tion of  the  photoperiodic  stimulus,  showed  that  this  was  received  by  the 
leaves  but  was  effective  in  flower  induction  at  growing  points  considerably 
distant  and  had  therefore  apparently  passed,  as  a  specific  substance,  down 
the  petiole,  along  the  stem,  and  into  a  lateral  branch.  Borthwick,  Parker, 
and  Heinze  (1941)  with  soybeans  found  similar  results.  Harder  (1948) 
observed  that  in  Kalanchoe  this  substance  passes  directly  down  the  stem 
from  the  site  of  induction  but  does  not  cross  it,  so  that  one  side  of  the 
plant  flowers  but  the  opposite  one  does  not. 

Unlike  auxin,  the  movement  of  which  is  usually  polar,  the  flower- 
inducing  agent  seems  able  to  travel  in  any  direction  in  the  plant.  Since 
local  applications  of  cold,  heat,  or  narcotics  reduce  or  inhibit  the  trans- 
port of  such  substances  from  centers  of  production  to  those  of  action, 
it  seems  probable  that  living  tissue  is  involved,  a  conclusion  supported 
by  girdling  experiments  of  Galston  ( 1949 )  and  others,  who  showed  that 
the  floral  stimulus  cannot  pass  across  a  water  gap. 

From  the  leaf  of  a  unifoliate  species  of  Streptocarpus  that  was  ready  to 
flower,  Oehlkers  (1955)  made  a  series  of  cuttings.  Those  from  the  base 
of  the  leaf  produced  flowers  at  once,  those  from  a  little  farther  up  pro- 
duced them  soon,  and  cuttings  from  near  the  tip  formed  only  vegetative 
shoots.  Oehlkers  believes  this  was  because  of  the  differential  distribution 
of  a  flower-forming  substance. 

Genie  differences  may  also  be  involved.  One  variety  of  Hyoscyamus 
niger  (henbane)  is  biennial  and  does  not  flower  until  its  second  year. 
Another  variety  is  annual.  If  from  the  annual  form  a  flowering  scion,  or 
leaf  from  one,  is  grafted  into  a  plant  of  the  biennial  race  during  its  first 
year,  the  latter  will  flower  in  this  season  (p.  264).  It  was  also  shown  that 
the  substance  here  concerned  was  not  limited  in  action  to  this  species  for 
a  flowering  scion  of  tobacco  or  petunia  (genera  in  the  same  family)  has 
the  same  effect  on  biennial  Hyoscyamus. 

This  nonspecificity  of  the  flowering  stimulus  is  also  evident  in  certain 
host-parasite  relationships.  Orobanche  minor  (one  of  the  broomrapes), 
when  parasitizing  clover,  flowers  only  when  the  host  plant  flowers  ( Holds- 
worth   and   Nutman,    1947).    Cuscuta   Gronovii    (dodder)    flowers   only 


398  Morpho genetic  Factors 

in  a  long  day  if  it  is  parasitic  on  the  long-day  plant  Calendula,  but  in  a 
short  day  if  it  is  parasitic  on  the  short-day  plant  Cosmos  (von  Denffer, 

1948). 

These  various  lines  of  evidence,  about  which  a  great  body  of  facts  has 
now  been  gathered,  suggest  that  there  are  one  or  more  specifically  flower- 
forming  substances.  None  of  these  florigens  has  yet  been  isolated  nor  is 
there  any  knowledge  as  to  their  chemical  nature.  Some  substance  that 
under  certain  conditions  stimulates  flowering  is  certainly  able  to  pass 
across  a  graft  union  and  thus  seems  hormonal  in  character.  This  sub- 
stance is  evidently  closely  involved  with  photoperiodism,  though  what  it 
does  depends  to  a  great  extent  on  the  amount  of  auxin  or  other  growth 
substances  present.  Thus  J.  Bonner  and  Thurlow  (1949)  completely  pre- 
vented flowering  in  the  short-day  plant  Xanthium   canadense,   grown 
under  short  days,  by  spraying  it  with  auxin,  and  leaves  thus  treated  did 
not  transmit  the  flowering  stimulus  by  grafting.  Substances  that  antago- 
nize auxin  action,  such  as  triiodobenzoic  acid,  increased  flowering  in  soy- 
beans (Galston,  1947).  De  Zeeuw  and  Leopold  (1956)  report  that  low 
auxin  concentrations  applied  to  two  short-day  species  promoted  floral 
initiation  if  applied  before  the  induction  period  but  are  less  effective 
afterward.  In  a  Xanthium  plant  defoliated  to  a  single  leaf,  Salisbury 
( 1955 )  found  that  auxin  inhibited  flowering  if  applied  before  the  flower- 
ing stimulus    (produced  by  photoperiodic  induction)    had  been   com- 
pletely translocated  from  the  leaf  but  promoted  it  if  applied  afterward. 
Leopold  and  Guernsey  ( 19535 ) ,  using  the  position  of  the  first  flower  in 
peas  as  a  measure  of  flower  initiation,  observed  that  a  number  of  sub- 
stances, notably  sucrose,  malic  acid,  and  arginine,  tended  to  inhibit  flower- 
ing but  that  this  inhibition  was  removed  by  auxin.  Although  flowering 
is  usually  an  "all  or  none"  reaction,   structures  intermediate  between 
flowers  and  vegetative  shoots  sometimes  occur.  Such  phyllody  has  been 
produced  through  manipulation  of  the  flowering  stimulus  by  Harder  and 
his  colleagues  (1947).  Gibberellin  is  often  effective  in  flower  induction 
(Lang,  1957). 

The  pineapple  (Clark  and  Kerns,  1942)  produces  flowers  abundantly 
if  naphthaleneacetic  acid  or  certain  other  growth  substances  are  applied 
by  spray  to  the  center  of  the  plant.  Van  Overbeek  (1946«)  has  shown 
that  plants  thus  treated  will  flower  under  long  days,  which  ordinarily 
inhibit  flowering  in  pineapple.  In  the  sweet  potato,  also,  Howell  and 
Wittwer  ( 1955 )  reported  that  flowering  can  be  induced  experimentally  by 
a  growth  substance. 

The  problem  of  the  relation  of  growth  substances  to  flowering  is  evi- 
dently a  complex  one.  It  is  the  basis  of  a  considerable  literature,  much 
of  which  can  be  found  in  Melchers  and  Lang  (1948),  Lang  (1952),  Bon- 
ner and  Liverman  ( 1953),  and  Liverman  ( 1955). 

Something  analogous  to  the  control  of  flowering  by  specific  substances 


Growth  Substances 


399 


is  even  to  be  found  in  the  algae,  for  von  Denffer  and  Hustede  (1955) 
were  able  to  shift  the  sexual  phase  of  Vaucheria  sessilis  to  the  vegetative 
one  by  treatment  with  indoleacetic  acid  (Fig.  18-19). 

Sex  Determination.  Both  in  the  determination  of  the  sex  of  individual 
plants  and  in  the  development  of  the  sex  organs,  growth  substances  of 
various  sorts  seem  to  be  effective. 

In  the  dioecious  species  Cannabis  sativa  (hemp)  it  is  possible  to  dis- 
tinguish genetically  male  from  genetically  female  plants  before  they 
flower.  Heslop-Harrison  (1956)  grew  plants  under  controlled  photo- 
periodic conditions  and  during  the  period  of  differentiation  of  flower 
buds  applied  naphthaleneacetic  acid  to  leaves  at  the  third  and  fourth 
nodes.  In  genetically  male  plants,  female  flowers  were  produced,  sug- 


-10        -11      . 
m        m        0 


JES  9/anJ 


Fig.  18-19.  Effect  of  different  concentra-  Fig.  18-20.  Young  prothallia  of  Pteridium 
tions  of  IAA  on  the  proliferation  of  an-  aquilinum  11  days  after  spore  germina- 
theridial  primordia  in  Vaucheria.  (From  tion.  A,  grown  on  agar  to  which  a  water 
von  Denffer  and  Hustede. )  extract  of  prothallia  was  added.  B,  grown 

on  ordinary  agar.  The  extract  stimulates 
early  development  of  antheridia.  (From 
Dbpp. ) 


gesting  that  sexuality  is  determined  by  the  concentration  of  native  auxin 
during  the  period  of  primordium  differentiation  and  that  femaleness  is 
associated  with  a  relatively  high  auxin  level.  In  Mercurialis  ambigua 
he  found  ( 1957)  that  carbon  monoxide  much  reduced  the  number  of  male 
flowers  in  genetically  monoecious  types,  presumably  by  its  effect  on 
auxin.  Laibach  and  Kribben  (1951)  painted  the  lower  surfaces  of  the 
leaves  of  cucumber,  a  monoecious  plant,  with  naphthaleneacetic  acid 
in  lanolin  and  caused  an  increase  in  the  proportion  of  female  flowers, 
sometimes  altogether  suppressing  the  differentiation  of  males.  Indole- 
acetic acid  they  found  to  be  less  effective  and  2,4-D  more  so.  Extending 
his  work  to  other  plants,  Laibach  concludes  (1953)  that,  in  general, 
female  flowers   or  female  parts  of  flowers   tend   to  differentiate  under 


400  Morphogenetic  Factors 

higher   concentrations   of   growth   substances   than   do   male   flowers   or 
parts. 

It  has  been  suggested  that  hormones  comparable  to  those  of  the  animal 
body  may  influence  sex  in  higher  plants.  Love  and  Love  ( 1946)  found  that 
in  Melandrium  dioicum  sex  expression  is  influenced  by  various  animal 
sex  hormones  applied  in  lanolin  to  the  axils  of  leaves  in  which  flower 
buds  are  to  develop.  Crystalline  estrone,  estradiol,  and  estradiol  ben- 
zoate  shifted  the  sex  of  the  flowers  toward  femaleness,  whereas  testos- 
terone and  its  propionate  promoted  maleness.  In  general,  hormones 
promoting  maleness  or  femaleness  in  animals  have  the  same  tendency 
in  Melandrium.  Some  doubt  has  been  cast  on  these  conclusions  by  Kuhn 
(1941),  who  studied  dioecious  species  of  Cannabis  and  Mercurialis. 
There  is  no  evidence  that  substances  identical  with  animal  sex  hor- 
mones are  formed  by  plants.  If  sex  in  dioecious  plants  is  determined  by 
specific  substances,  these  have  not  been  isolated  nor  can  they  be  passed 
from  one  plant  to  another  of  opposite  sex  by  grafting  (Yampolsky, 
1957). 

Maleness  in  ferns  seems  to  be  related  to  specific  substances.  Dopp 
(1950)  made  a  water  extract  of  the  prothallia  of  the  bracken  fern  which 
stimulated  the  production  of  antheridia  in  sporelings  4  to  8  weeks 
earlier  than  in  untreated  prothallia  (Fig.  18-20).  This  can  be  carried  in 
agar  media.  Naf  (1956)  confirmed  this  and  was  further  able  to  induce 
antheridium  formation  on  a  variety  of  other  related  ferns  even  though 
these  did  not  normally  produce  them  in  culture.  The  extract  from 
prothallia  of  types  of  ferns  that  form  antheridia  under  the  conditions  of 
culture  used  was  several  thousand  times  more  effective  than  were  extracts 
from  types  that  do  not  form  antheridia  under  these  conditions.  Such  ex- 
periments suggest  that  in  the  prothallia  of  all  polypodiaceous  ferns  there 
is  a  substance  that  stimulates  the  formation  of  male  sex  organs. 

Sex  hormones  have  also  been  found  in  all  the  thallophytes  except  the 
red  algae  and  the  basidiomycetes.  Burgeff  (1924)  reported  that  in  non- 
aquatic  types  such  as  Mucor  mucedo,  the  hyphae  of  two  different  sexes 
("plus"  and  "minus"  races)  influence  each  other  by  means  of  diffusible 
substances.  Kohler  (1935)  confirmed  these  results,  and  Plempel  (1957) 
has  reported  the  activity  of  four  substances  in  sexual  interactions  in  this 
species.  Kohler  found  that  in  Phy  corny  ces  Blakesleeanus  two  diffusible 
substances  are  produced  by  each  sex.  Krafczyk  ( 1931 )  showed  that  in 
Pilobolus  crystallinus  at  least  three  different  processes  are  chemically 
controlled:  the  characteristic  swelling  and  branching  of  the  hyphae,  the 
growth  of  hyphae  toward  each  other,  and  the  delimitation  of  the  game- 
tangia.  Machlis  ( 1958 )  has  found  in  the  water  mold  Allomyces  a  hor- 
mone, sirenin,  excreted  during  female  gametogenesis  that  attracts  the 
male  gametes  to  the  female  ones. 


Growth  Substances 


401 


Similar  processes  have  been  more  fully  studied  in  the  water  mold 
Achlya  by  J.  Raper  (1939-1957),  especially  in  A.  bisexualis  and  A.  ambi- 
sexualis  (Fig.  18-21).  Experiments  involving  the  transfer  of  mycelia 
into  water  where  plants  of  the  opposite  sex  had  been  growing,  and  the 
use  of  cellophane  membranes,  gave  evidence  that  in  the  very  regular 
sequence  of  the  sexual  process  four  diffusible  substances  are  concerned. 


A1  Augments 
'tf  Inhibits — - 


Production  of 


Antheridial  Hyphae 


<r- 


— A  Initiate 
Mutually  Aug. 
— ^Initiates 


A- Complex 


AttractioW^^TVv 


Anth.  HypriafF^ 


Delimitation    \.\\ 
of  Antheridia  ^ 


Production  of 
pi  Initials 


Delimitation  of 
Oogonia 

ifferentiation  of 
heres 


> 

Maturation  of 
Oospores 


Fig.   18-21.  Sex  hormones  in  Achlya.  Specific  activities  of  substances  A,  B,  C,  and  D 
in  the  development  and  function  of  the  sex  organs.  ( From  J.  Raper. ) 


402  Morpho genetic  Factors 

In  the  male  mycelium  antheridial  branches  are  first  induced  by  hormone 
A,  produced  by  the  female  mycelium.  The  antheridial  branches  then 
form  hormone  B,  which  induces  the  production  of  oogonial  initials  in 
the  female  plant.  These  structures  now  form  hormone  C,  which  causes 
the  antheridial  branches  to  grow  chemotropically  toward  the  oogo- 
nial initials.  Lastly,  it  appears  that  hormone  D,  presumably  formed 
in  the  antheridia,  causes  the  oogonial  initials  to  delimit  the  oogonia 
from  their  stalks.  The  chemical  nature  of  these  substances  is  still  un- 
known. 

The  most  complex  examples  of  the  effects  of  specific  substances  in 
sexual  reproduction  and  sex  determination  in  the  lower  plants  are  those 
described  by  Moewus  ( 1940  and  many  other  papers )  in  the  unicellular 
green  alga  Chlamydomonas  eugametos,  in  which  the  biochemical  and 
the  genetic  basis  of  the  various  hormonal  mechanisms  were  subjected  to 
detailed  analysis.  A  thorough  reexamination  of  this  work  indicates  that 
many  of  the  facts  and  conclusions  of  Moewus  are  not  well  founded  and 
that  the  contributions  of  the  Chlamydomonas  work  to  our  understand- 
ing of  sexuality  in  the  lower  plants  are  much  less  considerable  than 
they  were  once  thought  to  be. 

Work  on  the  sexual  processes  and  substances  in  thallophytes  has  been 
reviewed  by  J.  Raper  (1952,  1957).  Hawker  (1957)  has  reviewed  the 
whole  field  of  reproduction  in  the  fungi. 

Wound  Hormones.  The  substances  first  proved  to  have  a  determining 
effect  on  morphogenetic  processes  were  the  wound  hormones,  or  necro- 
hormones.  It  has  long  been  observed  that  in  the  vicinity  of  dying  and 
necrotic  cells  there  occur  divisions  in  other  cells  which  under  ordinary 
conditions  would  not  have  shown  such  division.  These  have  a  definite 
relation,  both  in  distribution  and  orientation,  to  the  accumulation  of  de- 
composition products  released  by  the  injured  cells.  Wound  meristems  are 
thus  developed  which  produce  layers  of  cork  that  cut  off  the  injured 
region  and  protect  the  healthy  tissue  underneath. 

Haberlandt  (1921,  1922)  was  the  first  to  attack  this  problem  directly. 
He  found  that  if  the  cut  surface  of  a  potato  tuber  is  washed  and  the 
contents  of  the  injured  cells  thus  removed  only  a  few  cell  divisions 
occur.  It  might  be  thought  that  in  such  cases  the  reduced  access  of 
oxygen  to  the  flooded  tissues  would  account  for  the  reduction  in 
metabolic  activity  and  thus  of  cell  division.  The  action  of  a  definite 
substance,  however,  is  strongly  indicated  by  later  experiments  of 
Haberlandt  and  others  in  which  the  juice,  debris,  or  extracts  of  tissues 
produced  an  effect  on  cell  division  much  exceeding  that  from  mere 
wounding  (Fig.  18-22).  When  sap  from  crushed  tissue  was  injected  into 
small  intercellular  spaces,  active  cell  division,  presumably  from  wound 
hormones,  was  found  to  occur  (Reiche,  1924).  These  substances  are  not 


Growth  Substances 


403 


species-specific,  for  those  from  one  species  will  produce  this  effect  in  quite 
unrelated  ones. 

Much  work  has  been  done  in  isolating  wound  hormones  and  deter- 
mining their  chemical  nature.  Standard  material  for  estimating  relative 
effects  of  hormone  activity  was  first  sought.  Wehnelt  (1927)  used  the 
layer  of  parenchyma  cells  which  lines  the  immature  pod  of  the  common 
snap  bean.  Such  tissue  responds  sensitively  to  various  types  of  stimula- 
tion by  abundant  cell  division  and  the  formation  of  intumescences,  the 
size  of  which  provides  a  rough  measure  of  the  intensity  of  the  stimulus. 
This  "bean  test"  has  been  used  by  many  students  of  wound  hormones 
(Jost,  1935;  Umrath  and  Soltys,  1936).  On  such  pod  surfaces  Bonner 
and    English    (1938)    placed   droplets    of   extract   from    crushed   tissue 


Fig.  18-22.  Effect  of  wound  hormones. 
Section  of  internode  of  Kalanchoe  below  a 
wound,  showing  how  cortex  cells  have  been 
induced  to  divide  frequently,  and  parallel 
to  the  wound  surface.  ( From  Sinnott  and 
Block. ) 


(chiefly  bean  pods)  and  found  that  the  height  of  the  intumescence 
which  developed  after  48  hours  was  proportional  to  the  concentration 
of  the  wound  hormone  present  in  the  extract.  These  proliferations  are 
usually  higher  than  the  ones  induced  by  other  chemical  or  physical  means. 

Considerable  progress  has  been  made  toward  a  knowledge  of  the 
chemical  nature  of  these  wound  hormones.  Bonner  and  English  isolated 
from  bean-pod  juice  a  substance  which  in  low  concentration  was  very 
active  in  the  bean  test  and  named  it  traumatin.  English,  Bonner,  and 
Haagen-Smit  later  (1939)  purified  from  the  same  source  a  crystalline 
dibasic  acid  similar  in  its  effects.  Traumatin  appears  to  be  active  on  only 
a  few  types  of  cells,  such  as  those  of  the  potato  tuber  and  the  bean  pod. 

To  understand  wound  reactions  in  any  plant,  organ,  or  tissue,  account 
must  be  taken  of  many  internal  and  external  factors  as  yet  imperfectly 
known  (Bloch,  1941).  Workers  have  often  been  puzzled  by  differences 


404  M  or  pho  genetic  Factors 

between  cells  in  their  response  to  wounding  or  wound  hormones.  Such 
cells  evidently  differ  in  character  and  reactivity.  Thus  the  root  pericycle 
and  the  vascular  cambium  respond  to  injuries  by  the  production  of 
wound  tissue  much  more  readily  than  do  adjacent  cells  of  the  ground 
parenchyma.  Auxin  may  be  one  factor  which  produces  such  specific 
reactivity.  In  Populus  balsamifera,  Brown  (1937)  found  that  the  cam- 
bium was  stimulated  to  active  growth  both  by  wound  hormones  released 
from  dead  cells  and  by  a  substance,  presumably  auxin,  coming  from  buds 
and  leaves  distal  to  the  wound.  Application  of  auxin  above  the  wound 
considerably  increases  a  local  wound  reaction  (Brown  and  Cormack, 
1937).  Other  observations  confirm  this  (Bloch,  1941). 

GROWTH  SUBSTANCES  AND  INTERNAL  DIFFERENTIATION 

Numerous  instances  have  been  reported  where  specific  changes  in  in- 
ternal structure  are  related  to  the  action  of  auxin  or  one  of  the  synthetic 
growth  substances. 

In  the  regeneration  of  buds  on  the  decapitated  hypocotyl  of  flax  (p. 
245),  Link  and  Eggers  (19466)  found  that  this  was  largely  prevented  if 
indoleacetic  acid  in  lanolin  was  applied  to  the  cut  surface.  Even  the 
transverse  division  of  epidermal  cells,  the  first  visible  step  in  bud  pri- 
mordium  differentiation,  was  usually  inhibited. 

Nysterakis  and  Quintin  (1955)  report  that  application  of  2,4-D  to 
growing  stems  of  Araucaria  excelsa  reduced  the  length  of  the  tracheids 
by  more  than  half  and  changed  the  pitting  from  circular  to  scalariform. 

Jacobs  (1956)  finds  that  the  regeneration  of  severed  xylem  strands 
and  the  distribution  of  auxin  proceed  together,  and  from  this  and  other 
evidence  he  concludes  that  auxin  is  usually  the  limiting  factor  in  the 
differentiation  of  xylem.  The  chief  distinction  of  xylem  cells  is  their 
thick  secondary  wall.  The  facts  that  auxin  is  effective  only  in  plants- 
organisms  with  cellulose  walls-and  that  the  only  plant  group  where 
auxin  seems  to  have  little  effect  on  growth  is  the  fungi,  which  have 
chitinous  rather  than  cellulose  walls,  both  suggest  that  auxin  acts  on  the 
cell  wall. 

Native  auxin  and  synthetic  growth  substances  have  been  shown  to  be 
effective  in  preventing  the  abscission  of  leaves  and  fruits.  If  a  leaf 
blade  is  removed  but  the  petiole  left,  this  will  soon  drop  off  by  abscission. 
If  one  of  several  growth  substances  is  placed  on  the  cut  petiole  stump, 
however,  abscission  will  not  take  place.  Presumably  when  the  leaf  is  in- 
tact auxin  is  continually  moving  down  the  petiole  and  inhibits  the 
differentiation  of  an  abscission  layer  at  the  base.  The  use  of  sprays  of 
various  growth  substances  to  prevent  the  fall  of  leaves  or  fruits  under 
certain  conditions  is  now  a  common  horticultural  practice.   What  the 


Growth  Substances  405 

mechanism  is  by  which  the  abscission  layer  is  produced  or  inhibited  is 
not  known. 

Sprays  of  this  sort  are  also  used  to  stimulate  rather  than  inhibit 
abscission,  notably  for  the  purpose  of  thinning  young  fruits  when  too 
many  have  been  set.  How,  one  may  ask,  does  the  same  substance  act 
in  two  such  different  ways?  Evidently  a  normal  growing  and  functioning 
organ  will  produce  enough  auxin  to  prevent  its  abscission.  When  this 
production  ceases,  the  organ  will  drop  off  unless  a  fresh  supply  is  avail- 
able through  external  application.  Anything  which  checks  or  deranges 
normal  growth,  however,  will  tend  to  check  auxin  production  and  thus 
lead  to  abscission.  Sprays  of  some  substances  and  in  certain  concentra- 
tions will  tend  to  do  this,  and  hence  their  usefulness  in  the  thinning  of 
fruit.  An  answer  to  the  problem  of  this  double  effect  has  been  proposed 
by  Jacobs  ( 1955 ) ,  who  has  shown  that  in  addition  to  the  inhibiting 
effect  of  auxin  on  abscission  there  may  be  a  speeding  effect  produced 
by  auxin  formed  in  young  nearby  leaves.  This  stimulates  the  abscission 
of  a  petiole  whenever  the  flow  of  auxin  from  its  leaf  blade  is  reduced. 
Abscission  is  thus  controlled  by  an  "auxin-auxin  balance." 

The  differentiation  of  more  specialized  tissues  may  be  stimulated  by 
auxin.  Camus  (1949)  grafted  buds  of  Cichorium  to  pieces  of  storage 
tissue  and  found  that  vascular  strands  began  to  differentiate  just  below 
the  bud  and  continued  to  develop  until  they  established  connection  with 
the  vascular  tissue  beneath.  Buds  encased  in  cellophane  and  inserted 
into  tissues  cultivated  in  vitro  produced  the  same  effect,  indicating  that 
a  diffusible  substance,  possibly  auxin,  was  involved  (Fig.  18-23). 

Of  significance  here  is  the  work  of  Wetmore  ( 1956 )  on  the  induction 
of  xylem  in  callus  tissues.  Into  homogeneous  callus  maintained  in  culture 
from  parenchyma  cells  in  the  cambial  region  of  lilac,  a  growing  lilac 
stem  apex  was  grafted  by  inserting  it  into  a  V-shaped  cut.  After  tissue 
union  was  effected,  strands  of  xylem  began  to  differentiate  into  the 
homogeneous  callus  tissue  below  the  graft.  That  auxin  was  the  factor 
responsible  for  this  is  suggested  by  the  fact  that  when  the  cut  was  filled 
with  agar  containing  auxin  but  without  a  stem  tip  vascular  tissue  ap- 
peared below  it  in  the  same  way,  the  distribution  of  the  strands  depend- 
ing on  the  concentration  of  the  auxin.  It  is  significant  that  only  xylem 
tissue  was  thus  differentiated  and  not  phloem.  This  was  also  the  case 
in  the  regeneration  of  severed  vascular  strands  in  the  stem  of  coleus 
(p.  242).  It  may  be  that  the  factors  which  stimulate  xylem  develop- 
ment are  different  from  the  ones  involved  in  phloem  production. 

More  profound  effects  of  growth  substances  on  the  anatomy  of  plants 
have  been  described.  Much  of  the  work  here  has  been  done  by  Kraus  and 
his  colleagues  at  the  University  of  Chicago,  who  have  tried  a  variety  of 
substances  in  different  concentrations  and  on  many  plants.  Their  gen- 


406  Morpho genetic  Factors 

eral  conclusions  are  that  most  of  the  changes  produced  are  in  the  ab- 
normal distribution  and  proportions  of  tissues  rather  than  in  the  produc- 
tion of  new  structures.  Important  factors  in  these  changes  are  nutrition 
and  the  age  and  state  of  the  tissues  when  treated.  Marked  differences 
in  reaction  to  various  substances  were  found,  and  morphogenetic 
processes  may  thus  in  part  be  manipulated.  A  review  of  this  work  has 
been  made  by  Beal  ( 1951 ) . 


Fig.  18-23.  At  left,  effect  of  a  bud  grafted  to  the  phloem  region  of  a  piece  of  chicory 
root  in  culture.  The  bud  stimulates  the  development  of  vascular  tissue  below  it,  pre- 
sumably because  of  a  growth  substance  it  produces.  At  right,  a  similar  experiment 
except  that  a  sheet  of  cellophane,  CL,  has  been  placed  between  the  bud  and  the  tissue 
below.  The  same  effect  is  produced,  indicating  that  organic  continuity  is  not  neces- 
sary. B,  bud;  P,  phloem;  V,  vascular  parenchyma;  C,  cambium;  A,  histologically 
altered  tissue;  L,  line  of  contact  between  bud  and  stock.  (From  Gautheret,  after 
Camus. ) 


OTHER  FORMATIVE  EFFECTS 

Various  other  substances  of  morphogenetic  significance  have  been 
postulated,  but  little  is  known  about  them.  Thus  in  Dictyostelium,  the 
remarkable  life  cycle  of  which  has  been  described  earlier  (p.  223),  the 
factor  controlling  the  aggregation  of  the  myxamoebae  into  a  pseudoplas- 
modium  appears  to  be  chemical  in  nature  and  diffusible  (J.  T.  Bonner, 
1949).  To  this  substance  Bonner  has  given  the  name  acrasin. 

In  a  few  traits,  such  as  time  of  fruit  ripening  in  dates  ( Swingle,  1928 ) 
and  staple  length  in  cotton  (Harrison,  1931),  pollen  seems  to  have  a 


Growth  Substances  407 

direct  effect  not  only  on  the  embryo  but  on  the  tissues  of  the  ovary 
itself,  tending  to  make  these  somewhat  resemble  ones  of  the  paternal 
parent.  This  metaxenia  must  evidently  be  due  to  gene-produced  chemi- 
cal factors  introduced  through  the  pollen  tube  and  modifying  the  de- 
velopment of  such  maternal  tissues  as  the  pericarp  and  the  seed  coat. 

The  development  of  galls  with  specific  external  and  internal  struc- 
tures (p.  285)  produced  by  fungi  or  insects  seems  to  be  dependent  on 
various  chemical  substances.  In  insect  galls  these  may  be  injected  into 
the  plant  by  the  insect  but  more  probably  they  result  from  secretions 
from  the  growing  larva. 

In  other  galls,  particularly  the  one  most  actively  studied— crown 
gall— auxin  is  clearly  involved  (p.  294).  Experiments  with  tissue  cultures 
have  shown  that  cells  of  normal  tissue  in  many  cases  are  unable  to 
grow  unless  supplied  with  auxin.  Cells  of  bacteria-free  crown-gall  tissue, 
however,  can  do  so.  This  fact  suggests  that  the  change  from  normal  to 
tumor  tissue  may  result  from  the  acquirement  by  tumor  cells  of  the 
ability  to  synthesize  auxin.  It  is  probable,  however,  that  the  problem  is 
more  complex  and  that  changes  in  the  ability  to  form  other  growth 
substances  are  also  involved.  Thus  Braun  and  Naf  ( 1954 )  have  extracted 
from  crown  gall  a  biologically  active  substance  which  is  not  auxin  but 
which,  in  association  with  auxin,  produces  active  proliferation  of  to- 
bacco-pith tissue  in  culture.  Neither  this  nor  auxin  alone  has  a  growth- 
stimulating  effect  of  this  sort.  The  question  of  the  relation  of  auxin  to 
crown-gall  formation  has  been  actively  investigated.  The  subject  has  been 
reviewed  by  Braun  and  Stonier  (1958). 

Growth  substances  are  also  involved  in  the  production  of  other  gall- 
like structures.  Swellings  and  malformations  somewhat  resembling  typical 
root  nodules  associated  with  nitrogen-fixing  bacteria  have  been  induced 
by  application  of  synthetic  growth  substance  on  the  roots  of  several  types 
of  leguminous  plants  (Allen,  Allen,  and  Newman,  1953). 

A  number  of  other  growth  substances  deserve  mention  here.  Adenine, 
for  example,  has  been  found  to  possess  significant  properties,  especially 
for  leaf  growth,  and  the  balance  between  it  and  auxin  seems  to  determine 
the  character  of  development  in  some  cases  (p.  414,  and  Skoog  and 
Tsui,  1951). 

The  synthetic  growth  substances  are  too  numerous  to  be  discussed 
here.  Of  particular  note  is  2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic  acid  (2,4-D),  im- 
portant because  of  its  wide  use  as  a  herbicide.  It  produces  such  profound 
growth  abnormalities  that  death  usually  ensues  (Kaufmann,  1955;  Fig. 
18-24).  For  some  unknown  reason  it  has  relatively  little  effect  on 
monocotyledonous  plants.  Work  with  it  has  been  reviewed  by  Wood- 
ford, Holly,  and  McCready  (1958). 

Maleic  hydrazide  is  important  in  that  it  inhibits  growth  in   a   wide 


408  Morphogenetic  Factors 

variety  of  plants  without  causing  obvious  morphological  abnormalities. 
Plants  treated  with  it  tend  to  lose  dominance  in  their  apical  buds  and 
show  certain  other  effects  (Naylor  and  Davis,  1950).  It  seems  to  inhibit 


Fig.  18-24.  Median  longitudinal  section  of  young  adventitious  root  apices  in  rice.  Left, 
of  untreated  plant.  Right,  of  plant  treated  with  2,4-D.  There  is  a  great  increase  of 
periclinal  divisions  in  the  latter,  which  produces  massive,  abnormal  roots.  (From 
Kaufman. ) 

mitosis  (Greulach  and  Atchison,  1953)  and  also  checks  the  formation  of 
flower  primordia  in  both  long-day  and  short-day  plants  (Klein  and 
Leopold,  1953;  Fig.  18-25). 


£3 

O  CL 
Ul 

u.  Q- 

°< 

oc  o 
uj  or 
m  o 


15 


10 


o o 


\ 


0  .1  I       4    10     40100  MG/L. 

CONC.  OF  MALEIC  HYDRAZIDE 

Fig.  18-25.  The  effect  of  maleic  hydrazide  on  the  total  number  of  flower  primordia  at 
the  first  five  nodes  of  soybeans.  ( From  Klein  and  Leopold. ) 

Substances  such  as  triiodobenzoic  acid  and  coumarin  under  some 
conditions  increase  the  effect  of  auxin  and  under  others  markedly  inhibit 
growth.  A  number  of  substances  occur  that  inhibit  or  antagonize  auxin 
action  (J.  Bonner,  1949)  and  have  been  termed  antiauxins  (Fig.  18-26). 


Growth  Substances 


409 


Some  gases  have  been  found  to  exert  strong  formative  effects  on 
plants  and  thus  deserve  to  be  included  among  the  growth  substances, 
although  chemically  they  are  very  different  from  the  rest.  In  studying 
the  effects  of  illuminating  gas  and  its  constituents  on  greenhouse  plants, 
workers  at  the  Boyce  Thompson  Institute  found  that  in  tomato  plants 
exposed  under  bell  jars  to  atmospheres  containing  1  per  cent  of  carbon 
monoxide  the  stems  became  covered  after  a  few  days  with  an  abundant 
growth  of  roots.  Other  gases  produced  similar  effects.  Carbon  monoxide 
was  found  to  induce  rooting  in  many  other  plants  (Zimmerman,  Crocker, 
and  Hitchcock,  1933 ) .  These  results  led  to  the  investigation  of  the  effects 
of  ethylene,  acetylene,  and  propylene  (Zimmerman  and  Hitchcock, 
1933).  All  were  found  to  induce  rooting  and  root-hair  formation,  leaf 


0.01 


100.0 


0.1  1.0  10.0 

IAA  CONCENTRATION:  MG./L. 
Fig.   18-26.  Growth  of  Avena  coleoptile  (upper  curve)  induced  by  various  concentra- 
tions of  indoleacetic  acid.  The  degree  of  inhibition  of  this  growth  by  an  auxin  an- 
tagonist ( 4-chlorophenoxyisobutyric  acid)  at  concentrations  of  1,  10,  and  50  mg. /liter 
is  shown  in  the  three  successively  lower  curves.  ( From  Foster,  McRae,  and  Bonner. ) 

epinasty,  proliferation  of  callus-like  masses  of  tissue,  and  abscission  of 
leaves,  flowers,  and  fruits.  These  gases,  however,  do  not  stimulate  growth 
in  the  absence  of  auxin.  The  relation  of  ethylene  to  auxin  has  been 
discussed  by  Michener  (1938). 

In  Puerto  Rico  Rodriguez  (1932)  discovered  that  ethylene  induces 
flowering  in  the  pineapple,  and  in  Hawaii  it  was  found  soon  afterward 
that  acetylene  will  accomplish  the  same  result  (Lewcock,  1937).  The 
effect  of  these  gases  on  pineapple  is  much  like  that  of  the  synthetic 
growth  substances  which  induce  flowering  (p.  398). 

In  addition  to  the  growth  substances  which  have  here  been  discussed- 
auxin,  various  other  naturally  occurring  substances,  and  the  synthetic 
compounds— another  is  now  being  actively  studied  and  is  assuming  an 
important  place  in  morphogenetic  problems.  This  is  gibberellin. 


410  Morpho  genetic  Factors 

In  a  disease  of  rice  produced  by  the  fungus  Gibberella  fujikuroi,  it 
was  observed  some  years  ago  that  many  of  the  infected  plants  grew 
taller  than  uninfected  ones  (Kurosawa,  1926).  Young  and  uninfected 
rice  plants  treated  with  culture  filtrates  of  this  fungus  grew  unusually 
tall.  A  similar  increase  in  growth  was  observed  when  this  filtrate  was  ap- 
plied to  some  other  plants,  both  monocotyledons  and  dicotyledons.  Sev- 
eral different  but  related  substances  were  purified  from  Gibberella  and 
are  now  commonly  termed  the  gibberellins.  Their  nomenclature  is  still 
somewhat  confused  but  they  may  be  named  gibberellin  Als  A2,  and  A:i, 
the  last  being  the  best  known  and  often  called  gibberellic  acid. 

Gibberellin  commonly  produces  a  very  marked  increase  in  stem 
elongation  ( Fig.  18-27 ) .  This  is  particularly  conspicuous  in  certain  dwarf 


600 


500 


400" 


Sprayed  with  20  ppm. 
Gibberel lie  Acid 


E 
« 
10 

« 

> 
4 


300- 


200 


weeks  after  spraying 
Fig.   18-27.   Relation  between  concentration  of  gibberellic  acid  and  plant  height  in 
bean  plants.  (  From  Gray. ) 

plants,  notably  peas.  Brian  and  Hemming  (1955)  induced  a  fivefold 
increase  in  height  in  such  plants,  bringing  them  up  to  the  size  of  tall 
races,  by  applying  a  little  of  this  substance  to  one  of  the  leaves.  It  had 
no  effect  on  plants  of  the  tall  races.  The  length  but  not  the  number  of 
internodes  was  increased.  The  so-called  "slender"  mutants  of  peas, 
which  are  tall  but  spindly,  showed  no  effects  of  gibberellin  treatment. 
Phinney  ( 1956 )  found  that  gibberellin  caused  some  dwarf  mutants  in 
maize  to  grow  as  tall  as  the  normal  plants  from  which  they  had  been 
derived  but  some  other  dwarf  races  showed  little  response.  Tall  plants 
were  unaffected.  The  relation  of  gibberellin  to  dwarfing  is  evidently  a 
complex  one.  Most  of  the  elongating  effect  is  caused  by  increase  in  cell 
length  rather  than  in  cell  number.  There  are  a  few  cases,  however,  where 
cell  division  as  well  as  cell  elongation  has  been  stimulated. 


Growth  Substances  411 

Leaf  growth  is  affected  by  gibberellin  and  is  often,  though  not  always, 
increased.  Radish  leaves  floated  on  a  gibberellin  solution  in  the  dark 
grew  larger  than  the  controls.  It  is  perhaps  significant  that  kinetin  has 
much  the  same  effect  and  that  when  both  substances  are  applied  the 
increase  in  growth  is  equal  to  the  sum  of  their  separate  effects. 

Although  gibberellin  and  auxin  are  similar  in  some  respects,  notably 
in  stimulating  cell  elongation,  they  differ  chemically  and  in  other  im- 
portant ways.  Gibberellin  fails  to  produce  typical  epinasty  nor  does 
it  induce  callus  formation,  both  of  which  usually  result  from  auxin  ac- 
tion. It  also  fails  to  show  the  polar  transport  within  the  plant  so  character- 
istic of  auxin.  It  does  not  inhibit  the  growth  of  lateral  buds  but  tends 
instead  to  stimulate  their  development.  It  does  not  check  leaf  abscission. 
It  inhibits  rather  than  promotes  root  initiation  but  does  not  inhibit  root 
growth. 

Gibberellin  evidently  has  some  relation  in  its  effects  on  development 
to  those  produced  by  light,  though  this  relation  is  not  clear.  Lang  ( 1957 ) 
found  that  it  induced  biennial  Hyoscyamus  to  flower  the  first  season,  re- 
gardless of  day-length.  The  usual  inhibition  of  growth  produced  by  red 
light  is  removed  by  treatment  with  gibberellin.  The  effects  of  this  sub- 
stance much  resemble  etiolation  but  are  independent  of  light.  This 
is  unlike  the  effect  of  auxin. 

In  its  influence  on  dwarf  plants,  which  seems  to  be  its  diagnostic 
feature,  gibberellin  perhaps  substitutes  for  some  essential  factor  that  is 
normally  present  and  which  may  have  been  lost  by  mutation.  No  effects 
of  gibberellin  have  as  yet  been  found  in  any  of  the  lower  forms.  Sub- 
stances essentially  like  it  have  now  been  extracted  from  several  higher 
plants  (Radley,  1958),  and  it  is  probably  widely  spread  in  the  plant  king- 
dom. 

The  literature  in  this  field  has  been  reviewed  by  Stowe  and  Yamaki 
(1957).  Further  study  of  gibberellin  should  yield  important  information 
on  the  factors  governing  plant  development. 

MECHANISM  OF  ACTION 

Relatively  little  is  known  chemically  about  most  of  the  growth  sub- 
stances. Some  of  them,  like  the  calines,  are  little  more  than  inferences. 
The  existence  of  others,  such  as  florigen,  can  be  proved  by  experiment, 
though  they  have  not  been  isolated.  Others  can  be  isolated,  at  least 
partially,  but  their  chemical  nature  is  not  well  known.  As  to  auxin, 
gibberellin,  and  traumatic  acid,  fairly  complete  chemical  information  is 
now  available. 

Many  attempts  have  been  made  to  find  some  common  features  of 
chemical  structure  among  these  substances  which  have  formative  effects 


412  Morphogenetic  Factors 

and  thus  to  gain  a  clue  as  to  how  these  effects  are  produced.  These  sub- 
stances vary  considerably.  Having  studied  many  such  compounds, 
Koepfli,  Thimann,  and  Went  (1938)  concluded  that  the  minimal  struc- 
tural requirement  for  a  substance  to  stimulate  growth,  at  least  in  the 
pea  test  for  auxin,  is  to  possess  an  unsaturated  ring  system  with  a  side 
chain  adjacent  to  a  double  bond  in  the  ring,  and  with  a  carboxyl  group 
in  the  chain  separated  from  the  ring  by  a  carbon  atom.  Thimann  (1957) 
points  out  that  there  are  a  considerable  number  of  biologically  active 
compounds  which  do  not  have  this  structure  and  at  least  one  that  does 
not  even  contain  a  ring.  It  seems  doubtful  that  an  understanding  of 
the  mechanism  of  action,  either  of  auxin  or  similar  synthetic  substances, 
will  be  gained  by  a  knowledge  of  their  chemical  structure  without  an 
equal  knowledge  of  the  reacting  systems  that  they  stimulate.  The  general 
question  of  the  chemistry  and  mode  of  action  of  plant  growth  substances 
was  discussed  at  the  Wye  College  symposium  (Wain  and  Wightman, 
1956). 

Just  how  growth  substances  produce  their  morphogenetic  effects  is 
not  well  understood.  The  first  visible  result  of  auxin  action  is  a  speeding 
up  of  protoplasmic  streaming,  indicating  that  some  aspect  of  metabolism 
is  being  accelerated.  The  marked  influence  of  auxin  on  growth  also  sug- 
gests this,  since  growth  requires  the  release  of  energy.  Some  physiologists 
believe  that  auxin  acts  as  a  respiratory  coenzyme  and  thus  has  an  im- 
portant share  in  the  respiratory  cycle.  No  enzyme  has  yet  been  found, 
however,  that  can  be  activated  by  auxin  in  physiological  concentrations. 

Since  what  appears  to  be  the  primary  effect  of  auxin  is  cell  enlarge- 
ment, it  seems  plausible  to  conclude  that  water  uptake  is  controlled  by 
it,  and  there  is  some  evidence  for  this.  The  suggestion  has  been  made 
that  auxin  increases  the  osmotic  concentration  of  the  cell  sap  and  thus 
increases  cell  size.  Cell  growth  may  take  place,  however,  even  with  a 
decreasing  osmotic  concentration.  Burstrom  (p.  41)  believes  that  cell 
enlargement  is  not  primarily  caused  by  water  uptake. 

Interest  at  first  focused  on  auxin-induced  changes  in  the  cell  wall  as 
related  to  growth,  and  Heyn  (1940)  has  reviewed  the  evidence  that 
auxin  directly  increases  the  plasticity  of  the  wall  and  thus  its  irre- 
versible extensibility.  Some  workers  believed  that  the  effect  of  auxin 
was  indirect  and  only  through  its  influence  on  the  cytoplasm.  Recent 
studies,  however,  support  Heyn's  view.  Thus  Cleland  and  Bonner  ( 1956 ) 
present  evidence  that  auxin  directly  induces  a  loosening  of  the  cell-wall 
structure  and  thus  a  relaxing  of  wall  pressure,  which  makes  possible  an 
expansion  of  the  cell.  The  effect  of  auxin  is  independent  of  cell  expan- 
sion. Auxin  may  affect  the  wall  by  altering  pectin  metabolism. 

The  relation  of  growth  to  protoplasmic  viscosity  and  to  the  swelling 
capacity  of  cell  colloids  suggests  that  auxin  may  have  something  to  do 


Growth  Substances  413 

with  these  qualities.  Northen  (1942)  observed  that  auxin  usually  de- 
creases viscosity  of  protoplasm.  He  regards  protoplasm  as  a  "reversibly 
dissociable-associable  system,"  in  which  auxin  (and  other  agents) 
cause  dissociation  of  cellular  proteins  and  increased  swelling  pressure.  As 
the  result  of  such  action,  it  is  thought  that  components  of  the  fine  struc- 
ture of  the  cell  may  undergo  reorientation  and  the  reactivity  of  the 
cell  may  be  changed. 

Of  greater  morphogenetic  interest  is  the  direct  relation  of  growth  sub- 
stances to  the  development  of  organs  or  structures.  The  situation  here 
is  even  less  clear  than  in  the  control  of  growth.  In  a  number  of  cases  one 
is  faced  with  a  curious  antithesis  between  the  action  of  auxin  in  dif- 
ferent situations.  For  example,  at  a  given  concentration  it  stimulates  the 
growth  of  stem  tissue  but  inhibits  that  of  the  primary  root,  with  the 
result  that  differential  geotropic  bending  occurs.  It  stimulates  the  de- 
velopment of  root  primordia  and  hence  is  useful  in  the  rooting  of  cut- 
tings, but  it  checks  the  elongation  of  the  roots  after  their  emergence.  In 
some  cases  its  effect  is  to  accelerate  flowering  and  in  others  to  inhibit  it. 
Sometimes  it  prevents  bud  growth  and  sometimes  it  stimulates  this.  In 
certain  cases  its  effect  is  to  stimulate  the  growth  of  roots  rather  than  buds 
but  in  other  cases  it  has  just  the  opposite  influence. 

In  this  confusing  situation  the  hypothesis  of  specific  organ-forming  sub- 
stances appeals  to  many,  especially  those  who  seek  direct  and  primarily 
chemical  solutions  to  morphogenetic  problems.  To  be  sure,  development 
often  does  seem  to  be  the  result  of  the  action  of  such  substances,  as  in  the 
formation  of  roots,  flowers,  and  abscission  layers.  But  where,  one  may 
ask,  does  this  specificity  end?  In  the  flower,  are  there  separate  substances 
for  sepals,  petals,  stamens,  and  ovaries,  for  anther  and  filament,  style  and 
stigma?  Does  each  tissue  and  each  type  of  cell  have  its  appropriate 
"caline"?  It  is  easy  to  reduce  to  absurdity  the  more  naive  statements  of 
this  hypothesis. 

To  what,  then,  can  one  attribute  the  highly  specific  results  of  plant 
development?  One  answer  is  that  the  specificity  lies  in  the  protoplasmic 
system  rather  than  in  the  growth  substance  and  that  the  latter  serves 
primarily  as  a  trigger  or  evocator  that  calls  out  a  specific  response.  We 
should  remember  that  auxin,  the  substance  about  which  most  is  known, 
is  markedly  nonspecific.  A  few  such  biologically  active  substances, 
stimulating  responses  from  a  highly  organized  protoplasmic  system, 
might  account  for  development.  A  dime,  it  has  been  said,  will  open 
a  turnstile,  activate  a  dial  telephone,  or  bring  a  tune  from  a  juke  box,  but 
the  dime,  like  a  molecule  of  auxin,  is  identical  in  every  case.  The  dif- 
ference lies  in  the  complexities  of  the  responding  mechanism.  The  answer 
to  morphogenetic  problems  is  more  difficult  to  come  by  on  this  conception 
than  on  that  of  specific  formative  substances  since  it  involves  an  under- 


414  Morpho genetic  Factors 

standing  of  the  whole  protoplasmic  system.  This  is  a  far  goal,  but,  as 
Thimann  (1957)  has  remarked,  "It  begins  to  look  as  though  the  whole 
cell  were  necessary  to  auxin  activity." 

But  part  of  the  living  system  in  a  plant  evidently  includes  other 
biologically  active  substances.  A  good  deal  is  known  about  several  of  these, 
and  although  they  may  not  be  "organ-forming"  in  the  earlier  sense  of  the 
word,  their  share  in  the  control  of  developmental  processes  is  more 
important  than  that  of  most  other  chemical  compounds.  A  hopeful 
method  of  attack  on  morphogenetic  problems  is  to  study  the  relationship 
between  these  substances.  It  is  now  well  known  that  there  are  com- 
pounds which  enhance  or  which  inhibit  the  effects  of  auxin.  Still  more 
promising  are  results  such  as  those  of  Skoog  and  Miller  ( 1957 )  on  the 
relationships  between  auxin  and  adenine  (or  its  derivative,  kinetin).  The 
presence  of  both  seems  to  be  necessary  for  vigorous  growth,  at  least  of 
tobacco  callus  in  culture.  If  the  proportions  of  the  two  are  changed,  how- 
ever, the  character  of  the  growth  is  different.  Relatively  high  levels  of 
auxin  and  low  ones  of  kinetin,  either  in  cultures  of  tobacco  callus  or  in 
cuttings,  will  tend  to  produce  good  root  growth  but  little  bud  develop- 
ment, whereas  high  kinetin  and  low  auxin  levels  favor  growth  of  buds 
instead  of  roots.  To  be  sure,  kinetin  is  a  substance  which  has  not  yet 
been  found  in  the  living  plant,  and  its  balance  with  auxin  has  been 
demonstrated  in  only  a  few  cases,  but  the  picture  this  balance  pre- 
sents of  the  possible  control  of  differentiation  through  alteration  in  pro- 
portions within  a  relatively  simple  chemical  situation  opens  up  encourag- 
ing possibilities. 

Other  factors  are  doubtless  concerned  in  these  cases,  and  the  problem 
must  involve  more  than  a  simple  two-compound  interaction,  but  the 
idea  that  there  may  be  a  relatively  small  number  of  active  but  non- 
specific substances,  with  the  possibilities  for  complex  interactions  among 
them  that  this  offers,  makes  understandable  how  an  essentially  infinite 
number  of  different  structures  might  be  produced  without  the  necessity 
of  postulating  the  activity  of  substances  specific  for  each  of  them.  Only 
12  different  kinds  of  chessmen  can  produce,  by  their  various  relation- 
ships, an  almost  limitless  number  of  combinations  on  the  board. 

The  study  of  plant  growth  substances  has  been  of  great  significance 
and  stimulation  for  morphogenesis,  but  it  has  done  little  more  as  yet  than 
pose  a  series  of  deeper  problems.  Chief  among  these  are  three: 

1.  What  is  it  that  controls  the  distribution  of  growth  substances  as  to 
space,  time,  and  concentration? 

2.  What  is  it  that  determines  the  specific  response  which  a  given  cell 
or  tissue  makes  to  them? 

3.  How  do  they  interact  in  their  control  of  development? 

These  problems  are  part  of  the  deeper  one  of  biological  organization. 


CHAPTER    19 

Genetic  Factors 


The  factors  discussed  thus  far  are  effective  chiefly  through  the  environ- 
ment of  the  plant,  either  its  external  surroundings  or  its  inner  physiologi- 
cal processes,  which  are  open  to  relatively  simple  analysis.  It  is  obvious, 
however,  that  these  factors  alone  are  not  enough  to  explain  all  mor- 
phogenetic  phenomena.  There  are  also  inborn  differences,  rooted  in  the 
specific  constitution  of  each  individual  organism,  which  powerfully  affect 
what  it  is  and  does.  These  differences  are  inherited,  and  it  has  been  the 
great  service  of  genetics  to  biology  since  the  turn  of  the  century  to  show 
that  their  physical  basis  is  primarily  in  the  genes,  located  in  the  chromo- 
somes of  the  nucleus. 

GENES 

The  various  environmental  factors  exert  their  effects  against  this 
specific  genetic  background,  the  entire  system  of  genes  in  the  plant. 
Genes  are  sometimes  thought  of  as  though  these  bodies,  known  to  be 
independent  in  inheritance  to  a  certain  degree,  were  also  independent 
in  development.  This  evidently  is  not  true,  however,  for  in  their  control 
of  growth  and  differentiation  the  action  of  all  the  genes  must  be  closely 
coordinated,  in  space  and  time,  if  an  organism  is  to  be  produced.  How 
these  distinct  entities  are  thus  so  precisely  correlated  in  their  action  is  a 
major  problem  for  both  genetics  and  morphogenesis.  It  is  also  clear  that 
a  gene  does  not  produce  its  effect  by  determining  a  precise  series  of  steps 
leading  to  the  development  of  a  specific  trait,  for  the  same  genotype 
may  have  a  very  different  effect  if  the  environment  is  different.  A  gene 
simply  determines  a  specific  response  to  a  specific  environment.  The 
genetic  constitution  that  distinguishes  a  tall  plant  from  a  short  one,  for 
example,  will  not  produce  this  difference  unless  the  conditions  of  tem- 
perature, moisture,  and  soil  fertility  are  such  as  to  make  vigorous  growth 
possible. 

The  problem  of  gene  action,  of  how  a  gene  or  group  of  genes  produces 
its  effects,  is  now  one  of  the  central  concerns  of  genetics  and  is  being 

415 


416  Morphogenetic  Factors 

actively  investigated.  The  role  of  genes  in  the  synthesis  of  enzymes  and 
other  substances  and  thus  in  the  determination  of  successive  steps  in 
metabolic  processes  is  yielding  much  information  as  to  the  relations 
between  genetics  and  physiology.  Increasing  knowledge  of  those  re- 
markable compounds,  the  nucleic  acids,  is  leading  to  an  understanding 
of  the  chemistry  of  the  gene  and  of  the  manner  in  which  it  reproduces 
itself.  Indeed,  desoxyribonucleic  acid  ( DNA )  has  such  significant  proper- 
ties that  some  biologists  hopefully  believe  that  it  will  finally  produce  an- 
swers for  most  of  the  basic  problems  of  their  science.  All  this,  however, 
has  as  yet  thrown  little  light  on  how  it  is  that  genetic  factors  affect  the  size, 
shape,  and  structure  of  plants  and  their  parts.  This  is  a  much  more  diffi- 
cult problem  than  working  out  the  biochemical  steps  in  the  synthesis  of  an 
organic  compound  produced  in  plant  metabolism.  How  a  single  pair  of 
genes  can  determine,  for  example,  whether  a  tomato  plant  will  have  the 
familiar  deeply  lobed  leaves  or  the  unlobed  "potato-leaf"  type  is  very 
difficult  to  see.  Here  something  more  than  a  series  of  chemical  steps  seems 
to  be  concerned.  Growth  relationships  are  being  controlled,  and  at  present 
we  must  admit  that  very  little  is  known  about  how  such  control  is  exer- 
cised. A  solution  of  this  problem  must  start  with  a  knowledge  of  what 
actually  happens  in  the  inheritance  of  form  and  structure.  To  make  such 
a  descriptive  analysis  and  at  the  same  time  seek  hopefully  for  clues  that 
will  lead  to  a  knowledge  of  the  mechanisms  involved  is  the  chief  task  at 
present  of  the  student  of  morphogenesis  who  is  interested  in  the  genetic 
aspects  of  his  science. 

Genes  and  Growth.  The  underlying  problem  in  growth  is  the  increase 
of  living  substance,  due  ultimately  to  the  reduplication  of  genes.  How  this 
is  accomplished  and  how  the  DNA  molecule  divides  into  two  new  ones 
like  itself  are  now  beginning  to  be  understood.  Traits  of  size,  either  of  body 
or  organ,  are  markedly  affected  by  environmental  factors,  but  there  is  also 
a  genetic  basis  for  most  of  them.  Since  the  pioneer  work  of  East  and 
Nilsson-Ehle  it  has  been  recognized  that  most  quantitative  traits  depend 
not  on  single  genes  but  on  a  series  of  multiple  factors  or  polygenes,  cumu- 
lative in  their  effect  and  in  most  cases  without  dominance.  Such  traits  are 
difficult  to  analyze  genetically  since  it  is  rare  that  the  effect  of  individual 
genes  can  be  followed,  though  there  are  statistical  methods  for  determin- 
ing the  number  of  genes  by  which  two  individuals  differ  for  a  given  trait. 
That  polygenes  are  operative  in  quantitative  inheritance  is  indicated  by 
the  fact  that  the  variability  of  the  F2  is  markedly  higher  than  that  of  the 
parents  or  the  Fi,  as  would  happen  if  segregation  were  taking  place. 
There  is  now  a  substantial  body  of  evidence  that  confirms  the  multiple- 
factor  hypothesis. 

In  a  few  cases  the  inheritance  of  size  is  not  so  complex,  and  the  effect 
of  individual  genes  can  be  traced.  One  of  these,  vine  height  in  peas,  was 


Genetic  Factors 


417 


found  by  Mendel  himself  and  is  due  to  a  single  pair  of  genes,  tall  being 
dominant  over  short  and  segregating  clearly  in  the  F2.  De  Haan  (1927, 
1930)  has  shown  that  in  addition  to  this  gene  there  are  two  (perhaps 
four)  others  that  tend  to  inhibit  growth.  In  this  case  a  group  of  several 
genes,  all  modifying  the  same  trait,  can  be  recognized  and  their  indi- 
vidual effects  distinguished.  In  a  considerable  number  of  other  cases  it 
can  be  shown  that  two,  three,  four,  or  more  pairs  of  genes  are  concerned 
in  the  inheritance  of  a  size  trait.  Thus  Quinby  and  Karper  (1954)  have 
evidence  that  in  cultivated  sorghum  varieties,  ranging  from  2  to  15 
ft.  in  height,  four  pairs  of  genes  are  operative. 

Genes  of  this  sort  are  cumulative  in  their  effect.  Sinnott  (1937),  Pow- 
ers (1939),  Charles  and  Smith  (1939),  and  others  have  shown  that 
this    additive    effect    is    geometric    rather    than    arithmetic,    each    gene 


Fig.  19-1.  Geometric  action  of  genes  determining  size.  A,  graph  of  fruit  weight  of  an 
Fa  population  of  cucurbit  fruits  consisting  of  244  individuals  plotted  in  arithmetically 
equal  classes.  B,  the  same  population  plotted  in  classes  equal  logarithmically.  The 
first  population  is  skewed,  the  second  nearly  symmetrical.  ( From  Sinnott. ) 

contributing  not  a  certain  definite  amount  of  height  or  weight  but  a 
certain  percentage  increase  of  the  effect  of  the  rest.  This  is  shown  by 
the  fact  that  the  Fx  is  closer  to  the  geometric  average  of  the  parents  than 
to  their  arithmetic  average  and  is  thus  somewhat  nearer  to  the  smaller 
parent  in  size.  Furthermore,  if  a  segregating  F2  is  plotted  in  classes  that 
are  arithmetically  equal,  it  skews  toward  the  upper  side,  whereas  if  the 
scale  is  a  logarithmic  one,  the  F2  population  is  symmetrically  distributed 
around  the  geometric  mean  (Fig.  19-1). 

A  developmental  study  of  inherited  size  differences  shows  that  some 
are  attained  by  differences  in  rate  of  growth  and  some  in  its  duration.  The 
size  differences  between  plants  showing  hybrid  vigor  and  their  parent 
inbreds  are  related  to  a  more  rapid  rate  of  growth,  and  some  other  size 
differences  also  have  their  basis  in  genetically  controlled  growth  rates.  In 
other  cases  the  difference  in  size  is  due  to  longer  duration  of  growth. 


418  Morpho genetic  Factors 

Large  pumpkins  differ  from  small  gourds,  for  example,  simply  because 
they  grow  for  a  longer  time  (Sinnott,  1945b,  and  p.  16).  The  actual 
growth  rate  of  these  two  varieties  in  terms  of  compound-interest  growth  is 

the  same. 

Inherited  size  differences  are  also  related  to  cellular  characters  (p.  34 ) . 
Most  of  them  are  due  to  differences  in  number  rather  than  size  of 
cells,  large  size  being  the  result  of  more  cell  divisions  during  develop- 
ment. Less  frequently  the  period  of  cell  expansion  is  more  extensive  in 
the  larger  forms  and  their  cells  are  consequently  larger,  though  usually 
not  in  proportion  to  body  size. 

In  the  many  cases  where  there  are  inherited  differences  in  cell  size, 
it  is  usually  not  the  size  of  the  meristematic  cells  that  is  different  but  the 
amount  of  increase  that  occurs  after  division  ceases.  Thus  the  fruits  of 
large  races  of  pumpkins  have  much  larger  cells  than  do  small  gourds, 
but  this  difference  is  not  evident  at  the  meristem.  Some  of  it  appears  in 
the  growth  of  the  young  ovary  but  most  of  it  during  the  enlargement  of 
the  ovary  in  fruit  development  (Sinnott,  1939).  Sugar  beets  have  much 
larger  cells  (and  leaves)  than  do  table  beets,  but  only  in  their  mature 
structures.  The  meristematic  cells  are  much  the  same  size  in  both. 

Many  cases  have  been  found  in  which  there  is  not  a  gradation  be- 
tween large  and  small  types  but  the  small  ones  are  so  markedly  dif- 
ferent as  to  be  regarded  as  somewhat  abnormal  dwarfs.  In  most  such 
plants  there  is  a  single  gene  difference  from  normal  which  seems  to 
control  one  important  growth  factor.  A  number  of  these  occur  in  maize, 
and  the  auxin  relations  of  some  have  been  worked  out  (p.  377).  Some 
dwarfs  are  small-celled  but  a  few  have  cells  larger  than  those  of  normal 
plants.  There  are  also  a  number  of  gigas  forms  which  are  due  to  gene 
differences.  Large  and  small  types  are  also  frequently  related  to  chromo- 
some number  (p.  438). 

Differences  in  height  may  result  from  mutations  that  alter  a  determi- 
nate type  of  growth  to  indeterminate.  These  have  been  found,  for  ex- 
ample, in  tobacco  (Jones,  1921)  and  maize  (Singleton,  1946).  Each 
shows  single-gene  segregation  with  normal  determinate  plants.  The  dif- 
ference between  bush  and  climbing  varieties  of  beans,  also  due  to  a 
single  gene,  is  really  a  difference  between  determinate  and  indeterminate 
growth. 

Another  important  effect  of  genes  on  size  is  to  be  seen  in  cases  of 
hybrid  vigor  or  heterosis.  The  Fi  plants,  in  crosses  between  parents  that 
are  homozygous  or  essentially  so,  are  often  much  larger  and  more  vigor- 
ous than  either  parent  (Fig.  17-1),  and  this  fact  has  wide  economic  ap- 
plication, especially  in  maize.  The  difference  is  closely  associated  with 
heterozygosity  and  disappears  with  inbreeding.  Various  suggestions  have 
been  made  to  account  for  it— the  stimulating  effect  of  the  heterozygous 


Genetic  Factors  419 

condition,  the  dominance  of  linked  genes,  increased  embryo  size,  and 
others— but  no  satisfactory  explanation  has  yet  been  reached.  Gene  ac- 
tion in  heterosis  has  been  discussed  by  Jones  (1957),  and  there  is  a 
wide  literature  in  this  field  (Sprague,  1953). 

Genes  and  Form.  The  chief  morphogenetic  significance  of  genetic  fac- 
tors, however,  is  in  their  relation  to  the  development  of  organic  form.  Here 
it  is  not  the  total  amount  but  the  distribution  of  growth  that  is  impor- 
tant. Genes  must  in  some  way  control  relative  growth— the  amount  of 
growth  in  one  dimension  as  compared  with  that  in  each  of  the  others 
so  that  specific  shapes  are  produced.  Many  instances  could  be  cited 
where  the  shape  of  leaf  or  flower  or  fruit  is  certainly  inherited  and  where 
differences  in  it  segregate  and  can  be  analyzed  in  mendelian  terms,  at 
least  to  some  degree.  Only  a  few  can  be  mentioned  here. 

Leaf  shape  in  cotton  has  had  particular  attention.  In  one  of  the  earliest 
analyses  of  shape  inheritance,  Leake  (1911)  found  that  in  crosses  be- 
tween broad-lobed  and  narrow-lobed  forms  the  F^  was  intermediate  and 
the  F2  showed  segregation  into  i/4  narrow,  V>  intermediate,  and  1 4  broad. 
Peebles  and  Kearney  ( 1928 )  crossed  shallow-lobed  and  deep-lobed  types 
and  found  Fx  to  be  intermediate  and  a  ratio  of  1:2:1  in  F2.  In  some 
varieties  of  cotton  the  genetic  situation  is  much  more  complex.  Both 
Hutchinson  (1934  and  others)  and  Silow  (1939)  postulate  a  series  of 
multiple  alleles,  chiefly  affecting  lobing.  They  believe  that  the  genes  are 
"compound"  and  vary  qualitatively  as  well  as  quantitatively.  Hammond 
(1941)  showed  the  importance  of  developmental  analyses  of  shape  in 
individual  leaves  and  of  changes  of  leaf  shape  along  the  stem.  This 
method  was  carried  further  by  Stephens  ( 1944 ) . 

In  the  Japanese  morning  glory,  Pharbitis,  Imai  (1930)  and  a  number 
of  other  Japanese  geneticists  have  studied  the  complex  situation  presented 
by  the  inheritance  of  leaf  shape  in  crosses  among  its  many  varieties. 

Among  other  traits  of  form  the  inheritance  of  which  has  been  analyzed 
in  mendelian  terms  are  fruit  shape  in  Bursa  (Shull,  1914),  root  shape  in 
radish  (Uphof,  1924),  and  leaf  lobing  in  Tropaeolum  ( Whaley,  1939). 

Evidence  for  the  Existence  of  Genes  for  Shape.  The  problem  under- 
lying all  these  instances  of  the  inheritance  of  form  is  to  find  the  method 
by  which  genes  determine  what  the  form  is  to  be.  The  fact  that  such 
traits  show  segregation  suggests  that  genes  control  them  directly,  but 
it  is  difficult  to  see  how  this  is  done.  Some  geneticists  have  tried  to  sim- 
plify the  problem  by  assuming  the  operation  of  genes  for  individual 
dimensions  only,  as  in  the  case  of  vine  length  in  peas.  Thus  in  tobacco 
flowers  Anderson  (1939)  studied  the  inheritance  of  tube  length  and 
limb  width  in  crosses  between  Nicotiana  Langsdorfii  and  N.  alata,  species 
which  differ  in  corolla  shape.  He  observed  that  in  F2  there  was  much 
sharper  segregation  for  length   than   for  width,   suggesting   that   fewer 


420  Morpho genetic  Factors 

genes  were  operative  in  the  former  character  than  in  the  latter.  There 
was  by  no  means  free  recombination  of  length  and  width  in  F2,  however, 
as  independent  assortment  would  require.  The  combinations  that  did 
occur  were  only  a  narrow  segment  of  those  theoretically  expected.  When 
length  was  plotted  against  width  in  F2,  these  were  confined  to  a  narrow 
segment  of  the  total,  running  from  combinations  rather  like  one  parent 
to  those  like  the  other  through  others  resembling  the  Fj.  He  suggests  that 
factors  hindering  free  recombination  might  be  gametic  elimination, 
zygotic  elimination,  pleiotropism,  and  linkage.  He  believes  that  all  of 
these  may  here  be  operative  and  suggests  that  all  quantitative  characters 
of  an  organism  may  be  tightly  linked,  surely  a  radical  conclusion.  An 
extreme  instance  of  the  hypothesis  that  shape  is  the  result  of  genes 
determining  dimensions  has  been  proposed  by  Frets  (1947),  who  postu- 
lates that  in  the  inheritance  of  seed  shape  in  beans  there  are  a  series  of 
independent  genes  for  length,  breadth,  and  thickness,  respectively. 

H.  H.  Smith  (1950)  studied  a  cross  much  like  that  made  by  Anderson 
and  comes  to  the  conclusion  that  there  is  a  developmental  restriction  to 
free  recombination  but  that  this  is  due  to  a  "correlated  growth  pattern." 
In  simpler  words,  there  are  genes  that  control  shape  directly  rather  than 
through  individual  dimensions. 

Evidence  for  the  existence  of  such  genes  has  been  presented  by  Sin- 
nott  (1935),  chiefly  from  studies  of  the  inheritance  of  fruit  shape  in  the 
Cucurbitaceae.  This  evidence  is  of  several  types,  as  follows: 

1.  If  a  race  with  flattened,  disk-shaped  fruits  is  crossed  with  a  spheri- 
cal one,  the  F!  shows  complete  dominance  of  the  disk  shape  and  in  the 
F2  there  is  sharp  segregation  into  %  disk  and  y±  sphere.  In  another  case, 
two  different  types  of  spheres,  when  crossed,  show  evidence  of  the  ac- 
tion of  complementary  genes,  for  the  Fx  is  disk-shaped  and  in  the  F2 
there  is  dihybrid  segregation  into  %6  disk,  %6  sphere,  and  y16  elongate. 
Other  shape  differences  can  be  analyzed  in  equally  simple  mendelian 
terms,  though  more  genes  are  usually  involved. 

2.  In  the  disk-sphere  cross,  F2  segregation  for  shape  index  (ratio  of 
length  to  width)  is  sharp  but  those  for  length  and  for  breadth  are  much 
less  so,  suggesting  that  the  segregating  genes  control  shape  directly  and 
not  through  dimensions. 

3.  In  one  disk-sphere  cross,  the  fruits  of  the  disk  parent  were  con- 
siderably larger  than  those  of  the  sphere.  The  size  of  the  Fx  was  close  to 
the  geometric  mean  between  the  two  parental  sizes,  and  the  means  of  the 
segregating  F2  disks  and  spheres  were  essentially  similar  to  each  other 
and  close  to  that  of  the  F\.  This  can  be  explained  by  assuming  that 
size  is  determined  by  a  series  of  genes  but  that  the  gene  for  shape  is 
independent  of  these  and  molds  into  a  particular  form  the  material 
made  available  by  the  genes  for  size. 


Genetic  Factors  421 

4.  In  a  considerable  series  of  crosses  between  races  genetically  more 
complex  and  differing  in  both  the  size  and  the  shape  of  their  fruits,  a 
positive  correlation  was  observed  in  each  case  between  fruit  length 
and  fruit  width  in  the  parents  and  the  Fj  (where  presumably  all  size 
differences  are  caused  by  environmental  factors)  but  a  negative  one  in 
F2  where  segregation  occurs.  This  again  can  be  explained  by  assuming 
that  shape  is  inherited  independently  of  size.  A  certain  amount  of  ma- 
terial is  genetically  available  for  every  fruit,  and  if  its  shape  genotype 
tends  to  produce  an  elongate  one,  this  will  be  relatively  narrow,  and 
hence  the  negative  correlation.  Maximum  parental  length  is  never  com- 
bined in  F2  with  maximum  width,  or  minimum  length  with  minimum 
width,  as  they  should  be  if  dimensions  are  directly  determined  genetically 
and  recombined  independently. 

5.  In  the  F2  the  coefficient  of  variation  for  length  is  twice  as  large  as 
that  for  width,  which  is  to  be  expected  in  a  radially  symmetrical  organ 
where  shape  and  size  are  genetically  independent,  for  if  the  amount  of 
material  for  growth  is  fixed,  a  unitary  change  in  width  (equatorial 
diameter)  should  produce  a  much  greater  change  in  length,  since  volume 
is  essentially  width  X  width  X  length. 

Further  evidence  that  genes  for  shape  are  actually  operative  is  found 
in  the  fact  that  in  a  number  of  plants,  such  as  the  tomato  (Lindstrom, 
1928;  Butler,  1952),  genes  for  fruit  shape  are  linked  with  others  and  can 
be  definitely  located  on  chromosome  maps  (Fig.  19-2).  If  it  were  dimen- 
sions that  are  directly  controlled,  presumably  their  genes  would  occupy 
different  loci. 

If  genes  determining  shape  actually  exist,  the  difficult  problem  arises  as 
to  how  they  produce  their  effects.  The  ultimate  mechanisms  are  by  no 
means  clear  but  the  visible  steps  in  the  process  can  be  described.  In 
some  cases  the  shape  of  an  organ,  such  as  a  fruit,  is  established  when  it 
is  a  very  small  primordium.  After  this,  growth  rates  in  the  various  dimen- 
sions are  equal,  and  as  the  structure  grows  its  shape  remains  constant.  The 
critical  step  in  establishing  growth  relationships  here  is  taken  very  early. 
This  is  what  happens  in  fruits  of  pepper,  tomato,  some  races  of  Cucurbita 
pepo,  and  various  other  plants.  It  is  usual  in  organs  that  are  nearly  iso- 
diametric  at  maturity. 

In  many  fruits  and  in  most  leaves,  especially  where  the  dimensions  are 
markedly  unlike,  the  primordium  is  a  roundish  mass  of  cells  and  the  shape 
of  the  organ  is  produced  by  differential  growth  among  the  dimensions 
(Sinnott,  1936b).  In  various  races  of  the  gourd,  Lagenaria  siceraria,  for 
example,  mature  fruit  shape  varies  from  long  and  narrow  through  round 
to  flattish.  All  are  alike  in  early  primordia.  In  elongate  types  (like  the 
"Hercules  club")  length  increases  faster  than  width  and  as  the  organ 
grows  in  size  it  becomes  progressively  more  elongate.   Conversely,  the 


422 


Morpho genetic  Factors 

I 


Normal  (M)  Mottled  (m) 


Smooth  (P)    Hi       Peach  (p) 


Normal  (0)  Oblate  (o) 


Woolly  (Wo/wo)  I       Normal  (wo) 


1 

Normal  (Ne)  U    Necrotic  (ne) 


Simple  Inflor.  (S)  ■  Compound  Inflor,  (s) 


Non-beaked  (Bk)  I      Beaked  (bk) 


Few  Locules  (Lc)  ■Many  Locules  (Ic) 


Fig.  19-2.  Map  of  chromosome  1  of  tomato.  Two  genes  for  fruit  shape,  and  genes  for 
other  structural  characters,  have  places  on  it.  ( From  Butler. ) 


Genetic  Factors 


423 


flattish  types  grow  more  rapidly  in  width.  In  all  such  instances,  form 
changes  as  size  increases.  Where  a  particular  race  is  genetically  small, 
its  fruit  shape  at  maturity  will  be  different  from  one  which  is  genetically 
larger  but  has  the  same  shape  genotype.  This  fact  complicates  a  study 
of  the  inheritance  of  shape  in  cases  where  the  parents  differ  in  both  shape 
and  size. 

In  types  where  shape  changes  during  development  the  dimensional 
relations,  if  plotted  logarithmically,  are  allometric,  the  points  falling 
along  a  straight  line  the  slope  of  which  measures  the  relative  growth  rate 
of  the  two  dimensions  (Fig.  5-8).  It  is  this  relative  rate  which  the  genes 
control,  for  if  two  races  of  Lagenaria  differing  in  the  slope  of  this  line 


6O-1 
50- 

40 
30 

20- 


O 

z 
u 


10 

8 

6- 


— r~ 
4 


-j— 
6 


-i 1 — 

8     10 


20        30 


WIDTH.    MM 


Fig.  19-3.  Segregation  of  relative  growth  rates.  Allometric  growth  of  length  to  width 
of  fruits  in  an  F2  from  a  cross  between  a  rather  elongate  and  a  rather  flat  variety  of 
cucurbits.  The  two  F2  classes  resemble  in  general  the  parental  forms.  The  Fi  was 
like  the  elongate  type.  What  is  segregating  is  the  character  of  the  relative-growth 
line.   (From  Sinnott.) 


are  crossed,  the  trait  which  segregates  in  F2  is  the  steepness  of  this  slope 
(Fig.  19-3),  the  value  of  k  in  the  allometric  equation  (p.  105;  Sinnott, 
1958). 

It  should  be  remembered  that  what  is  being  controlled  is  not  simply 
the  relationship  between  two  dimensions  but  between  all  the  dimensions 
that  make  up  the  organic  pattern.  In  the  "bottle"  gourd,  for  example,  the 
length  of  the  axis  during  growth  is  related  to  the  width  of  the  upper, 
sterile  lobe;  of  the  isthmus;  and  of  the  lower,  fertile  lobe.  Relative  to  the 
axis,  the  lower  lobe  grows  fastest,  the  upper  next,  and  the  isthmus  least. 
The  form  of  the  whole  structure  thus  changes  in  a  precise  and  predict- 
able fashion. 

This  concept  of  shape  inheritance  may  be  illustrated  most  simply  by 


424  Morpho genetic  Factors 

inscribing  the  lengthwise  profile  of  an  organic  form  like  that  of  a  fruit 
in  a  series  of  rectangular  coordinates,  as  D'Arcy  Thompson  ( 1942 )  has 
done  with  various  structures,  and  then  seeing  how  other  forms  may  be 
derived  from  it  by  deforming  these  coordinates  in  a  particular  fashion 
(Fig.  19-4).  A  change  such  as  might  be  produced  by  a  single  gene  dif- 
ference is  evidently  not  a  localized  one  but  involves,  at  least  to  some 
degree,  the  pattern  as  a  whole. 

The  objection  may  be  raised  that  in  some  cases  a  single  dimension  does 
seem  to  be  inherited,  as  in  vine  height  in  peas.  In  a  strongly  polarized 
organ  like  the  stem,  height  may  be  changed  with  little  reference  to  stem 
diameter.  In  such  cases  height  seems  to  be  a  direct  expression  of  size  in 


— ?^--^ — 

f-f-"-f^ 

I      I  - 

\-\-J-t 

V  ~  / 

Fig.  19-4.  Geometric  modification  of  fruit  shape.  The  fruit  at  the  upper  left  has  its 
longitudinal  profile  inscribed  in  a  grid  of  equal  coordinates.  This  may  be  changed  to 
various  other  shapes  by  changing  these  coordinates.  ( From  Sinnott. ) 

which  the  major  effect  of  the  genes  is  channeled  in  one  particular  dimen- 
sion, that  of  the  polar  axis.  Ear  length  in  maize,  one  of  the  first  characters 
to  be  analyzed  in  terms  of  multiple  genes,  is  the  major  dimension  of  a 
polarized  organ  and  thus  strongly  affected  by  any  genes  that  control 
total  amount  of  growth.  Here,  however,  ear  width  is  also  involved  to 
some  extent,  and  there  are  differences  in  the  relation  of  length  to  width 
in  various  races.  Such  a  case  may  perhaps  be  regarded  as  intermediate 
in  genetic  control  between  one  in  which  genes  for  shape  express  them- 
selves in  a  weakly  polarized  structure  (like  a  fruit),  thus  producing  a 
wide  range  of  patterns,  and  one  in  which  growth  is  essentially  limited 
to  the  polar  dimension. 


Genetic  Factors  425 

The  evidence  therefore  favors  the  view  that  in  most  cases,  certainly, 
genes  control  form  directly.  How  this  is  done  poses  one  of  the  most 
difficult  problems  of  genetics  and  morphogenesis  and  one  closely  in- 
volved with  that  of  biological  organization  itself.  Most  of  the  work  on 
gene  action  has  indicated  that  genes  control  the  production  of  specific 
substances;  but  how,  one  may  ask,  does  a  substance  control  the  de- 
velopment of  a  specific  form?  This  involves  the  control  of  relationships, 
like  that  between  length  and  width  in  a  developing  fruit,  and  not  only 
single  relationships  but  a  whole  series  of  them  organized  into  a  pattern. 
The  amount  of  growth  in  one  dimension  is  related  precisely  to  the 
amounts  in  all  the  others.  For  a  specific  substance  to  do  this  involves  the 
old  question  of  organizers  and  organ-forming  substances  which  are  so 
easy  to  postulate  and  so  difficult  to  picture  in  physical  terms.  These 
gene-produced  substances  seem  rather  to  act  as  evocators,  calling  out  or 
modifying  formative  potentialities  in  the  living  stuff  of  the  organism.  We 
need  to  assume  the  immanent  presence  in  protoplasm  of  something  that, 
for  want  of  a  better  simile,  can  be  compared  to  a  system  of  coordinates  in 
three  dimensions. 

A  specific  substance  may  be  thought  of  as  bending  or  otherwise  modify- 
ing these  coordinates  in  a  particular  way  and  thus  regulating  growth  in 
such  a  fashion  that  a  specific  pattern  is  produced.  The  problem  remains 
as  to  the  nature  of  this  underlying  formativeness.  It  may  be  thought  of, 
perhaps,  as  a  molecular  pattern  in  the  cytoplasm  (p.  455).  To  call  it  a 
"field"  is  to  give  it  a  name  but  not  an  explanation.  It  is  evidently  involved 
in  the  nature  of  the  living,  organized  system  that  an  organism  is.  To 
recognize  that  it  exists,  even  though  one  cannot  yet  explain  it,  is  a  step 
in  advance  and  may  save  us  from  a  too  naive  conception  of  the  nature 
of  gene  action  in  development. 

Other  Structural  Traits.  Aside  from  pure  forms  in  the  geometrical  sense, 
various  other  structural  characters  are  under  gene  control,  or  at  least 
show  mendelian  segregation  after  crossing.  Thus  the  zigzag  stem  that 
appeared  in  descendants  of  a  certain  cross  between  Tom  Thumb  pop- 
corn and  Missouri  dent  (Eyster,  1922)  behaves  as  a  double  recessive  to 
normal  stem.  "Corn  grass,"  a  mutation  in  maize  with  narrow  leaves, 
many  tillers,  and  few  male  flowers,  is  a  single-gene  dominant  ( Singleton, 
1951 ) .  In  peas,  relatively  long  distance  between  first  and  second  flowers  as 
compared  with  the  total  length  of  the  inflorescence  was  found  by 
Lamprecht  ( 1949 )  to  be  the  result  of  three  genes.  Abnormalities  of 
various  sorts  have  also  been  shown  to  have  a  genetic  basis.  Among  them 
are  double  flowers  in  many  plants,  as  for  example  Tropaeolum  (Eyster 
and  Burpee,  1936),  where  doubleness  is  recessive  but  where  a  dominant 
"super-double"  strain  appeared,  female  sterile  and  with  about  135 
petals.  Peloria  in  Linaria  vulgaris  and  Digitalis  purpurea  has  been  shown 


426 


M 01 pho genetic  Factors 


by  various  workers  to  differ  in  some  types  by  a  single  gene  from  normal 
flower.  Fasciation  is  a  single-gene  recessive  to  normal  in  Nicotiana 
(O.  E.  White,  1916).  In  both  peloria  and  fasciation  individuals  are  found 
which  are  usually  normal  but  occasionally  produce  these  abnormalities, 
presumably  because  of  some  genetic  predisposition  in  this  direction.  These 
should  be  of  particular  interest  in  studies  of  the  basis  of  gene  action. 

There  are  two  traits  in  the  nature  of  abnormalities  ("tufted"  and 
"polycladous"),  presumably  gene-determined,  in  the  liverwort  Spliaero- 
carpos  (Allen,  1924,  1925)  which  are  of  particular  interest  in  that  they 
occur  in  the  haploid  gametophyte  generation  so  that  the  effects  of  a  single 
gene  are  directly  visible,  unmodified  by  the  influence  of  its  allele. 


Fig.  19-5.  Cross  section  of  the  stem  of  Aquilegia.  Left,  normal  plant.  Right,  mutant 
with  thicker  cell  walls.  ( From  Anderson  and  Abbe. ) 

Anatomical  characters  have  also  been  shown  to  be  directly  affected 
by  genes.  In  Aquilegia  canadense  a  dwarf  race  with  bushy,  compact 
growth  and  stiff,  brittle  branches  has  been  shown  by  Anderson  and 
Abbe  (1933;  Fig.  19-5)  to  differ  from  normal  by  a  single  gene.  The 
direct  effect  of  this  gene  is  to  cause  precocious  secondary  thickening  of 
the  cell  walls,  from  which  all  the  other  differences  follow.  Piatt,  Darroch, 
and  Kemp  ( 1941 )  report  that  in  wheat,  solid  stem  differs  from  normal 
hollow  stem  by  three  or  four  pairs  of  recessive  genes. 

In  all  these  cases  where  the  form  or  structure  of  a  particular  plant  part 
has  been  found  to  be  controlled  by  a  gene  or  group  of  genes,  much 
valuable  information  as  to  the  method  of  control  may  be  gained  by  a 
study  of  the  development  of  this  structure.  In  a  few  cases  this  has  been 
done,  as  in  cotton  leaves  and  cucurbit  fruits  described  above;  in  dwarf 
mutants  in  maize  by  Stephens  (1948);  in  structure  and  growth  rates  of 


Genetic  Factors 


427 


inbred  and  hybrid  maize  by  Weaver  (1946),  Heimsch,  Rabideau,  and 
Whaley  (1950),  and  Stein  (1956);  in  a  leaf  mutant  in  maize  by  Mericle 
( 1950 ) ;  and  in  the  leaves  of  two  species  of  Tropaeolum  and  their  hybrid 
by  Whaley  and  Whaley  ( 1942 ) .  In  this  last  piece  of  work  it  was  found 
that  the  pattern  was  essentially  determined  by  early  differential  cell 
division  in  certain  regions,  the  final  form  being  attained  by  uniform 
cell  expansion.  Much  more  work  of  this  sort,  even  at  the  purely  descrip- 
tive level,  needs  to  be  done,  for  it  will  doubtless  pose  more  sharply  the 
problems  which  have  to  be  solved  and  may  suggest  new  methods  of 
attacking  them. 


Fig.  19-6.  Acetabularia.  A,  A.  mediterranea.  B,  A.  wettsteinii.  C,  a  stalk  piece  (shaded) 
of  the  former  species  grafted  to  a  rhizoid  of  the  latter,  which  contains  the  nucleus.  The 
regenerating  "hat"  resembles  that  of  A.  wettsteinii  and  thus  seems  to  be  determined 
by  the  nucleus.  ( After  Hiimmerling. ) 

Acetabularia.  In  a  few  cases  more  direct  proof  of  gene  control  over 
form  characters  has  been  obtained.  One  of  the  most  notable  of  these  is 
presented  by  the  coenocytic  marine  green  alga  Acetabularia  (p.  136).  This 
plant  has  a  branching,  rhizoidal  base  from  which  rises  a  stalk  several 
centimeters  high,  surmounted  by  a  "hat"  something  like  the  "umbrella" 
of  a  mushroom.  At  most  stages  of  its  life  history,  Acetabularia  has  but  a 
single,  large  nucleus,  located  in  one  of  the  basal  rhizoids.  Two  species 
of  the  genus  differ  in  size  and  especially  in  the  form  of  the  hat.  If  a 
long  piece  of  the  stalk  of  the  taller  species  ( A.  mediterranea )  is  cut  out 
and  grafted  to  a  decapitated  basal  portion  of  the  other  (A.  wettsteinii), 
which  contains  the  nucleus,  a  new  hat  will  be  regenerated  at  the  apex 
of  the  grafted  stalk.  At  first  this  hat  will  resemble  that  of  the  species 
which  contributed  the  stalk  but  at  length  it  comes  to  be  like  that  of  the 


428  Morpho genetic  Factors 

species  at  the  base  and  thus  like  the  one  to  which  the  nucleus  belongs. 
Evidently  the  nucleus,  with  its  genes,  determines  the  form  of  the  hat 
(Fig.  19-6).  The  delay  in  expressing  this  determination  is  thought  to  be 
due  to  the  persistence  for  a  time  of  specific  substances  in  the  cytoplasm 
of  the  stalk,  produced  previously  by  the  nucleus  of  the  species  from  which 
it  came.  Acetabularia  has  provided  material  for  many  experiments  im- 
portant for  genetics  and  physiology  as  well  as  for  morphogenesis,  most 
of  them  by  Hammerling  ( see,  for  example,  1946 ) . 

Genes  and  Sex  Structures.  A  particularly  complex  problem  in  genetics 
and  one  of  much  importance  in  morphogenesis  is  the  inheritance  of  sex 
and  the  determination  of  the  structures  in  which  sexual  differences  are 
expressed. 

In  animals  most  individuals  definitely  belong  to  one  sex  or  the  other, 
and  the  production  of  both  male  and  female  gametes  by  the  same  or- 
ganism is  rare.  In  plants,  however,  it  is  much  commoner  than  the  uni- 
sexual condition.  Among  higher  forms,  staminate  and  pistillate  flowers 
may  be  separate  but  on  the  same  individual  (the  monoecious  condition) 
or  the  flowers  may  be  perfect  and  hermaphroditic.  There  are  a  consider- 
able number  of  cases,  however,  where  the  two  types  of  sexual  structures 
are  borne  on  different  individuals  (the  dioecious  condition).  Such  forms 
are  strictly  comparable  to  unisexual  animals. 

In  determining  just  what  the  sexual  character  of  a  plant  will  be,  how- 
ever, the  environment  has  a  much  greater  effect  than  it  does  in  animals. 
Sex  reversal  or  the  production  of  one  sort  of  sexual  structures  rather 
than  another  due  to  physiological  or  environmental  changes  is  rare  in  ani- 
mals but  in  plants  this  is  relatively  easy  to  accomplish.  In  monoecious 
angiosperms  the  ratio  of  staminate  and  pistillate  flowers  to  each  other 
or  to  the  perfect  flowers  which  sometimes  occur  on  such  plants  may  be 
determined  by  light  or  by  growth  substances,  or  it  may  be  an  aspect 
of  the  general  phasic  development  of  the  plant  (as  in  cucurbit  flowers; 
Nitsch,  Kurtz,  Liverman,  and  Went,  1952 ) .  The  problem  of  sex  expression 
in  plants  is  therefore  in  large  measure  a  developmental  rather  than  a 
genetic  one.  Although  there  is  a  definite  genetic  basis  for  most  of  the 
sexual  differences,  this  wide  variability  in  its  expression  makes  genetic 
analysis  particularly  difficult.  There  is  a  large  literature  on  this  subject 
only  a  very  small  part  of  which  can  be  mentioned  here. 

With  the  rediscovery  of  Mendel's  law  there  were  many  attempts  to 
analyze  sexual  differences  in  dioecious  plants  in  mendelian  terms.  Among 
the  early  workers  were  Correns  (1907),  Bateson  (1909),  and  Shull 
(1910).  The  plants  on  which  they  first  worked  were  Melandrium  (Lych- 
nis) and  Bryonia.  Correns  concluded  from  his  experiments  that  in  Melan- 
drium the  egg  cells  all  carry  a  tendency  toward  femaleness  and  that  the 
male  is  heterozygous  for  sex,  half  the  male  gametes   bearing  female 


Genetic  Factors 


429 


tendency  and  half  male.  This  plant  could  therefore  be  regarded  as  hav- 
ing the  XY  type  of  sex  inheritance  and  to  be  comparable  to  Drosophila. 
The  later  discovery  by  Blackburn  (1923)  of  an  unequal  pair  of  chromo- 
somes in  Melandrium  strongly  supported  this  conclusion,  and  it  is  now 
generally  accepted.  It  has  been  strengthened  by  the  fact  that  definitely 
sex-linked  traits  have  been  found  here,  notably  a  difference  in  leaf  shape 
(Fig.  19-7). 

Sex  chromosomes  are  not  confined  to  vascular  plants.  In  the  liverwort 
Sphaerocarpos  Donnellii  Allen  (1919)  reported  that  the  four  spores  of 
each  tetrad  produce  two  male  and  two  female  gametophytes.  The  females 
have  a  very  large  chromosome,  apparently  the  X,  and  the  males  its  much 
smaller  homolog,  apparently  the  Y  ( Fig.  19-8 ) .  This  is  the  XY  type  of 


Fig.  19-7.  A  sex-linked  trait  in  Melandrium.  At  left,  normal  plant.  At  right,  a  narrow- 
leaved  mutant,  the  gene  for  which  is  located  in  the  X  chromosome.  ( From  Shull. ) 

sex  determination  but  expressed  in  the  gametophyte  generation.  A  good 
many  other  dioecious  liverworts  and  mosses  have  been  found  to  possess 
a  similar  pair  of  sex  chromosomes.  It  is  significant  that  when  such 
gametophytes  are  made  diploid  they  become  monoecious,  evidently  be- 
cause they  now  possess  both  types  of  chromosomes,  though  in  such 
cases  the  gametes  usually  fail  to  function.  The  genetics  of  bryophytes  has 
been  reviewed  by  Allen  ( 1935,  1945 ) . 

There  are  a  number  of  complications  in  the  chromosome  theory  of  sex 
determination  in  the  higher  plants,  however.  Bryonia,  which,  like 
Melandrium,  is  clearly  male-heterozygous  on  breeding  evidence,  has  no 
unequal  chromosome  pair,  and  it  turns  out  that  visibly  unequal  chromo- 
somes, presumably  sex  chromosomes,  are  present  in  only  about  half 
the  genera  of  dioecious  plants.  In  some  cases,  also,  like  Dioscorea,  the 
female  is  XX  and  the  male  XO,  with  one  chromosome  less  than  the  female. 


430  Morphogenetic  Factors 

In  others,  like  the  dioecious  species  of  the  strawberry,  Fragaria,  it  is  the 
female  that  is  the  heterozygous  sex  and  all  male  gametes  are  alike.  Other 
difficulties  appear.  In  Rumex,  for  example,  the  female  has  two  X  chromo- 
somes and  the  male  one,  but  the  male  has  two  different  Y  chromosomes. 
In  Humulus  lupulus,  hops,  the  female  apparently  has  two  pairs  of  dif- 
ferent X  chromosomes  and  the  male  has  one  of  each  of  these  plus  two 
different  Y  chromosomes. 

The  situation  is  so  complex  and  the  results  reported  often  so  conflict- 
ing that  some  botanists,  among  them  Schaffner  and  Yampolsky,  have 
entirely  repudiated  the  chromosome  theory  of  sex,  particularly  since  in 
some  cases,  notably  in  Cannabis,  sex  can  readily  be  reversed  by  various 
environmental  factors,   as   Schaffner   was   able   to   do   by   altering   the 


Fig.  19-8.  Chromosomes  of  Sphaerocarpos.  From  female  gametophyte,  above,  showing 
X  chromosome,  and  from  male,  below,  showing  Y.  ( From  C.  E.  Allen. ) 

photoperiod  (p.  317).  McPhee  (1924)  obtained  similar  results.  He  showed 
that  this  does  not  invalidate  the  genetic  basis  for  sex  but  simply  demon- 
strates that  the  range  of  expression  for  the  genotype  in  hemp  in  response 
to  the  environment  is  very  wide. 

The  early  ideas  that  two  X  chromosomes  produce  a  female  and  one  X 
a  male  are  clearly  too  simple.  The  modern  view  of  sex  determination 
conceives  of  a  balance  between  several,  probably  many,  genes  of  which 
some  are  in  the  so-called  sex  chromosomes  and  others  may  be  in  the 
autosomes.  This  theory  of  balance  is  well  shown  by  the  results  of  several 
workers  (Warmke  and  Blakeslee,  1940;  Westergaard,  1940;  and  Warmke, 
1946)  with  a  dioecious  race  of  Melandrium  which  had  been  made  tetra- 
ploid  by  colchicine  treatment.  Here  the  female  had  four  X  chromosomes 
and  four  sets  of  autosomes,  4A  +  XXXX,  and  the  male  4A  -f-  XXYY.  By 
crosses  among  these  and  with  diploids,  the  investigators  were  able  to  pro- 


Genetic  Factors  431 

duce  types  with  one  or  with  two  Y  chromosomes  combined  with  two, 
three,  or  four  X's,  the  number  of  autosomes  being  kept  the  same  in  each 
combination.  The  Y  was  thus  the  only  variable.  They  also  combined  one, 
two,  three,  and  four  X  chromosomes  with  one  Y,  again  with  the  same 
number  of  autosomes,  so  that  the  number  of  X  chromosomes  was  the 
variable.  The  results  as  to  male,  female,  and  hermaphrodite  flowers  led 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  autosomes  have  little  sexual  tendency  ( as  they 
do  have  in  Drosophila),  that  the  Y  contains  strong  male-determining 
genes,  and  the  X,  weaker  female-determining  ones.  The  ratio  of  X  to  Y 
chromosomes  determines  what  the  sex  will  be.  It  can  also  be  shown 
that  there  are  at  least  three  genes  for  maleness  in  the  Y  chromosome. 

Experiments  like  these  support  the  hypothesis  that  genes  with  tenden- 
cies to  produce  male  structures  or  female  ones  are  carried  by  the  X,  the 
Y,  or  the  autosomes  and  that  the  balance  between  them  determines  the 
particular  expression  of  sex.  These  genes  may  be  present  in  chromosomes 
where  there  is  no  morphological  difference  between  members  of  the  pair, 
and  such  difference  is  obviously  not  significant  for  sex  determination.  The 
sharp  distinctions  between  maleness  and  femaleness  in  animals  and  the 
relative  scarcity  of  intersexual  forms  among  them  make  genetic  analysis 
of  sex  much  less  difficult  there  than  in  plants. 

Aside  from  the  determination  of  sex  in  individuals  as  a  whole,  the  de- 
gree of  sex  expression  within  the  individual  has  also  been  shown  to  be 
under  gene  control.  Typical  illustrations  of  this  are  the  following:  In 
several  cucurbits  the  monoecious  condition  is  dominant  over  the  andro- 
monoecious  (where  some  flowers  are  hermaphroditic  and  some  stami- 
nate),  and  a  single  gene  is  involved  (Rosa,  1928).  Poole  and  Grimball 
(1939)  extended  this  for  Cucumis  by  demonstrating  a  two-factor  dif- 
ference between  hermaphroditic  and  monoecious,  since  a  cross  between 
these  types  gave  in  F2  nine  monoecious:  three  gynomonoecious:  three 
andromonoecious:  one  hermaphroditic.  In  Carica,  Hofmeyr  (1938)  re- 
ports that  three  alleles,  Ml5  M2,  and  m,  are  responsible  for  maleness, 
hermaphroditism,  and  femaleness,  respectively  (M^m  is  staminate;  M<jn, 
hermaphroditic;  and  mm,  pistillate).  Homozygous  Mi  or  M>  are  lethal. 
Janick  and  Stevenson  (1955)  find  that  the  monoecious  character  in 
spinach  is  allelic  to  the  XY  pair  of  genes  concerned  in  sex  determination. 

A  notable  example  of  the  effect  of  genes  on  sex  determination  which 
could  lead  directly  to  the  production  of  a  dioecious  condition  from  a 
monoecious  one  was  demonstrated  by  Jones  (1934)  with  maize.  In  this 
plant  there  are  several  recessive  genes  for  tassel  seed  (ts)  on  chromo- 
some 1,  in  which  the  staminate  florets  are  replaced  by  pistillate  ones 
and  the  plant  is  thus  essentially  female.  The  recessive  silkless  gene  (sk) 
in  chromosome  2  sterilizes  the  female  flowers  and  thus  produces  a  plant 
essentially  male.  The  silkless  gene  has  no  effect  in  the  presence  of  tassel 


432  Morpho genetic  Factors 

seed  and  the  double  recessive  sksk  tsts  is  thus  female.  If  this  is  crossed 
with  a  plant  sksk  Tsts,  which  is  male,  half  the  offspring  are  Tsts  (male) 
and  half  tsts  (female).  Interbreeding  such  plants,  which  are  incapable 
of  self-fertilization,  will  continue  to  produce  offspring  of  which  half  are 
staminate  and  half  pistillate,  so  that  these  plants,  if  prevented  from 
crossing  with  other  types  of  maize,  will  constitute  a  dioecious  race.  In  this 
case  chromosome  1,  on  which  tassel  seed  is  located,  functions  as  a  sex 
chromosome  although  no  morphological  difference  is  visible. 

A  detailed  review  of  the  genetic  basis  for  sex  expression  in  flowering 
plants  has  been  written  by  Allen  (1940). 

Genes  and  Growth  Substances.  Since  growth  substances  so  powerfully 
affect  growth  and  development  it  is  natural  to  expect  that  in  many  cases 
gene  action  will  involve  the  production  and  distribution  of  these  sub- 
stances, and  in  a  considerable  number  of  cases  this  has  proved  to  be  the 
case.  Thus  in  the  profound  changes  in  growth  habit  of  "lazy"  maize 
(p.  390)  the  character  is  due  to  the  fact  that  auxin,  instead  of  accumu- 
lating on  the  lower  side  of  a  horizontal  stem,  remains  evenly  distributed 
so  that  the  stem  does  not  turn  upward.  Its  failure  to  do  so  is  not  the  re- 
sult of  mechanical  weakness  but  of  abnormal  auxin  relations. 

Mention  has  already  been  made  (p.  264)  of  the  single-gene  difference 
between  the  annual  and  the  biennial  varieties  of  Hyoscyamus  niger  and 
the  fact  that  this  is  apparently  due  to  a  growth  substance  which  can 
be  transmitted  by  grafting,  to  make  the  biennial  form  flower  in  its  first 
season.  It  is  probable  that  a  growth  substance  may  also  be  operative  in 
other  similar  cases,  like  those  of  beets  and  white  sweet  clover,  where  the 
difference  between  annual  and  biennial  forms  has  been  shown  to  be  due 
to  a  single  gene.  In  the  single-gene  mutants  reported  by  Stein  (p.  265) 
which  were  grafted  to  normal  stock,  some  of  the  effects  of  the  gene  seemed 
able  to  cross  the  graft  union  but  others  did  not. 

A  particularly  interesting  case  is  reported  by  Scheibe  ( 1956 )  for  peas, 
where  a  recessive  fasciated  mutant,  differing  from  normal  by  a  single 
gene,  has  a  higher  concentration  of  natural  auxin  than  the  normal. 
Furthermore,  fasciation  can  be  produced  in  the  normal  type  by  appli- 
cation of  indoleacetic  or  naphthaleneacetic  acid.  Here  the  difference  be- 
tween the  two  genes  seems  to  be  in  their  ability  to  produce  a  growth 
substance. 

Genes  are  also  concerned  with  photoperiodic  response.  The  Mammoth 
mutant  of  tobacco  differs  from  most  strains  by  a  single  gene  which, 
among  other  effects,  has  changed  the  normal  day-neutral  type  to  one 
that  flowers  only  under  short  day-lengths.  Chandraratna  ( 1955 )  has 
shown  that,  in  rice,  races  sensitive  to  photoperiod  differ  from  day-neutral 
types  by  a  single  gene. 

Goodwin  ( 1944 )  crossed  several  races  of  a  short-day  species  of  Solidago 


Genetic  Factors  433 

differing  in  flowering  time  and  found  that  a  considerable  number  of 
genes  were  involved  in  the  determination  of  this  character,  probably 
distributed  among  all  nine  chromosome  pairs. 

Since  developmental  traits  involve  reaction  of  the  genetic  constitu- 
tion of  the  organism  to  various  other  environmental  factors— water,  tem- 
perature, light,  mechanical  factors,  and  others— it  is  obvious  that  genes 
or  their  combinations  must  take  part  in  these  reactions,  and  although 
there  are  not  yet  many  cases  in  which  the  action  of  individual  genes 
has  yet  been  analyzed  as  successfully  here  as  it  has  in  the  biochemical 
genetics  of  lower  organisms,  this  will  doubtless  be  accomplished  and 
will  give  information  of  value  for  the  solution  of  the  problems  of  de- 
velopment. This  knowledge  will  be  second  in  significance  only  to  that 
which  may  be  gained  as  to  the  mechanisms  by  which  these  innumerable 
gene  reactions  are  so  organized  in  the  growth  and  activity  of  the  indi- 
vidual that  it  becomes  an  organism. 

CYTOPLASM 

The  fact  that  an  entire  and  normal  plant  may  be  produced  by  regenera- 
tion from  a  single  cell  (p.  253)  or  a  group  of  similar  cells  in  different 
regions  and  from  different  tissues  is  evidence  that  all  the  cells  of  the  plant 
are  genetically  alike.  This  implies  that  all  the  nuclei  are  similar,  a  conclu- 
sion supported  by  the  fact  that  in  all  cells  (save  in  cases  of  polysomaty) 
the  number  and  structure  of  the  chromosomes  are  constant. 

If  this  conclusion  is  valid,  the  basis  of  differentiation  would  appear  to 
lie  in  the  extranuclear  portion  of  the  cell,  the  cytoplasm.  Much  less  is 
known  about  the  cytoplasm  than  about  the  nucleus,  and  events  in  it  are 
not  as  dramatic  and  easily  observed.  It  is  clear,  however,  that  beneath 
its  relatively  homogeneous  superficial  appearance  there  must  be  a  high 
degree  of  chemical  and  physical  diversity,  an  understanding  of  which 
is  necessary  before  the  problems  of  differentiation  can  be  mastered.  The 
basis  for  cytoplasmic  differentiation  is  doubtless  at  the  submicroscopic 
level.  Weiss  (1956),  Schmitt  (1956),  and  some  others  have  shown  that 
the  elements  of  the  macromolecular  pattern  are  markedly  different  from 
one  another  in  size  and  distribution  (see  also  Tartar,  p.  455).  A  wide  field 
of  research  at  this  level  is  now  developing. 

There  are  a  few  cases  where  the  cytoplasm  can  be  shown  to  be  im- 
mediately concerned  in  determination  of  structural  characters.  This  is 
particularly  true  of  the  cell  wall,  which  is  directly  produced  by  the 
cytoplasm  and  is  a  primary  element  in  many  differences  between  cells. 
Examples  of  this  are  seen  in  the  regenerative  conversion  of  thin-walled 
parenchyma  cells  into  xylem  cells  with  reticulate  lignified  walls.  The  pat- 
tern of  these  lignified  thickenings  is  preceded   in  development  by  an 


434  Morphogenetic  Factors 

identical  pattern  of  granular  cytoplasmic  strands  on  which  the  thickenings 
are  laid  down  (p.  193).  Other  markings  in  the  cell  wall  have  also  been 
traced  to  cytoplasmic  differences. 

The  cytoplasm  may  be  concerned  in  the  development  of  characters 
above  the  cellular  level.  In  the  cells  of  air  roots  of  orchids,  the  bands 
of  wall  thickening  ( p.  201 )  that  keep  these  cells  from  collapsing  are  laid 
down  by  the  cytoplasm  in  each  cell.  They  are  not  isolated  structures  in 
single  cells,  however,  but  a  thickening  in  one  cell  is  directly  adjacent  to 
one  in  the  next,  so  that  a  continuous  system  is  produced  extending  from 
cell  to  cell  and  forming  a  histological  pattern  over  a  considerable  mass  of 
tissue.  The  differential  fiber  patterns  in  Luff  a  (p.  197)  and  similar  cases 
doubtless  originate  in  the  cytoplasm. 

The  distribution  and  configuration  of  the  cytoplasm  probably  have  a 
more  deeply  seated  relation  to  development,  however,  than  in  these  ex- 
amples of  cellular  patterns.  The  plane  in  which  a  cell  divides,  at  least 
in  vacuolate  cells,  is  foreshadowed  by  the  orientation  of  a  cytoplasmic 
plate  some  time  before  the  axis  of  the  spindle  is  established  (p.  25),  a 
fact  which  suggests  that  cell  polarity,  and  thus  the  direction  of  growth 
and  ultimately  organic  form  itself,  may  have  their  immediate  basis  in  the 
distribution  and  patterning  of  the  cytoplasmic  body. 

The  relation  of  cytoplasm  to  such  differences  in  form  may  be  well 
seen  in  the  coenocytic  bodies  of  many  red  algae,  notably  the  genus 
Caulerpa.  Here  there  are  no  cellular  barriers  to  the  passage  of  cytoplasm 
from  one  part  of  the  plant  to  another,  and  much  streaming  takes  place. 
Differences  may  be  observed  in  various  parts  of  the  plant  body  as  to  the 
character  of  the  cytoplasm,  part  of  which  is  fixed  to  the  inner  wall  and 
does  not  stream.  In  such  plants  the  differential  distribution  of  the  cyto- 
plasm seems  to  be  related  to  the  differentiation  of  the  plant  body,  though 
the  mechanisms  involved  are  unknown.  The  disadvantage  in  such  or- 
ganisms and  the  probable  reason  why  they  have  never  been  able  to  de- 
velop very  highly  differentiated  bodies  is  their  difficulty  in  keeping  the 
various  components  of  their  living  material  sufficiently  isolated  so  that 
physiological  differences  can  be  maintained  effectively  and  a  high  degree 
of  organization  thus  made  possible. 

Even  in  multicellular  plants  visible  differences  in  distribution  of  cyto- 
plasm are  related  to  differentiation.  This  is  especially  evident  in  cases  of 
unequal  cell  division,  as  in  the  formation  of  trichoblasts  in  many  roots 
(p.  190).  In  the  mother  cell,  which  is  to  divide  unequally  to  form  a 
small  trichoblast  and  a  larger  hairless  cell,  much  of  the  cytoplasm  (and 
the  nucleus)  moves  toward  the  end  at  which  the  trichoblast  will  be  cut 
off,  so  that  even  before  division  there  is  a  difference  in  cytoplasmic  dis- 
tribution. The  formation  of  the  new  wall  finally  separates  two  regions 
which  had  already  become  cytoplasmically  different.  In  the  formation 


Genetic  Factors  435 

of  stomatal  mother  cells,  initials  of  trichosclereids,  and  many  other  ex- 
amples of  unequal  cell  division  the  same  differential  distribution  of  cyto- 
plasm, before  division,  is  evident. 

In  such  cases,  unlike  the  coenocytes,  the  differences  which  arise  in  the 
cytoplasm  cannot  become  distributed  beyond  the  limits  of  the  original 
mother  cell.  If  in  each  cell  division,  however,  there  were  a  quantitatively 
or  qualitatively  unequal  distribution  of  cytoplasm  between  the  two 
daughter  cells,  cellular  differentiation  would  result.  It  seems  reasonable 
to  suppose  that  many  cell  divisions  are  thus  cytoplasmically  unequal 
even  though  the  differences  are  not  visible  and  may  be  at  the  submicro- 
scopic  or  chemical  level.  Such  inequality  would  provide  the  necessary 
cytoplasmic  basis  for  differentiation. 

If  differentiation  proves  to  be  primarily  a  matter  of  cytoplasmic  distribu- 
tion, the  mechanism  by  which  this  distribution  is  controlled  must  evi- 
dently be  one  of  the  major  problems  of  morphogenesis.  In  some  cases 
the  cause  may  be  ascribed  to  polarity.  Certainly  polarity  is  involved,  as 
we  have  seen,  in  many  axes  other  than  the  major  one  of  the  plant  body 
and  is  evident  in  many  developmental  patterns.  It  may  be  that  the  mecha- 
nisms which  are  effective  in  the  extreme  and  conspicuous  cases  of  un- 
equal and  polar  cell  division  may  also  be  involved  in  all  differential  di- 
visions (Bunning,  1958). 

That  the  cytoplasm  contributes  to  the  determination  of  developmental 
processes  through  inheritance  is  clear  from  a  number  of  facts,  particularly 
in  cases  where  the  offspring  of  reciprocal  crosses  are  unlike.  Where  the 
offspring  tends  to  resemble  the  maternal  parent  this  difference  is  evi- 
dently due  to  that  which  only  this  parent  contributes  to  it,  the  cytoplasm. 
In  traits  where  plastid  differences  are  involved  the  influence  of  the 
cytoplasm  is  clear,  since  the  plastid  primordia  are  carried  in  it.  In  other 
cases  it  is  more  difficult  to  see  what  the  mechanism  of  transmission  is. 

Crosses  in  Epilobium,  where  reciprocal  hybrids  are  often  markedly  dif- 
ferent in  size,  have  been  studied  intensively.  Lehmann  (1936)  showed 
that  in  such  cases  the  smaller  hybrids  have  a  lower  concentration  of  auxin 
than  the  larger  ones.  When  Schlenker  and  Mittmann  (1936)  applied 
auxin  to  the  smaller  plants  their  size  was  considerably  increased.  These 
facts  suggest  that  something  carried  in  the  cytoplasm  stimulates  the 
synthesis  of  auxin.  It  may  be,  as  has  sometimes  been  suggested,  that 
sensitivity  to  auxin  is  determined  by  the  genes  but  that  auxin  synthesis 
is  carried  on  in  the  cytoplasm.  Michaelis  (1938)  disagrees  with  Lehmann 
and  believes  that  the  facts  can  be  explained  by  specific  interactions  be- 
tween genes  and  cytoplasm.  This  Epilobium  work,  however,  and  the 
great  body  of  evidence  obtained  by  von  Wettstein  (1924)  and  his  col- 
leagues in  experiments  with  mosses  show  that  the  genes  are  not  inde- 
pendent in  their  effects  but  that  what  they  do  is  determined  to  a  con- 


436  Morphogenetic  Factors 

siderable  degree  by  the  cytoplasm  with  which  they  are  associated. 
Whether  the  specificity  of  the  cytoplasm  results  from  self-perpetuating 
bodies  such  as  the  often  postulated  plasmagenes  or  from  persisting 
effects  of  genes  on  the  cytoplasm  (Mather,  1948)  has  not  been  de- 
termined. This  question  is  primarily  of  genetic  rather  than  of  morpho- 
genetic importance. 

When  a  knowledge  of  the  cytoplasm  is  more  complete,  that  part  of  the 
cell,  somewhat  neglected  by  genetic  investigations  in  the  past,  will  doubt- 
less contribute  much  more  significantly  to  our  understanding  of  develop- 
ment and  differentiation.  What  has  been  called  protoplasmatic  plant 
anatomy  is  concerned  with  some  of  these  problems.  Its  contributions  have 
been  summarized  by  Reuter  ( 1955 ) . 

CHROMOSOMES 

The  control  of  development  and  form  lies  chiefly  with  the  genes  and 
their  reaction  to  the  environment,  but  it  must  also  be  recognized  that 
differences  in  the  number  and  character  of  the  chromosomes,  apart  from 
the  genes  they  contain,  may  be  of  considerable  morphogenetic  signifi- 
cance. 

Polyploidy.  Most  plants  in  the  sporophyte  generation  are  diploid,  the 
cells  containing  two  sets  of  chromosomes,  one  coming  from  the  male 
parent  and  one  from  the  female,  each  chromosome  belonging  to  a  pair 
of  homologous  ones.  In  some  plants,  however,  the  number  of  sets  has 
been  multiplied  so  that  every  chromosome  is  represented  by  more  than 
two  homologs.  Such  plants  are  polyploids.  There  are  many  cases  where 
the  number  of  sets  is  doubled,  to  form  tetraploids.  Hexaploids,  octoploids, 
and  many  other  polyploid  types  are  known,  though  polyploidy  cannot 
be  increased  indefinitely  throughout  the  plant  because  of  loss  of  vigor  in 
higher  members  of  the  series.  Individual  cells,  however,  or  groups  of 
cells  may  become  very  highly  polyploid. 

Polyploids  are  often  found  in  nature,  many  species  belonging  to  so- 
called  polyploid  series  where  each  species  has  a  particular  multiple  of  a 
basic  number  of  chromosomes. 

Various  ways  of  producing  tetraploids  artificially  are  known,  and  many 
polyploids  used  in  experimental  work  have  arisen  in  this  way.  One 
effective  means  is  treatment  with  colchicine  or  certain  other  chemicals 
which  check  mitosis  after  chromosome  division  but  before  the  new 
nuclear  membrane  is  formed,  so  that  the  two  daughter  cells  have  the 
double  chromosome  number.  Colchicine  may  be  applied  to  seeds  or  to 
the  whole  plant.  Growth  after  the  latter  treatment,  as  compared  with 
normal  development,  has  been  described  for  cranberry  by  Dermen 
(1944).  Many  large  cells  in  normal  plants  are  polyploid,  and  a  bud 


Genetic  Factors  437 

developing  in  such  a  tissue  will  be  a  tetraploid  or  higher  (Jorgensen, 
1928).  In  mosses  and  ferns  gametophytes  may  be  regenerated  from 
diploid  tissue  under  favorable  conditions  (p.  234)  and  are  thus  diploid 
in  character.  From  them  tetraploid  sporophytes  may  arise.  Haploid 
sporophytes  in  higher  plants  have  been  produced  by  various  chemical 
and  physical  treatments  and  sometimes  occur  in  twin  seedlings  ( Christen- 
sen  and  Bamford,  1943).  These  cases  prove  that  the  differentiation  into 
sporophyte  and  gametophyte  does  not  result  simply  from  difference  in 
chromosome  number. 

The  primary  effect  of  a  multiplication  of  chromosome  number  is  an 
increase  in  the  volume  of  the  nucleus  and  the  cell.  Most  other  distinctive 
traits  of  polyploids  follow  from  this  one.  The  relationship  between  num- 
ber of  chromosome  sets  and  cell  size  is  not  always  a  simple  proportional- 
ity, however.  A  study  of  such  a  series  as  that  in  Datura  stramonium  (Sin- 
nott,  Houghtaling,  and  Blakeslee,  1934),  for  example,  where  In,  2n,  3n, 
and  4n  plants  can  be  compared  directly,  shows  that  the  increase  in  cell 
size  is  different  in  different  tissues.  In  epidermal  cells  it  is  not  far  from 
1:2:4:8.  In  xylem  cells  the  increase  is  a  little  greater,  but  in  the  paren- 
chymatous cells  of  the  fundamental  tissue  in  the  petiole,  the  tetraploid 
is  usually  much  more  than  eight  times  the  diploid. 

In  such  cases,  each  added  chromosome  complement  does  not  simply 
add  an  amount  proportional  to  the  increase  in  chromosome  number  but 
multiplies  cell  size  by  a  certain  amount.  In  other  words,  the  addition  is 
geometric  rather  than  arithmetic.  This  is  evident  to  some  degree  in  the 
pedicel  cells  of  Datura  but  particularly  in  the  large  ones  of  the  petiole. 
It  is  well  seen  in  mosses,  where  von  Wettstein  ( 1924 )  produced  diploid 
gametophytes  by  regeneration  of  protonemata  from  sporophyte  (2n) 
tissue  so  that  haploid  and  diploid  gametophytes  could  be  directly  com- 
pared. When  this  was  done,  Tobler  (1931)  found  that  the  increase  in 
cell  size  of  diploid  over  haploid  was  different  for  different  races  and 
that  in  crosses  between  them  it  was  a  character  which  seemed  to  segregate. 
The  effect  of  polyploidy  may  be  different  in  related  species  ( H.  H.  Smith, 
1943). 

In  some  polyploid  series,  like  that  reported  by  Harriet  E.  Smith  (1946) 
for  races  of  Sedum  pulchellum  with  two,  four,  and  six  chromosome  sets, 
cell  size  increased  with  number  of  sets.  In  many  cases,  however,  mem- 
bers of  such  a  polyploid  series  in  nature  do  not  differ  appreciably  in  cell 
size.  An  observation  of  von  Wettstein's  (1938)  may  indicate  the  reason 
for  this.  He  grew  a  diploid  race  of  Bryum,  which  he  named  Bryum 
corrensii,  from  a  regenerated  diploid  protonema.  It  had  large  leaves  and 
cells  about  twice  the  haploid  size  and  was  quite  sterile.  Under  vege- 
tative propagation  its  size  gradually  became  reduced  until  after  11 
years  it  had  returned  to  a  practically  normal  condition  as  to  leaf  and 


438  Morpho genetic  Factors 

cell  size  and  fertility,  although  its  chromosome  number  was  still  diploid. 
This  suggests  that  regulation  to  a  physiologically  optimum  cell  size  had 
taken  place.  In  polyploid  series  in  the  higher  plants  it  may  be  that  regu- 
lation, through  natural  selection  or  otherwise,  has  produced  an  optimum 
cell  size  even  with  widely  different  numbers  of  chromosomes.  In  poly- 
ploid series  of  recent  origin,  however,  such  as  those  produced  by  colchi- 


> 


w 


V 


4 

* 


V 

% 


Fig.    19-9.   Flower  of  diploid    (left)    and   tetraploid    (right)    in   Antirrhinum   majus. 
( Courtesy  W.  Atlee  Burpee  Co. ) 

cine,  there  is  almost  always  a  close  relationship  between  chromosome 
number  and  cell  size. 

The  increased  cell  size  of  polyploids  may  be  reflected  in  larger  plant 
size  (Fig.  19-9).  Oenothera  gigas,  which  proved  to  be  a  tetraploid,  was 
named  for  its  size,  and  "gigas"  tetraploids  of  many  species  are  now  known. 
Frequently,  however,  the  tetraploid  plant  is  little  larger  than  the  diploid, 
and  it  may  even  be  smaller.  It  usually  has  stouter  stems  and  thicker 


Genetic  Factors 


439 


leaves,  and  its  flowers  are  larger.  Haploid  plants  are  universally  smaller 
than  diploid  ones.  Triploids  may  be  intermediate  between  tetraploids  and 
diploids  but  are  often  indistinguishable  from  the  latter. 

Genetic  differences  may  sometimes  determine  the  effect  of  polyploidy 
on  plant  size.  Flax  ( Linum  usitatissimum )  has  been  selected  commercially 
in  two  directions,  toward  the  production  of  linseed  oil  and  of  flax  fiber. 
Pandey  (1956)  compared  the  tetraploid  with  the  diploid  forms  of  both 
types  of  plants  in  this  species  and  found  that  in  the  linseed  type  the  An 
is  a  gigas  form  whereas  in  the  flax  type  it  is  actually  smaller  than  the  2n. 
The  linseed  tetraploid  grows  faster  than  its  diploid  but  the  flax  tetraploid 
grows  more  slowly.  The  two  tetraploids  also  show  certain  morphological 
differences. 


SHOOT 
APEX    10 


LEAF    10 


SHOOT 
APEX    10 


LEAF    10 


Q  10  mm. 

Fig.  19-10.  Shoot  apex  and  leaf  primordium  in  Zea  mays.  Left,  diploid;  right,  tetra- 
ploid. Difference  in  size  is  due  entirely  to  larger  cells  of  the  tetraploid.  (From  Ran- 
dolph, Abbe,  and  Einset. ) 


The  origin  of  size  differences  in  members  of  a  polyploid  series  has 
been  studied  developmentally  in  a  few  cases.  The  apical  meristem  of  the 
tetraploid  is  always  broader  than  that  of  the  diploid.  Sometimes  it  is 
relatively  flat,  as  in  Vinca  rosea  (Cross  and  Johnson,  1941),  or  it  may 
be  the  same  shape  as  the  diploid  but  doubled  in  size,  as  in  maize 
(Randolph,  Abbe,  and  Einset,  1944;  Fig.  19-10).  In  the  development 
of  the  cucurbit  fruit,  Sinnott  and  Franklin  (1943)  found  that  the  ovary, 
from  primordium  to  the  time  of  flowering,  was  almost  twice  the  volume 
in  An  as  in  2n  and  thus  was  proportional  to  the  volume  of  its  cells  (Fig. 
19-11).  In  these  plants,  growth  of  the  ovary  into  the  fruit  is  chiefly  by 
cell  expansion.  This  second  phase  of  growth  is  much  less  extensive  in  An 
than  in  In,  so  that  the  mature  fruit  is  almost  the  same  size  in  both,  as 
are  the  cells  of  which  it  is  composed.  In  these  cases  the  flower  is  "gigas" 
but  the  fruit  is  not. 


440  Morpho genetic  Factors 

Members  of  a  polyploid  series  often  differ  in  other  respects  than  size. 
There  is  a  general  tendency  in  tetraploids  for  organs  to  be  relatively 
shorter  and  wider  than  in  diploids.  This  difference  is  well  shown  in  the 
series  of  capsules  in  Datura  from  In  to  An  (Blakeslee,  1934).  The 
haploid  has  a  slender  capsule  and  becomes  progressively  flatter  in  the 
upper  members  of  the  series.  Fruits  of  tetraploid  cucurbits  produced  by 
colchicine  were  in  every  case  changed  toward  a  flatter,  or  at  least  a  less 
elongate,  form.  The  leaves  of  tetraploid  varieties  of  most  plants  show 
the  same  shape  changes  in  comparison  with  the  diploid.  Straub  (1940) 
observed  that  flower  size  changes  in  the  same  way,  flowers  from  higher 
members  of  a  polyploid  series  being  relatively  wider.  In  Torenia  the 
position  of  the  anthers  with  reference  to  the  corolla  is  changed  in  the 
octaploid. 


40 


60    ao  ioo 


8      10  20 

OVARY       DIAMETER    mm 
Fig.  19-11.  Graph  showing  general  relations  between  cell  size  and  ovary  size  in  de- 
veloping fruits  of  diploid  and  tetraploid  cucurbits.  In  early  stages  the  4N  is  larger  in 
both  respects  but  after  flowering  the  growth  of  the  2N  is  greater  and  at  fruit  ma- 
turity (vertical  bar)  the  two  are  essentially  alike.  (From  Sinnott  and  Franklin.) 


This  shape  difference  probably  originates  at  the  meristem  itself. 
Cross  and  Johnson  found  that  in  Vinca  rosea  the  tetraploid  apex  was  con- 
siderably wider  but  no  deeper  and  that  the  increase  in  size  of  its  com- 
ponent cells  was  also  chiefly  in  width.  Riidiger  (1952)  has  shown  that 
in  various  plants  the  cells  of  the  tetraploid  are  somewhat  shorter  and 
wider  than  those  of  the  diploid.  Organ  shape  may  thus  be  a  reflection 
of  cell  shape,  though  in  other  cases  cell  shape  seems  not  to  be  markedly 
different  in  An  and  2n.  Why  there  should  be  such  a  shape  difference, 
either  in  cell  or  organ,  is  not  clear.  Cell  size  alone  is  not  enough  to  ac- 
count for  it,  for  there  are  large-celled  races  which  do  not  differ  in 
shape  from  small-celled  ones  of  the  same  species. 

Certain  more  general  biological  facts  are  related  to  polyploidy.  Steb- 
bins  (1938),  for  example,  has  studied  polyploidy  in  a  large  number  of 
woody  and  herbaceous  genera  and  finds  that  polyploid  series  are  more 


Genetic  Factors 


441 


abundant  in  perennial  herbs  than  in  annuals  or  woody  plants  (Fig. 
19-12).  The  basic  chromosome  numbers,  however,  are  significantly 
higher  in  woody  genera. 

Much  work  on  polyploidy  has  been  done  by  students  of  ecology  and 
plant  distribution  ( Miintzing,  1936 ) ,  though  most  of  this  has  little  direct 
concern  with  morphogenesis.  In  general,  polyploids  can  endure  extremes 
of  climate  better  than  diploids.  The  distribution  of  polyploids  as  to 
latitude  has  been  discussed  and  the  literature  reviewed  by  Love  and  Love 
(1949). 

Polyploids  are  of  importance  for  evolution  not  only  in  matters  of  selec- 
tion and  distribution  but  from  the  fact  that  by  their  means  sterile 
hybrids   can   become   fertile    and    genetic   lines,    separated   by   incom- 


35-- 


1 


EL 


n 


tl   WOODY 

■  HERBACEOUS 

U   WOODY  b  HERBACEOUS 


nln  hi 


m. 


Lii 


LtiL 


m. 


5  &  7  8  9 

BASIC    HAPLOID    NUMBER 


Fig.  19-12.  Distribution  of  basic  chromosome  numbers  in  herbaceous  and  woody 
genera  of  dicotyledons.  Dotted  lines  indicate  genera  known  only  tentatively.  Herba- 
ceous types  tend  to  have  smaller  numbers.  ( From  Stebbins. ) 

patibilities,  thus  be  brought  together.  Many  species  will  hybridize  but 
the  offspring  are  usually  sterile.  If  their  chromosome  number  is  doubled 
(to  form  an  allopolyploid),  as  sometimes  happens  in  nature,  fertility 
is  restored  since  there  are  now  pairs  of  homologous  chromosomes  and 
normal  meiosis  can  take  place. 

Somatic  Polyploidy  ( Polysomaty ) .  Polyploidy  is  concerned  with  an 
important  aspect  of  differentiation,  for  investigation  has  shown  that  many 
somatic  cells,  particularly  the  larger  or  physiologically  more  active 
ones,  are  polyploid  and  often  to  a  rather  high  degree.  This  condition  is 
termed  polysomaty.  In  some  cases,  such  as  the  meristematic  region  of 
the  root  of  spinach  (Gentcheff  and  Gustafsson,  1939;  Berger,  1941), 
chromosomes  of  certain  of  the  dividing  cells,  particularly  in  the  periblem, 
are  twice,  or  sometimes  four  times,  the  normal  diploid  number.  This  seems 
to  be  the  result  of  an  additional  doubling  in  the  prophase  before  the 


442  Morphogenetic  Factors 

mitotic  figure  is  formed.  Polysomaty  of  this  type  has  been  reported  in 
other  cases,  as  in  Cucumis  (Ervin,  1941). 

In  many  instances  it  has  been  shown  that  a  process  of  endomitosis 
takes  place  in  certain  cells  by  which  the  chromosome  number  is  doubled 
(or  further  multiplied)  even  though  the  cell  is  mature,  the  nuclear 
membrane  intact,  and  no  mitotic  figure  has  been  formed  (Geitler,  1949). 
That  this  doubling  has  taken  place  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  the  num- 
ber of  visible  chromocenters,  presumably  corresponding  to  the  chromo- 
somes, is  doubled.  The  chromosome  number  may  be  definitely  determined 
by  inducing  these  cells  to  go  into  typical  mitosis,  either  through  wound- 
ing or  by  application  of  growth  substances.  Under  such  conditions  the 
chromosomes  can  readily  be  counted.  Grafl  (1939)  was  thus  able  to 
prove  that  among  mature  and  normally  differentiated  cells  of  Sauromatum 
guttatum  some  were  tetraploid,  some  octaploid,  and  some  16-ploid.  This 
situation  has  now  been  found  in  many  other  cases.  D'Amato  (1950),  by 
the  use  of  2,4-D,  observed  it  in  roots  of  a  number  of  monocotyledons, 
and  Holzer  (1952),  by  treatment  with  indoleacetic  acid,  in  the  roots  of 
27  species  of  angiosperms.  Holzer  found  that  the  distribution  of  these 
polyploid  cells  was  not  at  random  but  formed  a  pattern  which  was  similar 
in  groups  of  related  plants.  Often  it  is  not  the  number  of  chromosomes 
(or  chromosome  centers)  that  increases  but  the  number  of  strands  per 
chromosome. 

The  connection  between  polyploidy  and  the  volume  of  cell  and 
nucleus  has  important  morphogenetic  implications.  In  certain  animal 
tissues,  among  them  the  cells  of  the  developing  salivary  glands  of 
Drosophila,  it  has  been  observed  that  nuclear  volume  falls  into  definite 
classes,  each  approximately  twice  the  volume  of  the  one  next  below  it. 
Such  "rhythmic"  distribution  was  observed  in  plants  by  Monschau  ( 1930). 
The  relation  between  polysomaty  and  nuclear  volume  has  now  become 
well  established  (Bradley,  1954,  and  others).  This  makes  it  possible  to 
determine  with  some  accuracy  the  degree  of  polyploidy  in  a  mature  and 
differentiated  cell  by  measuring  the  volume  of  its  nucleus  or  even  of  the 
cell  itself,  in  comparison  with  related  cells  and  ultimately  with  those  in 
which  the  chromosome  number  can  be  determined  directly.  Thus  in 
various  angiosperm  species,  Tschermak-Woess  and  Hasitschka  (1953«) 
have  estimated  the  degree  of  polyploidy  of  certain  cells  in  a  tissue  as 
various  multiples  of  the  basic  number,  up  to  256-ploid  (Fig.  19-13). 
Somatic  polyploidy,  as  estimated  either  by  direct  count  or  by  nuclear 
size,  commonly  increases  with  distance  from  the  apical  meristem  (Fig. 
19-14)  and  with  age  (Fig.  19-15). 

All  this  obviously  has  a  Very  important  bearing  on  the  problem  of 
differentiation.  Wipf  and  Cooper  (1940)  for  example,  found  a  close  rela- 
tion between  the  presence  of  naturally  occurring  tetraploid  cells  and  the 


Fig.  19-13.  Cereus  spachianus.  Cells  showing  increasing  chromosome  numbers  during 
development,  a  and  b,  2n;  c,  32n;  d,  64n;  e,  highly  polyploid  resting  nucleus  from  an 
older  portion  of  the  cortex;  /,  young  polyploid  resting  nucleus  with  chromocenters, 
2  to  3  mm.  behind  the  shoot  apex;  g,  a  part  of  the  differentiated  cortex  showing  marked 
differences  in  cell  size,  presumably  because  of  somatic  polyploidy.  ( From  Fenzl  and 
Tschermak-Woess. ) 

443 


MONOSOMATIC    CELLS 

DISOMATIC  CELLS 

TETRASOMATIC  CELLS 


100      lM     MO     230     300     350    400    450    500     550    600    630    700     750     870    830    600     050    1000    1050     1100    1130    l!00     1250  ~I300 

MICRONS     FROM     EXTREME   TIPS  OF  ROOTS 

Fig.  19-14.  Frequency  distribution  of  mitoses  with  one,  two,  or  four  times  the  basic 
number  of  chromosomes,  in  the  root  of  Cucumis.  Chromosome  number  increases  with 
distance  from  the  apex  ( left. )   ( From  Ervin. ) 


5600 

! NUCLEAR    VOLUME 

5320 

yC 

5040 

4760 

4480 

4200 

3920 

3640 

3360 

3080 

2800 

2520 

2240 

I960 

1680 

1400 

1120 



840 

560 

. 

280 

.AB 

.An 

UJi> 

0 

14                           20 

25. 

'  DAYS 

Fig.  19-15.  Changes  in  nuclear  volume  (cubic 
microns )  during  development  of  maize  endo- 
sperm. C,  central  region.  AB  and  AD,  surface 
layers.  Nuclear  growth  here  is  due  to  endomi- 
tosis,  with  increase  in  number  and  size  of 
strands  per  chromosome.  Number  of  chromo- 
somes presumably  does  not  increase.  ( From 
Duncan  and  Ross. ) 

444 


Fig.  19-16.  Endopolyploidy  in  tri- 
chomes  of  Bryonia,  a,  glandular 
hair  with  basal  cell  256-ploid; 
b,  hair  of  filament,  the  basal  cell 
128-ploid,  and  others  16-ploid.  The 
epidermis  is  diploid.  ( From  Tscher- 
mak-Woess  and  Hasitschka. ) 


Genetic  Factors  445 

origin  of  root  nodules  in  legumes.  Von  Witsch  and  Fliigel  (1952)  found 
that  meristematic  tissue  of  Kalanchoe  Blossfeldiana  was  diploid  but  that 
as  the  leaves  differentiated  the  mesophyll  became  polyploid,  as  could 
be  shown  by  wounding  and  observing  mitoses  in  the  wound  callus.  Inci- 
dentally, the  mesophyll  was  only  8-ploid  if  the  leaf  had  developed  under 
long  days  but  32-ploid  under  short-day  conditions.  Steffen  (1956)  esti- 
mated from  nuclear  volume  that  chalazal  haustoria  in  Pedicularis  were 
96-ploid  and  micropylar  ones  384-ploid.  An  illuminating  study  of  endo- 
mitotic  polyploidy  in  the  differentiation  of  the  trichomes  of  angiosperms 
has  been  made  by  Tschermak-Woess  and  Hasitschka  (1954;  Fig.  19-16). 

Somatic  polyploidy  has  now  been  shown  to  be  so  frequent  as  to  make  it 
probable  that  much  of  the  differentiation  of  plant  cells,  so  far  as  cell  size 
is  concerned,  is  related  to  it,  cell  size  being  roughly  proportional  to  the 
degree  of  polyploidy.  Exceptions  have  been  found  to  this  relationship, 
and  no  firm  generalization  about  it  can  yet  be  made.  Obviously,  too, 
there  is  much  more  to  differentiation  than  change  in  size.  However,  the 
possibility  certainly  exists  of  learning  much  about  the  mechanism  of 
cellular  differentiation  and  of  developing  what  has  been  called  "karyologi- 
cal  plant  anatomy,"  a  subject  outlined  in  some  detail  by  Tschermak-Woess 
(1956).  D'Amato  (1952)  has  also  reviewed  the  field  of  polyploidy  in 
differentiation,  and  Geitler's  book  (1953)  discusses  endomitosis  more 
fully. 

Other  Effects  of  Chromosome  Differences.  There  is  sometimes  a  rela- 
tion between  cell  size  and  total  chromosome  bulk.  In  13  species  of  Crepis 
differing  in  number  and  length  of  chromosomes  Navashin  ( 1931 )  meas- 
ured total  chromosome  length  at  a  comparable  stage  of  mitosis,  using 
this  as  an  indication  of  chromatin  mass.  In  each  species  he  plotted  this 
against  the  volume  of  comparable  cells  in  the  root  meristem  and  found 
a  close  correlation  between  the  two,  suggesting  that  the  total  bulk  of 
chromosome  material  affects  the  size  of  the  cell  (Fig.  19-17).  In  some 
cases,  notably  in  mutants  of  Primula  and  Phragmites  (p.  35),  both 
chromosomes  and  cells  are  markedly  larger  than  normal,  and  this  is  also 
reflected  in  the  size  of  the  plant  itself.  Neither  of  these  types  is  polyploid. 
In  some  plants  there  are  "accessory"  chromosomes  which  seem  to  have 
little  or  no  genetic  effect,  but  Miintzing  and  Akdik  (1948)  find  that 
their  presence  causes  an  increase  in  the  size  of  stomatal  cells. 

The  influence  of  extra  chromosomes  was  studied  in  Crepis  tectorum  by 
Schkwarnikow  ( 1934 ) .  This  species  has  four  pairs  of  chromosomes  called 
A,  B,  C,  and  D,  and  four  races  were  available  in  each  of  which  one  of 
these  chromosomes  was  represented  by  three  instead  of  two  members. 
Plants  in  which  B  or  C  was  present  as  a  trisome  had  cells  larger  than  the 
normal  diploid.  Those  in  which  A  or  D  were  the  extra  ones,  however, 
had  smaller  cells  than  normal.  Here  evidently  something  more  than  bulk 


446 


Morpho genetic  Factors 


5000- 

i 

1    i 
i 

'Z  4000- 

i 

1 

l 

■ 

3 

o 

i 

d> 

E 

3 
O 

*  3000- 
O 

i 
i 

i 

2000- 

i 

■   i   i   i   i   i 

i   i 

i   i   i 

i   i   i   i 

Chromosome  length  (relative  units) 

Fig.  19-17.  Correlation  between  average  cell  volume  (of  dermatogen  cells  in  root  tip) 
and  average  total  chromosome  length  (chromatin  mass)  in  13  species  of  Crepis.  The 
length  of  bar  for  each  species  indicates  the  probable  error  for  that  determination. 
( Redrawn  from  Navashin. ) 

of  chromosomes  was  concerned  with  cell  size.  This  presumably  was  de- 
termined by  the  genes  the  chromosomes  carried  (Table  19-1). 

Table   19-1.  Average  Cross-sectional  Area    (in   Square   Microns)    of  Primary 

Dermatogen  Cells  in  Root  of  Diploid  Crepis  tectorum  and  in 

Four  of  Its  Trisomies  * 

Diploid 260.0  ±  5.3 

Trisomic  A 235.5  ±  3.6 

Trisomic  B 282.6  ±  4.0 

Trisomic  C 271.0  ±  2.4 

Trisomic  D 228.5  ±  5.5 

°  From  Schkwarnikow  (1934). 


A  somewhat  similar  result  was  found  by  Sinnott,  Houghtaling,  and 
Blakeslee  (1934)  in  the  primary  chromosome  mutants  of  Datura  stra- 
monium. This  species  has  12  pairs  of  chromosomes,  and  in  each  mutant 
race  there  are  three  representatives  of  one  of  these  chromosomes.  The  12 
trisomic  races  differed  very  considerably  from  one  another,  both  ex- 


Genetic  Factors 


447 


ternally  and  internally.  In  some  the  cells  in  certain  tissues  were  larger 
and  in  some  smaller  than  in  the  diploid.  Such  traits  as  the  size  of  the 
bundles,  the  amount  of  internal  phloem,  and  the  development  of  peri- 
cycle  fibers  differed  among  the  mutants.  It  is  significant  that  for  each 
trait  the  diploid  was  approximately  the  average  of  the  12  mutants,  a  good 


2N 


i-i- 


I  2- 


22- 


3  3 


—  3-4 


5-5- 
5  6 — 


77- 


II  II 

1112  — 

1313 

13-14 


14  14-- 


15-15- 
15  16- 


17  17 — 


23  24- 


IN- 


6  6 


■7  8 


—910 
1010 


9  3 


■1718 


19-19 


19-20 


•21-22 


2  N 


■3N 


■4W 


210  2.58  3.06  3.54  4  02  451  5.00 

Fig.  19-18.  Genie  balance  in  Datura  stramonium.  Cross-sectional  area  of  flower  stalk 
in  various  chromosomal  types  (in  square  millimeters).  Vertical  line  marks  normal 
value  for  the  diploid.  Areas  larger  or  smaller  than  this  are  shown  by  the  lengths  of  the 
horizontal  lines  for  each  type.  IN,  3N,  and  4N  are  below.  Above,  the  primary  mutants 
have  solid  lines,  the  secondaries  dotted  ones.  Each  chromosome  is  numbered  by  its 
two  ends,  the  primaries  being  1.2,  3.4,  etc.,  and  the  secondaries  2.2,  3.3,  etc.  The 
geometrical  mean  of  the  primaries  is  almost  exactly  the  value  for  the  diploid.  (From 
Sinnott,  Houghtaling,  and  Blakeslee. ) 

example  of  genie  balance  (Fig.  19-18).  Evidently  each  chromosome 
contributed  something  to  the  character  of  the  plant,  and  when  this 
chromosome  was  represented  by  three  instead  of  two,  this  contribution 
was  increased.  Such  a  result  seems  clearly  to  be  due  to  the  genes  which 
the  chromosome  carries,  however,  rather  than  to  something  specific  in 


448  Morphogenetic  Factors 

the  chromosomes  as  such.  It  may  be  that  all  the  effects  now  attributed  to 
chromosomes  may  ultimately  be  found  to  be  due  to  their  genes. 

It  must  regretfully  be  admitted  that  not  very  much  of  substantial  impor- 
tance has  yet  been  contributed  by  genetic  analysis  to  a  solution  of  the 
problems  of  morphogenesis.  Its  most  significant  addition  to  our  knowl- 
edge of  development  thus  far  is  perhaps  the  discovery  of  the  relation  be- 
tween the  size  of  a  cell  and  the  degree  of  its  internal  polyploidy,  with  the 
bearing  this  fact  has  on  the  control  of  histological  differentiation.  Behind 
the  other  problems  of  morphogenesis  still  lurks  the  unanswered  question 
of  how  genes  control  the  development  of  form  and  structure  and  thus 
the  orderly  and  integrated  growth  of  an  individual  as  an  organism.  En- 
vironmental factors  have  an  important  influence  on  the  character  of  this 
organism,  but  the  organizing  process  itself  seems  to  be  centered  in  proto- 
plasm and  thus  to  be  under  the  control  of  the  directive  and  self-multi- 
plying elements  in  protoplasm,  the  genes.  It  is  to  this  general  problem  of 
organization  that  attention  in  our  final  chapter  is  directed. 


CHAPTER    20 

Organization 


Underlying  the  various  phenomena  of  morphogenesis  that  have  here  been 
discussed  stands  a  single  basic  problem:  how  a  mass  of  living  stuff  is 
organized  into  a  system,  so  well  termed  an  organism.  Organization  is  evi- 
dent in  various  ways  but  most  vividly  in  the  development  of  form  in 
living  things.  Form  is  not  simply  a  trait  to  be  described  and  classified. 
It  is  also  the  visible  expression  of  a  self-regulatory  equilibrium  which 
tends  to  be  attained  in  development,  maintained  during  life,  and  restored 
when  disturbed.  Every  individual  has  a  specific  equilibrium  of  this  sort, 
a  morphogenetic  norm,  so  to  speak,  to  which  it  tends  to  conform.  This  is 
the  unifying  factor  that  gives  continuity  to  an  organism.  It  is  a  pattern 
for  development  in  which  every  part,  in  its  growth  and  activity,  is  related 
to  all  the  others  and  by  which  the  fate  of  each  is  determined  by  its  posi- 
tion in  the  organized  whole. 

The  manifestations  of  a  given  norm  are  various.  It  is  not  constant  in 
expression  but  may  change,  in  a  precise  and  regular  fashion,  from  embryo 
to  maturity.  It  may  produce  very  different  results  under  different  en- 
vironmental conditions.  Its  basis  is  established  in  the  genetic  constitu- 
tion of  the  individual.  The  nature  of  this  norm,  how  it  is  modified  in  ex- 
pression by  factors  inside  and  outside  the  organism,  and  how  develop- 
ment is  regulated  in  conformity  to  it  are  the  basic  questions  with  which 
the  science  of  morphogenesis  must  deal. 

To  attack  this  problem  hopefully  one  should  break  it  down,  if  possible, 
into  simpler  components.  These  have  already  been  discussed  in  earlier 
pages,  but  it  will  be  useful  here  to  bring  them  briefly  together  into  focus 
on  the  main  problem. 

One  of  these  components  is  polarity.  All  plants,  at  least  at  certain 
stages,  are  organized  around  an  axis  which  provides  a  basis  along  which 
development  takes  place  and  in  relation  to  which  the  lateral  organs  are 
formed.  The  two  poles  of  this  axis  (save  in  rare  cases)  are  unlike.  The 
axis  may  be  vertical  or  horizontal,  and  if  lateral  axes  arise  from  it,  these 
often  have  specific  orientations,  so  that  the  plant  body  is  really  a  pattern 
of  polarities.  In  many  cases  transverse  as  well  as  longitudinal  ones  may 

449 


450  Morphogenetic  Factors 

be  seen.  Polarity  is  manifest  in  physiological  activities  as  well  as  in  struc- 
ture. 

The  universal  presence  of  polar  phenomena  in  plants  suggests  that 
there  is  in  living  stuff  an  innate  tendency  toward  polarization,  although 
most  eggs  and  undifferentiated  cells  at  first  are  unpolarized.  This  provides 
a  concrete  point  of  attack  on  developmental  problems.  The  suggestion  is 
obvious  that  organic  polarities  may  be  related  to  those  evident  in  the 
inorganic  world,  and  especially  to  chemical  and  electrical  ones,  but  this 
has  proved  somewhat  difficult  to  establish  experimentally.  Polarity  has 
been  shown  in  some  cases  to  be  modified  by  specific  factors  in  the  en- 
vironment. 

Not  only  are  the  two  ends  of  the  polar  axis  unlike  but  other  differences 
appear  in  graded  series  backward  from  each  apex.  These  gradients  are 
evident  in  the  rate  of  various  metabolic  processes  and  in  the  form  and 
structure  of  lateral  organs  arising  successively  at  the  growing  point.  Here 
is  a  simple  place  to  study  the  origin  of  differentiation.  One  school  of 
biologists  regards  these  axial  gradients  as  the  most  important  factors  in 
development. 

The  polar  axis  is  not  only  a  gradient  axis  but  an  axis  of  symmetry.  In- 
deed, the  symmetrical  arrangement  of  parts  around  it  is  a  conspicuous 
aspect  of  axiation.  Organic  symmetry,  an  expression  of  the  basic  regu- 
larity in  the  arrangement  of  plant  structures,  is  manifest  at  every  level 
from  the  internal  structure  of  a  cell  to  the  configuration  of  a  tree.  It  is 
obviously  an  important  element  in  the  orderly  formativeness  that  living 
organisms  display. 

Radial  symmetry— the  regular  spiral  distribution  of  lateral  structures 
around  an  axis— is  best  displayed  in  vertical  plant  axes  where  the  stimuli 
of  gravity  and  light  affect  all  sides  of  the  axis  almost  equally.  Under  these 
conditions,  the  symmetrical  arrangement  of  the  lateral  organs  seems  to  be 
traceable  to  an  inherent  spirality  in  living  stuff  itself.  This  has  as  yet 
received  little  experimental  study,  but  its  widespread  occurrence  in 
phyllotaxy,  the  spiral  grain  of  wood,  the  spiral  character  of  the  cell  wall 
and  of  protoplasmic  streaming,  and  the  spiral  movements  of  the  plant 
body  suggest  that  spirality  is  another  basic  fact  in  organization. 

Spirality  is  masked  to  a  considerable  extent  in  those  axes  which  are 
horizontal  and  thus  exposed  differentially  to  gravity  and  light,  but  the 
dorsiventral  symmetry  of  these  structures  provides  good  material  for  a 
study  of  the  interaction  of  polarity,  spirality,  and  environmental  factors 
in  the  development  of  plant  form. 

We  may  therefore  recognize  several  components  in  the  general  phe- 
nomenon of  plant  organization:  polarity,  differential  gradients,  symmetry, 
and  spirality.  These  seem  to  be  distinct  characteristics  and  may  have  dif- 
ferent bases  in  protoplasm.  They  certainly  can  be  investigated  separately. 


Organization  451 

All  of  them,  or  their  rudiments,  seem  to  be  present  in  all  plants.  They 
provide  the  basic  ingredients,  so  to  speak,  out  of  which  the  developmental 
norm  is  produced.  Just  what  a  specific  norm  will  be  depends  on  the 
interaction  between  these  inherent  protoplasmic  traits  and  two  other 
factors:  the  genetic  constitution  of  the  individual  and  the  environment 
in  which  it  develops. 

The  genetic  constitution  is  the  complement  of  genes  in  the  organism. 
These  act  on  the  protoplasmic  traits  just  mentioned  to  produce  the  form 
characteristic  of  that  organism.  This  form,  however,  is  not  a  specific  pat- 
tern of  polarities,  gradients,  spiralities,  and  symmetries  but  results  from 
a  specific  reaction  to  a  specific  environment.  Neither  genes  nor  environ- 
ment alone  determines  what  an  organism  is,  for  their  action  is  comple- 
mentary and  one  cannot  be  separated  from  the  other.  In  practical  experi- 
mental work,  however,  much  can  be  learned  by  studying  the  effects  of 
different  genotypes  under  the  same  environment  or  of  the  same  genotype 
in  different  environments.  The  latter  method  has  so  far  been  much  more 
fruitful,  as  is  shown  by  the  vast  literature  in  the  fields  of  the  morpho- 
genetic  effects  of  light,  water,  temperature,  mechanical  factors,  and 
various  chemical  substances.  There  is  still  opportunity  for  much  fruitful 
work  in  all  these  fields.  A  study  of  gene  action,  on  the  other  hand,  al- 
though actively  pursued,  has  thus  far  been  concerned  chiefly  with  the 
effects  of  genes  on  metabolic  processes  or  on  the  synthesis  of  specific 
substances.  How  genes  control  developmental  relationships,  and  thus 
the  production  of  organic  form,  is  almost  unexplored  territory. 

In  a  given  individual,  therefore,  through  the  interaction  of  its  genotype 
and  the  particular  environment  in  which  it  lives,  both  acting  on  the  basic 
tendencies  toward  polarization,  gradients,  symmetry,  and  spirality,  there 
is  at  any  given  stage  of  its  development  a  norm  to  which  it  conforms. 
This  involves  more  than  a  mere  interaction  between  organism  and  en- 
vironment. What  emerges  from  the  developmental  process  is  an  organized 
system  in  which  the  various  parts  are  related  and  mutually  interdependent 
and  which  controls  its  own  development  by  a  process  of  self -regulation. 
This  is  to  be  seen  most  clearly  in  the  familiar  phenomena  of  growth.  A 
plant  or  animal  exists  in  an  environment  of  which  the  chemical  constitu- 
ents (atoms,  molecules,  or  larger  particles)  are  a  heterogeneous  mass  and 
dispersed  at  random.  When  these  particles  are  drawn  into  the  organism 
they  lose  this  randomness  and  each  now  comes  to  occupy  a  particular 
place  in  the  living  system.  By  some  means  this  orderly  disposition  of  new 
material  into  an  organized  whole  is  controlled.  When  death  ensues,  the 
control  disappears  and  the  dispersive  tendencies  of  lifeless  matter  break 
down  the  system.  This  system  is  specific  and  is  different  in  every  indi- 
vidual. The  mass  of  data  now  accumulated  from  studies  of  regeneration 
suggests  that  all  the  cells,  at  least  at  their  beginnings,  are  totipotent  and 


452  Morphogenetic  Factors 

that  the  basis  for  the  norm  of  the  organism  is  present  in  the  living  stuff 
of  every  cell. 

The  omnipresence  of  the  developmental  norm  is  suggested  by  that 
quality  in  development  termed  by  Driesch  equifinality,  the  attainment  of 
the  same  developmental  goal  in  very  different  ways.  There  is  no  single 
or  linear  progression  of  steps  by  which  a  structure  is  formed,  but  the  or- 
ganism may  shift  its  course  of  development  according  to  circumstances. 
This  is  much  more  difficult  to  explain  than  is  a  linear  step-by-step  series 
of  changes,  each  a  precursor  of  the  next.  A  regulatory  mechanism  of  some 
sort  must  be  involved.  What  gives  unity  to  the  individual  is  not  so  much 
its  unchanging  genetic  constitution,  important  as  this  is,  but  rather  this 
developmental  norm,  immanent  in  the  organism  from  the  first  and  often 
reached  over  different  routes. 

It  should  be  emphasized  that  what  is  involved  here  is  not  inherent 
adaptability  by  which  an  organism  naturally  reacts  in  a  favorable  way  to 
environmental  changes,  for  a  given  norm  may  hinder  survival.  The  "lazy" 
mutation  in  maize,  for  example,  which  causes  the  plant  to  grow  flat  on 
the  ground,  would  not  persist  in  nature.  Most  normative  reactions  of 
plants  evident  today  tend  to  be  favorable  since  they  are  the  ones  that 
have  survived  in  the  winnowing  process  of  natural  selection,  but  the  fact 
of  normativeness  has  no  relation  to  adaptability. 

The  self-regulatory  character  of  living  things  has  often  been  observed 
and  discussed.  In  bodily  activities  it  is  the  basis  of  the  homeostatic  re- 
actions so  evident  in  physiology.  Its  most  conspicuous  manifestations, 
however,  are  structural  and  are  seen  in  those  cases  where  a  portion  of  an 
organism  is  experimentally  isolated  from  the  rest  and  then  proceeds  to 
restore  its  missing  parts  so  that  a  single  whole  is  produced.  Each  of  the 
first  two  cells  from  a  Fucus  egg,  or  the  first  two  blastomeres  in  a  frog 
embryo,  if  isolated,  will  develop  not  into  half  an  organism  but  into  a  whole 
one.  Single  cells  from  the  epidermis  of  a  plant,  under  appropriate  condi- 
tions, will  develop  into  whole  individuals.  Cuttings  restore  lost  roots. 
Missing  shoots  are  replaced  by  others.  Severed  vascular  strands  are  united 
by  the  growth  of  connecting  bundles.  The  literature  of  plant  regeneration 
is  full  of  such  examples.  Many  of  these  were  brought  together  by  Ungerer 
( 1926 ) ,  but  botanists  have  in  general  been  less  concerned  with  this  prob- 
lem than  have  zoologists.  Regeneration  is  such  a  dramatic  fact  that  many 
attempts  have  been  made  to  account  for  it.  Actually,  however,  regenerative 
development  is  no  more  and  no  less  difficult  to  explain  than  normal 
development.  The  real  problem  is  not  regeneration  but  self-regulatory, 
normative  development. 

Many  suggestions  have  been  made  to  explain  this  central  enigma  of 
morphogenesis,  but  it  must  be  admitted  that  none  has  yet  been  proposed 
which  is  generally  acceptable.  The  problem  is  enormously  difficult  and 


Organization  453 

doubtless  cannot  be  solved  by  any  simple  or  single  hypothesis.  It  is  essen- 
tially one  of  synthesis,  in  which  evidence  from  many  sources  must  be 
coordinated.  For  discussions  of  it  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  publications 
of  Agar  (1951),  von  Bertalanffy  (1952),  Child  (1941),  Driesch  (1937), 
Holmes  (1948),  Lillie  (1945),  Meyer  (1935),  Needham  (1936),  Reinke 
(1922),  E.  S.  Russell  (1933),  Smuts  (1926),  Troll  (1928),  Ungerer 
(1926),  Wardlaw  (1955c),  Weiss  (1950),  Whyte  (1954),  and  Woodger 
(1929).  Woodger's  discussion  of  the  concept  of  organism  (1930,  1931) 
is  particularly  useful. 

The  position  that  a  biologist  assumes  toward  this  problem  will  usually 
be  determined  more  by  his  attitudes  and  predilections  than  by  the  con- 
flicting and  inconclusive  evidence  that  is  now  available.  To  those  who 
assume  that  all  organic  traits  must  have  been  produced  by  natural  selec- 
tion, both  normal  and  regenerative  development  will  be  regarded  as  the 
result  of  a  long-continued  selective  process.  Holmes  (1948)  and  others 
have  supported  this  view,  and  it  is  probably  held  by  a  majority  of  biol- 
ogists who  have  considered  the  matter.  Aside  from  the  general  presump- 
tion in  its  favor,  there  is  some  positive  evidence  for  this  position  in  the 
fact  that  organized,  regulatory  development  is  not  invariable  but  some- 
times breaks  down.  There  are  many  examples  of  this  in  the  various  types 
of  abnormal  growth.  Sometimes,  as  in  teratological  structures,  only  the 
last  developmental  stages  become  confused  and  irregular,  but  when  the 
breakdown  is  more  complete,  tumors,  galls,  and  other  amorphous  struc- 
tures are  produced.  Finally,  in  tissue  culture,  all  traces  of  multicellular 
organization  seem  to  have  vanished.  There  evidently  are  various  levels 
of  organization,  and  it  is  reasonable  to  suggest  that  the  more  complex 
ones  have  gradually  evolved  from  the  simpler  because  of  the  presumptive 
advantages  that  a  highly  organized  system  has. 

There  are  some  difficulties  with  this  hypothesis,  however.  In  the  break- 
down of  visible  regulation  the  organizing  capacity  itself  has  not  been 
lost,  for  such  abnormal  structures  as  fasciations  may  revert  to  normal 
growth  again,  and  in  amorphous  galls  and  tissue  cultures  growing  points 
may  appear  which  develop  into  typical  plants.  Single  cells  from  a  tissue 
culture  may  produce  normal  organisms.  There  is  no  necessary  connection 
between  the  genetic  constitution  of  the  individual  (which  is  what  is 
presumably  modified  by  natural  selection)  and  the  appearance,  or  lack 
of  it,  of  a  visible  state  of  organization.  Furthermore,  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  even  where  gross  visible  organization  has  broken  down,  the 
living  cells  themselves  are  small  organized  systems  with  a  complex 
though  often  submicroscopic  structure  and  with  a  very  considerable  de- 
gree of  physiological  self -regulation.  Indeed,  if  all  organization  disappears, 
death  ensues.  Organization  seems  to  be  a  fundamental  quality  of  living 
things,  explain  it  in  whatever  way  we  can,  rather  than  a  simple  trait 


454  Morpho  genetic  Factors 

comparable  to  those  upon  which  natural  selection  is  effective.  One  cannot 
discount  the  possibility,  of  course,  that  in  the  very  beginning  this  regula- 
tory normativeness  may  have  arisen  by  a  selective  process  and  later  be- 
came established  as  a  general  characteristic  of  all  life. 

An  essential  aspect  of  organization  and  of  the  organic  forms  that  result 
from  it  is  that  these  involve  much  more  than  a  series  of  successive  chemi- 
cal steps,  for  form  is  concerned  with  relationships.  In  an  earlier  chapter 
evidence  has  been  presented  that  relationships,  and  thus  form,  are 
genetically  determined,  but  how  genes  act  to  produce  this  trait  is  far 
from  clear.  An  organized  system  is  a  complex  pattern  of  such  relation- 
ships and  one  that  is  not  static  but  changes  during  development  and 
restores  itself  if  altered.  Whatever  its  origin,  the  problem  still  remains  as 
to  how,  in  terms  of  protoplasmic  activity,  such  a  self-regulating,  pat- 
terned system  is  produced. 

One  of  the  simplest  explanations  is  that  proposed  by  Child  ( 1941 )  and 
others  who  point  out  that  an  organized  system  does  not  develop  unless 
a  polar  axis  is  first  established  in  originally  homogeneous  material  by  the 
influence  of  an  environment  that  differs  on  the  two  sides  and  that  a 
gradient  arises  along  this  axis.  The  essential  importance,  at  least  at  the 
beginning  of  development,  of  an  asymmetric  environment  must  not  be 
forgotten,  an  environment  which,  so  to  speak,  "lines  up"  the  undif- 
ferentiated egg  or  mass  of  tissue  in  one  direction  and  so  orients  it  that 
it  can  then  organize  its  developmental  pattern  in  an  orderly  fashion.  Grav- 
ity and  unilateral  light  are  the  commonest  asymmetric  environmental 
factors  for  plants.  They  make  one  side  of  the  structure  different  from 
the  other  and  thus  begin  the  continuing  process  of  differentiation.  Plants 
grown  where  these  factors  are  uniform  on  all  sides  are  usually  amorphous 
(p.  137).  The  interaction  between  the  polar  gradient  and  the  genes  of  the 
organism  is  an  important  factor  in  producing  a  specific  form.  For  some 
biologists  this  explanation  is  sufficient  to  account  for  organic  form,  but 
it  does  not  give  a  clear  picture  of  how  such  interaction  works  nor  does  it 
explain  the  complex  correlations  that  occur  during  development. 

Among  other  suggested  explanations  one  of  the  most  promising  is  the 
concept  of  a  biological  "field"  in  conformity  to  which  development  takes 
place.  Gurwitsch  ( 1923 )  assumes  such  a  field  to  be  present  around  a 
developing  organic  structure,  but  this  is  difficult  to  describe  in  physical 
terms.  In  Gurwitsch's  hands  it  acquires  an  almost  mystical  character  and 
seems  to  resemble  nothing  so  much  as  an  astral  body  immanent  in  and 
around  the  growing  organism.  Where  such  a  beautifully  precise  structure 
as  a  fungus  fruiting  body  molds  itself  out  of  a  complex  and  intertwining 
tangle  of  sliding  hyphae,  or  where  from  a  throng  of  individual  myx- 
amoebae  a  specifically  fashioned  sorocarp  develops  through  their  inter- 
action, we  must  assume  that  in  the  mass  of  living  stuff  there  is  a  formative 


Organization  455 

factor  of  some  sort,  but  it  should  be  possible  to  describe  this  in  more  pre- 
cise terms  than  does  Gurwitsch. 

Fields  of  various  sorts  have  often  been  postulated  in  animal  develop- 
ment, but  in  a  somewhat  more  descriptive  sense,  as  the  developmental 
influence  of  a  given  region  over  structures  in  it.  If  the  rudiment  of  a 
young  and  growing  amphibian  tail,  for  example,  is  transplanted  at  an 
early  age  into  the  region  of  a  leg  it  will  grow  into  a  leg  since  it  is  now  in  a 
leg  field.  If  it  is  somewhat  older  before  transplanting  it  will  become  a 
tail,  since  its  own  tail  field  is  now  operative.  This  conception  of  a  morpho- 
genetic  field  recognizes  the  formative  influence  acting  within  a  given 
region  or  throughout  the  embryo  but  offers  little  explanation  of  this 
action.  Fields  have  been  discussed  by  Weiss  (1950),  Raven  (1943), 
and  many  other  experimental  embryologists.  In  botanical  morphogenesis 
the  field  concept  has  been  employed  by  the  Snows  and  Wardlaw  to  ac- 
count for  the  localized  development  of  lateral  structures  at  the  apical 
meristem. 

More  specific  is  the  suggestion  of  Burr  and  others  (1932)  that  the 
morphogenetic  field  is  a  bioelectric  one.  Burr  has  found  that  around  a  de- 
veloping structure,  such  as  a  fertilized  egg  in  animals  or  a  developing 
ovary  primordium  in  plants,  a  micropotentiometer  will  reveal  an  orderly 
pattern  of  potential  differences  that  is  a  correlate  of  the  form  which  will 
develop  from  them.  Burr  and  Northrop  (1935)  support  the  view  that 
the  primary  entities  in  nature  are  fields  and  not  particles  and  that  the 
former  determine  the  activities  of  the  latter  instead  of  the  other  way 
around.  Both  physical  and  biological  phenomena  certainly  are  electrical 
in  their  ultimate  nature,  but  Burr's  theory  goes  much  further  than  that 
in  assuming  the  organized  biological  pattern,  manifest  to  our  eyes,  to 
be  the  visible  expression  of  an  underlying  bioelectrical  pattern.  The  ori- 
gin of  such  a  pattern  and  what  determines  the  changes  in  it  are  yet  un- 
known. 

One  of  the  difficulties  in  accounting  for  an  organic  pattern  is  to  see  how 
it  can  arise  in  a  semifluid  and  formless  protoplasmic  system.  How,  one 
asks,  can  such  a  flowing  and  unstable  material  as  protoplasm  produce 
the  very  specific  forms  which  come  out  of  it?  It  is  obvious  that  proto- 
plasm, homogeneous  though  it  seems  to  be,  must  have  a  structure  of 
some  sort.  The  electron  microscope  is  beginning  to  show  what  this 
structure,  at  the  macromolecular  level,  actually  is  (Weiss,  1956;  Frey- 
Wyssling,  1953).  The  organized  pattern  which  we  see  emerging  from 
living  stuff  seems  to  be  rooted  in  these  submicroscopic  configurations 
of  molecules.  The  developmental  norm  or  pattern  must  in  some  way  be 
prefigured  in  the  specific  constitution  of  an  organism's  protoplasm.  The 
possibility  that  there  may  be  a  persisting  pattern  in  the  cytoplasm  is  sug- 
gested by  the  work  of  Tartar   (1956)   on  the  ciliate  protozoan  Stentor, 


456  Morpho genetic  Factors 

where  such  a  pattern  is  passed  from  one  generation  to  the  next  in  the 
ectoplasmic  striping,  which  is  divided  between  the  daughter  cells.  Tartar 
concludes  that  "it  is  possible  that  the  complex  activities  of  the  cyto- 
architecture  of  stentor  may  forecast  an  appreciation  that  some  homologous 
cytoplasmic  pattern  is  common  to  all  cells  and  is  as  important  in  its  way 
as  the  chromosomal  nucleus  which  also  has  its  orderly  arrangements." 

How  such  configurations  originate  is  not  clear,  but  some  biologists, 
among  them  Needham  (1936),  look  for  suggestions  to  the  paracrystalline 
state  of  matter  ( "liquid  crystals" ) .  The  molecular  solutes  in  most  solutions 
are  distributed  at  random  but  in  some  it  can  be  shown  that  these  dis- 
solved particles  are  arranged  in  a  very  regular  fashion.  This  may  de- 
termine such  cellular  events  as  differential  growth  and  plane  of  division 
and  thus  provide  a  basis  for  organic  orderliness. 

A  number  of  workers,  among  them  Baitsell  (1940),  have  gone  still 
further  and  endeavor  to  translate  molecular  pattern  into  cellular  pattern. 
The  molecule  is  a  specific  and  organized  structure.  Perhaps,  so  goes  the 
argument,  the  forces  that  pull  the  atoms  together  into  the  orderly  con- 
figuration shown  by  a  large  and  complex  protein  molecule,  for  example, 
are  of  the  same  nature  as  those  that  bind  together  a  vast  number  of  such 
molecules  into  the  system  which  is  a  living  cell,  the  unitary  structure  of 
all  organisms.  On  such  a  hypothesis  the  cell  is  to  be  looked  upon  as  an 
enormous  molecule.  If  this  concept  is  carried  one  step  further,  the  whole 
organism  might  be  regarded  as  a  single  molecule  and  integrated  by  the 
same  forces  that  organize  simpler  ones. 

A  promising  hypothesis  has  come  from  Turing  (1952),  who  suggests 
that  a  homogeneous  system  of  substances  which  react  on  each  other  and 
are  diffusing  through  a  tissue  may  become  unstable  because  of  random 
disturbances  in  it  and  may  thus  produce  a  pattern.  Turing  analyzes  a 
hypothetical  example  mathematically  and  shows  that  six  different  forms 
may  result  from  a  simple  "diffusion-reaction"  system  of  this  sort.  He  seeks 
a  mechanism  by  which  genes  determine  structure  and  suggests  that  well- 
known  physical  laws,  with  their  mathematical  implications  for  develop- 
ment, are  enough  to  account  for  many  of  the  phenomena  of  organic 
form.  Wardlaw  (1953a,  1955c)  has  written  a  constructive  discussion  of 
Turing's  rather  involved  theory  and  its  applications  to  morphogenetic 
problems  in  plants. 

Rashevsky  in  a  series  of  papers  (1944,  1955,  1958,  and  others)  has 
approached  the  problems  of  biology  from  a  physical  and  especially  a 
mathematical  point  of  view  and  in  particular  has  endeavored  to  interpret 
biological  processes  in  terms  of  position  and  relation. 

The  problems  of  growth  and  form  have  been  discussed  by  Sir  D'Arcy 
Thompson  in  his  classic  volume  by  that  name  (1942)  already  mentioned 
frequently  in  this  book.  He  marshals  evidence  from  physics,  chemistry, 


Organization  457 

and  mathematics  in  considering  such  diverse  questions  of  botanical  in- 
terest as  growth,  surface-volume  relations,  size  and  form,  phyllotaxy,  cell 
shape,  least-surface  configurations,  growing  points,  spiral  growth,  and 
the  theory  of  transformations  in  biology.  Perhaps  his  most  important 
contribution  is  what  seems  a  very  simple  one:  the  demonstration  that, 
if  a  given  organic  form  is  inscribed  in  a  series  of  rectangular  coordinates, 
endless  modifications  of  it  may  be  derived  by  deforming  these  coordi- 
nates in  various  ways.  This  method  is  particularly  useful  in  evolutionary 
studies  by  showing  the  progressive  changes  by  which  a  structure  has  been 
modified.  Its  significance  for  development  is  also  important  in  the 
demonstration  that  change  of  form  is  not  a  localized  and  particulate 
process  but  that  a  given  form  is  an  integrated  pattern  and  changes  as  a 
whole,  so  that  alterations  in  one  region  affect  many  others.  This  method 
of  analysis  somewhat  resembles  that  of  allometry  in  expressing  relation- 
ships mathematically.  If  allometry  could  be  extended  to  three  dimensions, 
as  Richards  and  Kavanagh  suggest  (1943),  it  could  be  used  to  make  a 
more  precise  statement  of  developmental  relations  than  D'Arcy  Thomp- 
son has  done.  By  these  means  the  changes  in  a  growing  organic  form  may 
be  described  graphically  and  expressed  in  mathematical  terms,  surely 
an  important  advance;  but  they  provide  no  clue  as  to  what  the  proto- 
plasmic basis  of  such  a  form  may  be. 

In  this  impasse  we  grope  for  clues  wherever  they  may  be  found.  The 
science  of  cybernetics,  for  example,  points  to  the  resemblance  between 
the  giant  electronic  calculators,  with  their  "feedback"  mechanisms,  and 
the  nervous  system,  in  which  the  brain  is  continually  receiving  reports 
from  the  peripheral  organs  and  sending  back  messages  to  them.  There 
well  may  be  more  than  a  curious  resemblance  between  these  complex 
machines  and  a  living  organism,  and  in  seeking  to  understand  biological 
organization  we  should  not  neglect  the  feedback  principle.  The  fact 
that  there  is  no  differentiated  nervous  system  in  plants  need  not  mean 
that  this  principle  is  not  operative  in  them,  for  in  plants  the  functions  of 
the  nervous  system  seem  to  be  performed  by  unspecialized  protoplasm. 
From  other  sources  which  at  first  seem  very  unlikely  to  offer  any  help 
in  this  problem,  clues  may  come.  Information  theory,  with  its  systems  of 
coding,  which  has  been  found  useful  in  so  many  fields,  may  not  be  without 
significance  for  problems  of  development.  In  living  stuff  itself  there  may 
perhaps  be  "coded,"  so  to  speak,  a  mass  of  data  on  which  the  developing 
organism  may  draw  and  which  may  even  be  the  basis  of  the  morpho- 
genetic  norm  that  has  here  been  discussed. 

Since  organization  exists  at  other  levels  than  the  living  organism,  sug- 
gestions as  to  the  mechanism  for  it  there  may  come  from  simpler  types  of 
systems.  In  Whitehead's  philosophy,  the  concept  of  organism  holds  a 
key  position,  from  atoms  to  man.  He  has  called  physics  the  science  which 


458  Morphogenetic  Factors 

deals  with  very  small  organisms  ( atoms  and  molecules )  and  biology  the 
one  which  deals  with  much  larger  ones.  We  know  that  the  atom,  far  from 
being  simple,  is  itself  a  system  with  many  kinds  of  particles  within  it, 
bound  together  into  a  complex  whole.  Pauli  has  shown  that  the  basis  of 
this  may  reside  in  the  fact  that  two  electrons  cannot  occupy  the  same  orbit 
and  that  the  orbit  of  one  is  related  to  the  orbit  of  another.  This  fact  may 
perhaps  be  regarded  as  the  germ  of  other  organizational  relationships 
higher  in  the  scale. 

In  an  exploration  of  the  problem  of  organic  form  the  obvious  hypothe- 
sis, and  the  simplest  one  with  which  to  work,  is  that  there  are  formative 
substances.  The  quest  for  these  has  resulted  in  a  vast  deal  of  useful  ex- 
perimental work  on  various  "organ-forming  substances":  chemical  com- 
pounds that  make  roots  or  shoots  or  flowers;  calines,  organizers,  hor- 
mones, growth  substances,  and  other  chemical  bodies  that  are  supposed  to 
produce  specific  structures  directly.  All  such  ideas,  if  carried  far  enough, 
face  the  serious  problem  of  how  it  is  possible  for  a  substance  to  become 
translated  into  a  form.  This  was  the  difficulty  on  which  Spemann's 
"organizer"  came  to  grief.  Today  it  seems  much  more  likely  that  these 
various  substances,  the  effects  of  which  undoubtedly  result  in  the  pro- 
duction of  form  changes,  act  rather  as  evocators,  releasers,  or  triggers 
which  call  forth  specific  responses  by  the  organized  living  system. 

The  problem  of  organic  form  seems  to  be  centered  in  the  patterned 
character  of  protoplasmic  structure  rather  than  in  its  specific  chemical 
constitution.  Here  are  manifest  those  basic  tendencies  mentioned  at  the 
beginning  of  this  chapter:  polarity,  spirality,  and  symmetry.  It  will  be 
noted  that  almost  all  the  suggested  explanations  of  organic  formative- 
ness  discussed  in  earlier  paragraphs  involve  physical  rather  than  chemi- 
cal factors,  relationships  rather  than  substantiveness.  To  be  sure,  these 
are  ultimately  not  easy  to  distinguish  from  each  other;  but  for  the  im- 
mediate future  it  seems  more  likely  that  morphogenesis  will  find  new, 
constructive  ideas  if  it  explores  the  many  possibilities  of  biophysics 
rather  than  relying  as  exclusively  on  those  of  biochemistry  as  it  tends  to 
do  today. 

The  fact  is  that  we  have  as  yet  no  idea  of  what  the  physical  basis  of 
biological  organization  really  is.  This  problem  is  closely  concerned  with 
the  origin  and  nature  of  life.  Biochemists  and  biophysicists  are  beginning 
to  make  some  shrewd  guesses  as  to  how  simple  organic  molecules  may 
have  been  synthesized  in  earth's  primeval  seas  and  even  how  such  a 
complex  entity  as  a  virus  particle  was  put  together.  A  knowledge  of  the 
nucleic  acids  makes  it  possible  to  see  how  genes  multiply.  What  happens 
in  gene  mutation  is  also  fairly  well  understood.  All  this  has  led  many  to 
the  optimistic  belief  that  we  now  know  how  life  originated,  how  it  re- 
produces itself,  and  how  it  evolves.  An  essential  trait  of  every  living 


Organization  459 

thing,  however— its  self-regulatory  organization— must  still  be  explained 
before  we  claim  that  we  know  what  life  is.  This  may  well  involve  princi- 
ples, still  undiscovered,  which  are  distinctively  biological  and  different 
from  the  presently  understood  ones  of  the  physical  sciences.  This  is  the 
position  taken  by  men  like  Delbruck  ( 1949)  and  Schrodinger  ( 1945).  The 
line  between  the  physical  and  the  biological  sciences  steadily  grows  less 
distinct,  but  this  does  not  necessarily  mean  that  biology  is  simply  a 
specialized  kind  of  physics  and  chemistry.  Says  Prof.  Wald  ( 1958 ) :  "If 
biology  ever  is  'reduced'  to  chemistry  and  physics,  it  will  be  only  because 
the  latter  have  grown  up  to  biology.  At  this  point  it  will  be  hard  to  say 
which  is  which." 

Here  the  problem  touches  deeper  questions  of  philosophy  which  lead 
us  away  from  purely  scientific  ideas.  That  biology,  and  perhaps  especially 
morphogenesis,  is  bound  to  have  important  philosophical  implications 
cannot  be  denied,  but  these  questions  are  beyond  the  purpose  of  the 
present  discussion.  It  is  important,  however,  for  a  student  of  the  life 
sciences  to  remember  that  back  of  all  the  phenomena  of  genetics,  bio- 
chemistry, and  physiology  stands  the  important  fact  that  a  living  thing 
is  an  organism,  that  there  is  an  interrelationship  among  its  parts,  which  is 
manifest  in  development,  and  that  if  this  system  is  disturbed  it  tends,  by 
a  process  of  self -regulation,  to  restore  itself.  The  most  evident  expression 
of  this  organization  is  the  form  of  the  organism  and  its  structures.  Mor- 
phogenesis, the  study  of  the  origin  of  form,  thus  assumes  a  central  posi- 
tion in  the  biological  sciences. 


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Name  Index 


Abbe,  E.  C,  34,  68,  426,  439 

Abbe,  Lucy  B.,  41 

Abele,  K.,  31 

Abessadze,  K.  J.,  201 

Abrams,  G.  J.  von,  377 

Acarar,  P.,  255 

Agar,  W.  E.,  453 

Aitchison,  J.  A.,  221 

Akdik,  Sara,  35,  222,  445 

Albaum,  H.  G.,  112,  121,240 

Alexandrov,  W.  G.,  110,  201,  334 

Alexandrova,  O.  G.,  110,  334 

Allard,  H.  A.,  164,  314,  320 

Allen,  C.  E.,  426,  429,  430,  432 

Allen,  Ethel  K.,  295,  407 

Allen,  G.  S.,  78 

Allen,  O.  N.,  295,  407 

Allman,  G.  J.,  118 

Allsopp,  A.,  217,  332,  372 

Amelung,  E.,  32 

Amos,  J.  R.,  260 

Anderson,  E.,  41,  110,  419,  426 

Anderson,  R.  E.,  273 

Anderson,  Y.  G.,  312 

Applegate,  H.  G.,  395 

Arber,  Agnes,  216 

Arens,  K.,  178 

Arney,  S.  E.,  321 

Arutiunova,  N.  S.,  35 

Ashby,  E.,  33,  38,  98,  103,  201,  212 

Askenasy,  E.,  66 

Asseyeva,  T.,  271 

Atchison,  Earlene,  408 

Audus,  L.  J.,  375 

Avakian,  A.  A.,  262 

Avers,  Charlotte  J.,  78 

Avery,  A.  G.,  59,  89,  270 

Avery,  G.  S.,  Jr.,  19,  30,  31,  39,  86,  90, 

187,  253,  309,  375,  379,  381,  383, 

392 


Baer,  D.  F.,  68 

Bailey,  I.  W.,  26,  36,  37,  80,  81,  85,  111, 

193,  358 
Bailey,  P.  C,  40 
Baillaud,  L.,  210 
Bain,  H.  F.,  245 


Baitsell,  G.  A.,  456 

Baker,  Rosamond  S.,  53 

Ball,  E.,  69,  70,  72-74,  140,  237,  238 

Ball,  O.  M.,  347 

Bamford,  R.,  437 

Bannan,  M.  W.,  37,  81-84,  199 

Barclay,  B.  D.,  58,  202 

Barghoorn,  E.  S.,  Jr.,  83,  84,  85,  372 

Barkley,  Grace,  193 

Barratt,  R.  W.,  373 

Barthelmess,  A.,  163,  164 

Bartlett,  H.  H.,  310 

Bartoo,  D.  R.,  203 

Basarman,  M.,  185 

Batchelor,  L.  D.,  263 

Bateson,  W.,  271,  428 

Bauer,  L.,  217,  234 

Baur,  E.,  269 

Bausor,  S.  C.,  281,  282 

Bayly,  Isabel  L.,  81 

Beadle,  G.  W.,  42 

Beakbane,  A.  Beryl,  260,  266 

Beal,  J.  M.,  406 

Beal,  W.  J.,  164 

Beatty,  A.  V.,  37 

Becker,  G.,  40,  335 

Behnke,  Jane,  392 

Behre,  K.,  125,  252 

Behrens,  Gertrud,  317,  319 

Beissner,  L.,  214 

Bellamy,  A.  W.,  231 

Benedict,  H.  M.,  38,  212 

Benson-Evans,  K.,  343 

Bergamaschi,  Maria,  38 

Bergann,  F.,  270 

Berge,  H.,  254 

Berger,  C.  A.,  184,  441 

Bertalanffy,  L.  von,  453 

Berthold,  G.,  44 

Beyerinck,  M.  W.,  280,  284 

Beyerle,  R.,  121,  256 

Biddulph,  O.,  295 

Biddulph,  Susan,  295 

Biegert,  F.,  192 

Bilhuber,  E.,  163 

Bindloss,  Elizabeth,  34 

Bissett,  I.  J.  W.,  37 

Bitters,  W.  P.,  263 


527 


528 


Name  Index 


Black,  L.  M.,  290 
Blackburn,  Kathleen  B.,  429 
Blackman,  V.  H.,  16 
Blair,  D.  S.,  260 
Blake,  M.  A.,  505 

Blakeslee,  A.  F.,  59,  89,  185,  221,  222, 
270,  272,  273,  296,  430,  437,  440, 
446,  447 
Blaringhem,  L.,  279,  282 
Blaser,  H.  W.,  91,  271 
Bloch,  B.,  25,  77,  82,  118,  130,  131,  135, 
171,   190-193,   197,  218,  219,  240- 
242,  277,  282,  403,  404 
Blondel,  Benigna,  19 
Boell,  E.  J.,  73,  74,  140 
Bohme,  H.,  262 
Boke,  N.  H.,  65 
Bond,  G.,  197,  311 
Bond,  T.  E.  T.,  278,  280 
Bonner,  D.  M.,  395 
Bonner,  James,  397,  398,  403,  408,  409, 

412 
Bonner,   John   T.,   20-22,   224-226,   228, 

229,  406 
Bonnet,  C,  151 
Boodle,  L.  A.,  245 
Bopp,  M.,  195 
Bordner,  J.  S.,  347 
Borgstrom,  G.,  123,  311,  385 
Bormann,  J.,  250 
Borowikow,  G.  A.,  134 
Borriss,  H.,  18,  21,  309,  346 
Borthwick,  H.  A.,  282,  308,  314,  322,  366, 

397 
Bosshatd,  H.  H.,  80 
Bouillenne,  B.,  394 
Bouygues,  H.,  50 
Bower,  F.  O.,  360 
Boy  sen- Jensen,  P.,  190,  223,  375 
Brabec/F.,  270 
Bradford,  F.  C,  259 
Bradley,  Muriel  V.,  442 
Brain,  E.  D.,  40 
Brase,  K.  D.,  259,  260 
Braun,  A.,  151,  153 
Braun,  Armin  C,  291-294,  407 
Brauner,  L.,  355 
Bravais,  A.,  151 
Bravais,  L.,  151 
Brenchley,  Winifred  E.,  368 
Brian,  P.  W.,  410 
Briggs,  W.  B.,  187 
Brink,  B.  A.,  273 
Broadbent,  D.,  42 
Brotherton,  W.,  Jr.,  310 
Brown,  A.  B.,  404 
Brown,  J.  G.,  98 
Brown,  Nellie  A.,  290 
Brown,  B.,  21,  29,  41,  42,  68,  78 


Brown,  W.  V.,  336 

Bruhn,  W.,  214 

Brumfield,  B.  T.,  28,  76,  77,  268 

Brush,  W.  D.,  349 

Biicher,  H.,  351,  352 

Buchholz,  J.  T.,  110,  206,  235,  236 

Budde,  H.,  33,  111 

Bullwinkel,  B.,  99,  100 

Biinning,  E.,  118,  131,  133,  160,  192,  199, 

200,  230,  322,  337,  343,  346,  347,  435 
BurgefF,  H.,  400 
Burkholder,  P.  B.,  30,  31,  308,  309,  315, 

364,  365,  380,  381,  383 
Burns,  G.  P.,  216,  353 
Burpee,  D.,  425 
Burr,  H.  S.,  361,  455 
Burstrom,  H.,  40,  41,  341,  412 
Bussmann,  K.,  170,  355 
Butler,  L.,  422 
Buvat,  B.,  68,  232 


Cain,  S.  A.,  329 

Cajlachjan,  M.  C,  397 

Camefort,  H.,  68,  159 

Camus,  G.,  72,  219,  405 

Carlson,  Margery  C,  245,  247,  250 

Carriere,  E.  A.,  250 

Carsner,  E.,  339 

Carter,  W.,  284,  285 

Carvalho,  A.,  189 

Castan,  B.,  126 

Castle,  E.  S.,  21,  149,  165,  166,  310 

Chalk,  L.,  37 

Champagnat,  P.,  101,  387 

Champion,  H.  G.,  166 

Chan,  A.  P.,  64 

Chandler,  W.  H.,  339 

Chandraratna,  M.  F.,  432 

Chao,  Marian  D.,  18 

Chapman,  H.  W.,  320 

Charles,  D.  B.,  417 

Chattaway,  M.  Margaret,  37 

Chaudri,  J.  J.,  343 

Cheng,  K.  C,  274 

Chester,  K.  S.,  261 

Cheuvart,  C,  221 

Child,  C.  M.,   101,   140,   145,  231,  453, 
454 

Chowdhury,  K.  A.,  86,  201 

Christensen,  Hilde  M.,  437 

Chrysler,  M.  A.,  237 

Chung,  C.  W.,  43 

Church,  A.  H.,  151,  153,  159,  163 

Clark,  H.  E.,  398 

Clark,  W.  G.,  361,  385 

Cleland,  B.,  412 

Close,  A.  W.,  321 

Clowes,  F.  A.  L.,  76-79 


Name  Index 


529 


Cockerham,  G.,  84,  86 

Cohen,  A.  L.,  366 

Colby,  H.  L.,  259 

Collander,  R.,  221 

Collins,  J.  L.,  272 

Colquhoun,  T.  T.,  130 

Combes,  R.,  332 

Cooper,  D.  C,  442 

Cormack,  R.  G.  H.,  86,  190,  312,  404 

Correns,  C,  233,  428 

Coulter,  J.  M,  237 

Courtot,  Y.,  210 

Crafts,  A.  S.,  324 

Cramer,  P.  J.  S.,  267 

Crane,  H.  L.,  106 

Crane,  M.  B.,  269 

Creighton,  Harriet  B.,  309,  381,  383 

Crist,  J.  W.,  97,  274 

Crocker,  W.,  409 

Crockett,  L.  J.,  156 

Crooks,  D.  M.,  245,  246 

Cross,  G.  L.,  439,  440 

Crow,  W.  B.,  151 

Criiger,  H.,  193 

Cruzado,  H.  J.,  355 

Currier,  H.  B.,  324 

Curry,  G.  M.,  313 

Curtis,  J.  T.,  18,  372 

Curtis,  O.  F.,  128 

Cutter,  Elizabeth,  65,  70,  71 

Cutter,  V.  M.,  373 

Czaja,  A.  T.,  124,  134,  392 


Dadswell,  H.  E.,  37 

D'Amato,  F.,  442,  445 

Daniel,  L.,  261 

Darroch,  J.  G.,  426 

Darrow,  G.  M.,  282 

Darwin,  C,  1 

Davidson,  F.  F.,  379,  380 

Davies,  P.  A.,  367 

Davis,  E.  A.,  408 

Dawson,  R.  F.,  220 

Deats,  M.  E.,  320 

De  Candolle,  Casimir,  151 

Delbruck,  M.,  459 

Delisle,  A.  L.,  388 

Demerec,  M.,  273 

Denffer,  D.  von,  390,  398,  399 

Denham,  H.  J.,  166,  193 

Dermen,  H.,  89,  271-273,  436 

Desch,  H.  E.,  36,  37 

Deuber,  C.  G.,  246 

Dickson,  A.  G.,  259 

Diels,  L.,  212 

Dippel,  L.,  193 

Dobbs,  C.  G.,  85 

Dolezal,  Ruth,  40 


Doorenbos,  J.,  263,  319 

Doposcheg-Uhlar,  J.,  123,  253 

Dopp,  W.,  399,  400 

Dore,  J.,  248 

Dormer,  K.  J.,  103,  164,  221 

Dorries-Ruger,  Kate,  43 

Dostal,  R.,  104,  139,  233 

Douliot,  H.,  75 

Downs,  R.  J.,  322 

Doyle,  J.,  249 

Driesch,  H.,  6,  118,  452,  453 

DuBuy,  H.  G.,  256 

Duffy,  Regina  M.,  53,  68 

Duncan,  R.  E.,  18,  444 


East,  E.  M.,  96 

Eberhardt,  P.,  329,  330 

Echols,  R.  M.,  37 

Eckardt,  F.,  326 

Edgecombe,  A.  E.,  140 

Eggers,  Virginia,  245,  404 

Eichler,  A.  W.,  167 

Einset,  J.,  271,  272,  439 

Elliott,  J.  H.,  84 

Enghsh,  J.,  Jr.,  403 

Ensign,  M.  R.,  38 

Erickson,  R.  O.,  18,  29,  66,  78 

Eriksson,  J.,  75 

Errera,  L.,  44 

Ervin,  C.  D.,  442,  444 

Erxleben,  H.,  489 

Esau,  Katherine,  26,  78,  157,   158,  195, 

204 
Esser,  M.  H.  M.,  355 
Evans,  A.  W.,  234 
Ewart,  A.  J.,  39 
Eyster,  W.  H.,  425 


Farkas,  G.  L.,  326,  327 

Felber,  Irma  M.,  100 

Felt,  E.  P.,  284 

Field,  Carol  P.,  260 

Figdor,  W.,  171,  233,  239 

Finch,  A.  L.,  106 

Fischnich,  O.,  124,  391,  395 

Fisher,  F.  J.  F.,  343 

Fisher,  J.  E.,  355 

Fisk,  Emma  L.,  68 

Fitting,  H.,  121,  137,  170,  375 

Flahault,  C,  75 

Flaskamper,  P.,  347,  349 

Flemion,  Florence,  260 

Flugel,  Anna,  322,  445 

Fortanier,  E.  J.,  313 

Foster,  A.   S.,  53,  63,  68,   89,    187-189, 

191,  192,  208 
Fourcroy,  Madeleine,  240 


530 


Name  Index 


Frank,  A.  D.,  281 

Frank,  H.,  217 

Frankel,  R.,  265 

Franklin,  Alicelia  H.,  35,  439,  440 

Fraser,  I.  M.,  379 

Frets,  G.  P.,  420 

Freund,  Y.,  124 

Freundlich,  H.  F.,  243 

Frey-Wyssling,  A.,  165,  166,  192,  455 

Friesner,  R.  C,  103 

Fritz,  F.,  241 

Frohner,  W.,  493 

Fulford,  Margaret,  234 

Funke,  G.  L.,  40,  314 

Furlani,  J.,  214 


Gregory,  L.  E.,  247,  263,  387,  393 

Greulach,  V.  A.,  317,  408 

Grimball,  P.  C,  431 

Grossenbacher,  J.  G.,  81 

Grundmann,  E.,  41 

Guernsey,  Frances  S.,  343,  384,  385,  388 

Gulline,  Heather  F.,  261 

Gummer,  Gertrud,  321 

Gunckel,  J.  E.,  65,  159,  189,  295,  377 

Gunther,  Elisabeth,  270 

Gurwitsch,  A.,  40,  454 

Gustafson,  F.  G.,  378 

Gustafsson,  A.,  39,  441 

Gutsche,  Alice  E.,  291 

Guttenberg,  H.  von,  76 


Galinat,  W.  C.,  317 

Galston,  A.  W.,  53,  388,  397,  398 

Garcia,  C.  R.,  372 

Gardner,  C.  O.,  33 

Gardner,  F.  E.,  246,  290 

Gardner,  V.  R.,  274 

Garner,  R.  J.,  260 

Garner,  W.  W.,  314,  315,  320 

Garrison,  Rhoda,  67,  188 

Gauchery,  P.,  34 

Gautheret,  R.  J.,  118,  292,  296,  298,  406 

Geiger-Huber,  M.,  380 

Geitler,  L.,  35,  50,  442,  445 

Gemmell,  A.  R.,  234 

Gentcheff,  G.,  441 

Georgescu,  C.  C.,  282 

Gessner,  F.,  217 

Gibson,  R.  E.,  274 

Giese,  A.  C,  40 

Giesenhagen,  K.,  48,  281 

Gifford,  E.  M.,  Jr.,  67,  68 

Girolami,  G.,  187,  188 

Glock,  W.  S.,  85 

Gliick,  H.,  216 

Goddard,  D.  R.,  78 

Goebel,  K.,  6,  96,  98,  118,  122-124,  140, 

151,    171-174,   190,  206,  209,   213, 

230,   233,   239,   249-253,  279,   283, 

354 
Golub,  S.  J.,  58 
Goodwin,  R.  H.,  77,  78,  432 
Gordon,  S.  A.,  247,  393 
Gotz,  O.,  255,  321 
Gouwentak,  Cornelia,  381 
Grafl,  Ina,  442 
Graham,  R.  J.  D.,  125 
Gratzy-Wardengg,    S.    A.    Elfriede,    121, 

222 
Gray,  W.  D.,  314,  410 
Green,  P.  B.,  41,  166 
Gregoire,  V.,  67 
Gregory,  F.  G.,  340,  341 


Haag,  Liselotte,  199 

Haagen-Smit,  A.  J.,  395,  403 

Haan,  H.  de,  417 

Haan,  I.  de,  385 

Haberlandt,  G.,  6,  57,  121,  296,  402 

Hackett,  D.  P.,  194 

Haddad,  S.  A.,  21 

Haeckel,  E.,  3,  149 

Haerdtl,  H.,  352 

Hagemann,  A.,  124,  249 

Halbsguth,  W.,  170 

Hall,  W.  C,  319,  342 

Haller,  M.  H.,  97 

Halma,  F.  F.,  260 

Hammerling,  J.,  137,  233,  427,  428 

Hammett,  F.  S.,  11,372 

Hammond,  B.  L.,  237 

Hammond,  Dorothy,  209,  210,  419 

Hamner,  C.  L.,  395 

Hamner,  K.  C.,  315,  396 

Hanby,  Alice  M.,  217,  335,  370 

Hansel,  H.,  341,  342 

Hanson,  H.  C.,  327,  328 

Hanstein,  J.,  6,  60 

Hanszen,  A.  H.,  493 

Hara,  H.,  515 

Harder,  R.,  317,  319,  395-398 

Harris,  J.  A.,  96,  107 

Harrison,  G.  J.,  406 

Harrison,  R.  G.,  118,  148 

Hartmann,  F.,  356 

Hartsema,  Annie  M.,  252 

Hasitschka,  Gertrude,  192,  442,  444,  445 

Hatcher,  E.  S.  J.,  341 

Hatton,  R.  G.,  260 

Haupt,  W.,  262,  319,  343,  384 

Hawker,  Lilian  E.,  402 

Hawkins,  Kate  H.,  125 

Heald,  F.  D.,  234 

Hegler,  R.,  346 

Heimsch,  C,  19,  204,  427 

Heinicke,  A.  J.,  265 


Name  Index 


531 


Heinze,  P.  H.,  397 

Heitz,  E.,  137 

Hemming,  H.  G.,  410 

Hertwig,  R.,  27 

Heslop-Harrison,  J.,  277,  399 

Heslop-Harrison,  Y.,  399 

Heyn,  A.  N.  J.,  41,  165,  412 

Hibbard,  R.  P.,  347 

Hicks,  Phyllis  A.,  140,  367 

Hieke,  K.,  261 

Hildebrandt,  A.  C,  298 

Himmel,  W.  J.,  350 

Hirmer,  M.,  151,  163 

Hitchcock,  A.  E.,  320,  392,  409 

Hoblyn,  T.  N.,  260 

Hofler,  K.,  233 

Hofmeister,  W.,  44,  80,  151,  159 

Hofmeyr,  J.  D.,  431 

Hofsten,  Angelica  von,  54 

Hofsten,  R.  von,  54 

Holch,  A.  E.,  312 

Holdsworth,  H.,  397 

Holle,  H.  G.,  75 

Holly,  K.,  407 

Holmes,  S.  J.,  453 

Holzer,  K.,  442 

Honeyman,  A.  J.  M.,  310 

Hough,  J.  S.,  284,  285 

Houghtaling,  Helen  R.,  33,  437,  446,  447 

Howard,  H.  W.,  262 

Howell,  M.  J.,  398 

Hoxmeier,  Sister  Mary  C.,  221 

Huber,  R.,  327,  334 

Huber,  H.,  380 

Huber,  P.,  82 

Hughes,  J.  G.,  343 

Hurd,  Annie  M.,  136 

Hurd-Karrer,  Annie  M.,  140 

Huskins,  C.  L.,  274 

Hustede,  H.,  399 

Hutchinson,  J.  R.,  419 

Huxley,  J.  S.,  105,  375 

Hyvarinen,  M.  J.,  37,  358 


Iljin,  W.  S.,  326 
Imai,  Y.,  273,  282,  419 
Imamura,  S.,  354 
Imhofe,  Rarbara,  271 
Irmak,  L.  R.,  34 
Isbell,  C.  L.,  247 
Iterson,  G.  van,  160 
Iterson,  G.  van,  Jr.,  48 


Jablonski,  J.  R.,  37 
Jaccard,  P.,  128,  348,  349 
Jackson,  R.  T.,  208 
Jacobs,  M.  R.,  214,  353,  359 


Jacobs,  W.  P.,  79,  99,  100,  131,  141,  204, 

242,  384,  394,  404,  405 
laffe,  L.,  136 
Jahn,  E.,  29 

Janczewski,  E.,  75,  78,  171 
|anick,  J.,  431 
janse,  J.  M.,  118,  128,  139,  233 

Jastreb,  M.  G.,  463 

Jenkins,  J.  M.,  Jr.,  320 

Jensen,  W.  A.,  78 

Johansen,  D.  A.,  206,  207,  281 

Johnson,  Retty,  253 

Johnson,  Elizabeth  R.,  253,  254,  375,  392 

Johnson,  M.  A.,  62,  68 

Johnson,  T.  J.,  439,  440 

Johnson,  V.  A.,  33 

Johnston,  E.  S.,  99 

Jones,  D.  F.,  418,  419,  431 

Jones,  H.,  217 

Jones,  J.  Johanna,  103 

Jones,  K.  L.,  317 

Jorgensen,  C.  A.,  269,  437 

Jost,  L.,  6,  242,  403 


Kaan  Albest,  Anita  von,  243 

Kaeiser,  Margaret,  37 

Kane,  K.  K.,  20,  21,  229 

Kanna,  R.,  282 

Karper,  R.  E.,  417 

Karzel,  R.,  237 

Kaufman,  P.  R.,  407,  408 

Kavaljian,  L.  G.,  78 

Kavanagh,  A.  J.,  21,  112,  456 

Kawahara,  H.,  515 

Kearney,  T.  H.,  101,  419 

Keeble,  F.,  35,  96 

Kehr,  A.  E.,  262,  295 

Kelly,  J.,  282 

Kelvin,  Lord,  53 

Kemp,  H.  J.,  426 

Kendall,  J.,  284,  286 

Kerl,  Irmgaard,  233 

Kerns,  K.  R.,  272,  398 

Kerr,  T.,  193 

Kienholz,  R.,  282 

Killian,  K.,  233 

King,  J.  W.,  53 

Kirschner,  R.,  493 

Kisser,  J.,  290 

Klebs,  G.,  6,  118,  120,  123,  124,  205,  282 

Klein,  Deana,  318 

Klein,  R.  M.,  291,  293,  294,  296 

Klein,  W.  H.,  408 

Kleinmann,  A.,  80 

Klieneberger,  E.,  Ill 

Knapp,  E.,  101,  135 

Knapp,  R.,  338 

Kniep,  H.,  135,  233 


532 


Name  Index 


Knight,  T.  A.,  353 
Knudson,  L.,  84 
Kny,  L.,  49,  96,  125 
Kocher,  V.,  365 
Koepfli,  J.  B.,  412 
Kofranek,  A.  M.,  319 
Kogl,  F.,  376 
Kohlenbach,  H.  W.,  391 
Kohler,  F.,  400 
Kondratenko,  F.,  341 
Konishi,  M,  319 
Korody,  Elisabeth,  62 
Kostoff,  D.,  35,  261,  265,  284,  286,  295 
Kostrum,  Gertrud,  136 
Kowalewska,  Z.,  250 
Krabbe,  G.,  81 
Krafczyk,  H.,  400 
Kramer,  P.  J.,  97,  324 
Kranz,  G.,  214 
Kraus,  E.  J.,  290 
Kraus,  G.,  32,  309,  358,  366,  405 
Kraybill,  H.  R.,  366 
Kreh,  W.,  355 

Krenke,  N.  P.,  210,  211,  266 
Kribben,  F.  J.,  399 
Kribs,  D.  A.,  36 
Krieg,  A.,  289 
Kroll,  G.  H.,  78 
Krug,  C.  A.,  189 
Kuhn,  E.,  400 
Kuijper,  J.,  396 
Kiinning,  H.,  86 
Kupfer,  Elsie,  230,  250 
Kupila,  Sirkka,  292 
Kurosawa,  E.,  410 
Kurtz,  E.  B.,  Jr.,  210,  211,  428 
Kiister,  E.,  6,   124,   128,   193,  241,  277, 
279,  284,  286,  290 


Labyak,  L.  F.,  97 

Ladefoged,  K.,  85 

Laibach,  F.,  391,  395,  399 

Laing,  S.,  37 

Lai,  K.  N.,  326 

Lamb,  Barbara,  272 

La  Motte,  C,  126,  127 

Lamprecht,  H.,  425 

Lance,  A.,  65,  156 

Lang,  A.,  316,  322,  341,  398,  411 

Lange,  F.,  89 

Larsen,  P.,  354 

La  Rue,  C.  D.,  246,  249,  250,  261 

Lawton,  Elva,  256 

League,  Elizabeth,  317 

Leake,  H.  M.,  419 

Lebedincev,  Elisabeth,  329 

Lebeque,  A.,  256 

Leech,  J.  H.,  65 


Lehmann,  E.,  435 

Lehmann,  R.,  33 

Leighty,  C.  E.,  96 

Lek,  H.  A.  A.  van  der,  100,  246,  391 

Lemppenau,  Christa,  346 

Leopold,  A.  C.,  217,  315,  343,  375,  384, 

385,  398 
Levey,  R.  H.,  20,  21,  229 
Levine,  M.,  290,  291,  294 
Lewcock,  H.  K.,  409 
Lewis,  F.  T.,  53 
Libbert,  E.,  103,  387,  394 
Liernur,  A.  G.  M.,  280 
Lilleland,  O.,  98 
Lillie,  R.  S.,  453 
Lindegren,  C.  C.,  21,  35 
Lindemuth,  H.,  39 
Lindstrom,  E.  W.,  421 
Link,  G.  K.  K.,  245,  291,  293,  294,  296, 

404 
Linnemann,  G.,  201 
Linser,  H.,  390 

Liverman,  J.  L.,  210,  211,  398,  428 
Livingston,  B.  E.,  336 
Loeb,  J.,  118,  254 
Lohwag,  K.,  121 
Loiseau,  J.-E.,  156 
Loomis,  W.  E.,  182,  367 
Lopriore,  G.,  237 
Lorbeer,  G.,  35 
Love,  A.,  280,  400,  441 
Love,  Doris,  280,  400,  441 
Love,  H.  H.,  96 
Luckwill,  L.  C.,  98,  378 
Lund,  E.  J.,  118,  135,  136,  361,  362 
Lund,  H.  A.,  378 
Lundegardh,  H.,  125,  312 
Lutman,  B.  F.,  37 
Lyon,  C.  B.,  372 
Lysenko,  T.,  262 


Maas,  A.  L.,  381 
McCallum,  W.  B.,  217,  230 
McClintock,  Barbara,  274 
McClintock,  J.  A.,  260 
McCready,  C.  C.,  407 
MacDaniels,  L.  H.,  128 
MacDougal,  D.  T.,  99,  308,  381 
McGahan,  M.  W.,  204 
Machlis,  L.,  400 
Mcllrath,  W.  J.,  371 
McKinney,  H.  H.,  341 
McPhee,  H.  C,  430 
McVeigh,  Ilda,  255,  256,  364,  365 
MacVicar,  R.,  320,  371 
Magness,  J.  R.,  97 
Magnus,  W.,  233,  284 
Mahan,  R.  I.,  493 


Name  Index 


533 


Maheshwari,  Nirmala,  297 

Maheshwari,  P.,  206 

Mahlstede,  J.  P.,  245 

Makarova,  N.  A.,  372 

Malinowski,  E.,  320 

Malins,  Marjorie  E.,  320 

Maltzahn,  K.-E.  von,  34,  65,  106,  210 

Mangum,  W.  K.,  365 

Mankowski,  Z.,  372 

Mapes,  Marion  O.,  514 

Marchal,  El.,  234 

Marchal,  Em.,  234 

Margalef,  R.,  344 

Marquardt,  H.,  41 

Marstrand,  E.  B.,  37 

Martin,  J.  P.,  286 

Mason,  T.  G.,  102 

Massart,  J.,  123 

Masters,  M.  T.,  277 

Mather,  K.,  436 

Matzke,  E.  B.,  48,  53,  68,  167 

Maule,  D.,  128,  289 

Maximov,  N.  A.,  325,  326 

Mears,  Kathryn,  514 

Meeuse,  A.  D.  J.,  48,  83,  198,  199 

Mehrlich,  F.  P.,  255 

Mehrotra,  O.  N.,  326 

Meier,  Florence  E.,  311,  314 

Meijknecht,  J.  C,  114 
Melchers,  G.,  264,  316,  341,  398 

Mendes,  J.  E.  T.,  189 
Mer,  fi.,  102 
Mericle,  L.  W.,  427 
Messeri,  Albina,  86 
Meudt,  W.,  315 
Meves,  F.,  496 
Meyer,  A.,  453 
Meyer,  B.  S.,  324 
Meyer,  D.  E.,  240 
Michaelis,  P.,  435 
Miehelini,  F.  J.,  66 
Michener,  H.  D.,  409 
Miehe,  H.,  133 
Miller,  C.  O.,  247,  371,  414 
Miller,  Helena  A.,  195,  204 
Miller,  J.  C,  262 
Millington,  W.  F.,  68,  296 
Mirskaja,  Ljuba,  99,  237 
Misra,  P.,  166 
Mittmann,  G,  435 
Mobius,  M.,  34 
Moewus,  F.,  43,  185,  402 
Mohr,  H.,  137,  313 
Mole-Bajer,  Jadwiga,  39,  40 
Molisch,  H.,  214 
Molliard,  M.,  284 
Monceau,  D.  du,  118 
Moner,  J.  G,  390 
Monschau,  M.,  442 


Montfort,  C,  210 

Moquin-Tandon,  A.,  277 

Moreland,  C.  F.,  101 

Morrow,  Dorothy,  33 

Morrow,  Ielene  B.,  204 

Mothes,  K.,  261 

Miihldorf,  A.,  26 

Muir,  W.  H.,  298 

Mullenders,  W.,  87 

MUller,  L.,  210 

Miiller-Stoll,  W.  R.,  132,  135,  263,  329 

Munch,  E.,  104 

Miintzing,  A.,  35,  441,  445 

Murneek,  A.  E.,  96,  97,  99,  315,  338,  341, 

367,  378 
Murray,  C.  D.,  108 
Muzik,  T.  J.,  261 


Naf,  U.,  137,  400,  407 

Navashin,  M.,  35,  445,  446 

Naylor,  A.  W.,  315,  317,  408 

Naylor,  E.  E.,  247,  253,  254,  256 

Needham,  J.,  453,  456 

Neeff,  F.,  81,  128-130,  166,  289 

Neel,  J.,  192 

Neilson-Jones,  W.,  124,  267 

Nelson,  M.  G,  96 

Nemec,  B.,  237,  242 

Neurnbergk,  E.  L.,  256 

Newcombe,  F.  G,  346,  349,  351 

Newman,  A.  S.,  407 

Newman,  I.  V.,  60,  65,  156 

Nickell,  L.  G,  261,  298 

Nickerson,  W.  J.,  43,  372 

Niedergang-Kamien,  Ethel,  384,  385 

Nienburg,  W.,  135-138 

Nightingale,  G.  T.,  371 

Nilson,  E.  B.,  33 

Nitsch,  J.  P.,  210,  211,  297,  378,  388,  389, 

428 
Njoku,  E.,  108,  311,  337 
Nobecourt,  P.,  296 
Noll,  F.,  138,  385,  386 
Nordhausen,  M.,  312 
Northcott,  P.  L.,  165 
Northen,  H.  T.,  413 
Northrop,  F.  S.  G,  361,  455 
Nutman,  P.  S.,  102,  397 
Nysterakis,  F.,  404 


Oehlkers,  F.,  397 
Oehm,  G,  34 
Oexemann,  S.  W.,  98 
Opatowski,  I.,  355 
O'Rourke,  F.  L.,  100 
Oserkowsky,  J.,  384 
Ossenbeck,  G,  247,  254 


534 

Owen,  F.  V.,  339 


Name  Index 


Palser,  Barbara  F.,  371 

Pandey,  K.  K.,  439 

Parke,  R.  V.,  66 

Parker,  M.  W.,  308,  314,  366,  397 

Parr,  T.  J.,  285 

Partanen,  C.  R.,  296 

Passmore,  Sara  G.,  98 

Pearl,  R.,  16,  18 

Pearsall,  W.  H.,  96,  107-109,  217,  310 
335,  370 

Pearse,  H.  L.,  392 

Pease,  D.  C,  338 

Peebles,  R.  H.,  419 

Penfound,  W.  T.,  311,  329 

Pennington,  L.  H.,  350 

Penzig,  J.,  277,  282 

Petit,  J.,  317 

Pfeffer,  W.,  118,  123,  170 

Pfeiffer,  Norma  E.,  319 

Philipson,  W.  R.,  65,  67,  68 

Phillips,  T.  G.,  367 

Phinney,  B.  O.,  68,  410 

Pierce,  W.  P.,  368 

Pilet,  P.-E.,  395 

Pilkington,  Mary,  69,  237 

Pirschle,  K.,  264 

Pirson,  H.,  35 

Plantefol,  L.,  65,  151,  156,  157 

Plateau,  J.  A.  F,  44 

Piatt,  A.  W.,  426 

Plempel,  M.,  400 

Plett,  W.,  124,  245 

Plumb,  G.  H.,  285 

Pohjkallio,  O.,  320 

Pollard,  J.  K.,  72 

Polster,  H.,  368 

Pomplitz,  R.,  177 

Pont,  J.  W.,  125 

Poole,  C.  F.,  431 

Popesco,  C.  T.,  263 

Popham,  R.  A.,  64,  68,  76,  156,  204 

Popoff,  M,  27 

Popp,  H.  W.,  309 

Potter,  G.  F,  367 

Potzger,  J.  E.,  329 

Powers,  L.,  417 

Prakken,  R.,  274 

Prantl,  K.,  237 

Prat,  H.,  79,  140 

Preston,  R.  D.,  165,  166 

Preston,  S.  B.,  358 

Prevot,  P.  C,  222,  252 

Pridham,  A.  M.  S.,  321 

Priestley,  J.   H.,  81,   86,   118,   167,   201 

244,  245,  310 
Purvis,  O.  N.,  315,  341 


Quinby,  J.  R.,  417 
Quinlan,  Mildred  S.,  228 
Quintin,  Simonne,  404 


Rabideau,  G  S.,  427 

Radley,  Margaret,  411 

Rajhathy,  T.,  326,  327 

Randolph,  L.  F.,  35,  439 

Raper,  J.  R.,  401,  402 

Raper,  K.  B.,  143,  225,  227,  228 

Rappaport,  J.,  296 

Rasdorsky,  W.,  350,  351,  353 

Rashevsky,  N.,  456 

Rathfelder,  O.,  126,  204 

Rauh,  W.,  245 

Raven,  C.  P.,  455 

Reed,  E.,  254 

Reed,  H.  S.,  17,  18,  102 

Reeve,  R.  M.,  62,  65 

Reiche,  Hildegard,  402 

Reid,  Mary  E.,  37,  367,  373 

Reinders-Gouwentak,  Cornelia  A.,  221 

Reinert,  J.,  298 

Reinke,  J.,  63,  453 

Reith,  W.  S.,  21,  78 

Renner,  O.,  217 

Rettig,  H.,  329 

Reuter,  Lotte,  436 

Richards,  F  J.,  151,  161-163 

Richards,  O.  W.,  21,  112,  456 

Richardson,  S.  D.,  97 

Rick,  C.  M.,  265 

Rickett,  H.  W.,  234 

Rickless,  P.,  41 

Riehm,  E.,  102 

Rietsma,  J.,  19,  222 

Riker,  A.  J.,  291,292,  298 

Riley,  H.  P.,  33 

Rink,  W.,  234 

Rippel,  A.,  329 

Robbelen,  G,  208 

Robbins,  W.  J.,  214,  217,  296 

Robbins,  W.  R.,  371 

Roberts,  R.  H.,  86,  97,  205,  260,  266,  315 

341,  390 
Robertson,  T.  B.,  16,  17 
Robinson,  E.,  21,  42,  78 
Rodriguez,  A.  G,  409 
Rogers,  W.  S.,  260,  266 
Romeike,  A.,  261 

Ropp,  R.  S.  de,  291,  292,  296,  298 
Rosa,  J.  T.,  431 
Rosene,  Hilda  F.,  362 
Rosenwinge,  L.  K.,  136 
Rosier,  P.,  89 
Ross,  H.,  284 
Ross,  I.  K.,  523 
Roth,  Ingrid,  91,  187 


Name  Index 


535 


Rouffa,  A.  S.,  65 
Roux,  W.,3,  118 
Riibel,  E.,  333 
Riidiger,  W.,  53,  440 
Ruge,  U.,  247 
Russell,  E.  S.,  453 


Sacher,  J.  A.,  188 

Sachs,  J.,  6,  32,  44,  57,  63,  118,  221,  282, 
391 

Sagromsky,  Herta,  192,  199,  200 

Sahni,  R.,  209 

Salisbury,  E.  J.,  325 

Salisbury,  F.  R.,  398 

Samuels,  E.  W.,  259 

Sanio,  K.,  30,  36 

Sankewitsch,  E.,  295 

Satina,  Sophie,  59,  89,  185,  221,  222,  270, 
272,  273,  296 

Sax,  Hally  J.,  35 

Sax,  K.,  141,  260 

Sax,  Katherine  R.,  29 

Sehaffalitsky  de  Muckadell,  M.,  209 

Sehaffner,  J.  H.,  317,  318,  430 

Schander,  H.,  98 

Schechter,  V.,  134 

Scheibe,  A.,  432 
Schenck,  H.,  281,  282 
Schermerhorn,  L.  C,  371 
Schilling,  E.,  290 
Schimper,  C.  F.,  151,  153 
Schkwamikow,  P.  K.,  445,  446 
Schleiden,  M.  J.,  23 
Schlenker,  C,  435 
Schlbsser,  L.-A.,  335 
Schmidt,  A.,  61,  62,  66 
Schmitt,  F.  O.,  433 
Schneider,  E.,  359 
Schoch-Rodmer,  Helen,  82 
Schopfer,  W.  H.,  373 
Schoser,  G.,  232 
Schoute,  J.  C,  61,  151,  160,  281 
Schramm,  R.,  208,  312 
Schrank,  A.  R.,  361,  385 
Schratz,  E.,  33,  111 
Schrodinger,  E.,  459 
Schroeder,  C.  A.,  33,  164 
Schroter,  H.-R.,  261 
Schiiepp,  O.,  63,  78,  112,  187,  359 
Schulman,  E.,  86 
Schumacher,  F.  X.,  97 
Schumacher,  W.,  141 
Schwabe,  W.  W.,  315,  322,  341 
Schwanitz,  F.,  35 
Schwarz,  W.,  89,  249,  351 
Schwarzenbach,  F.  H.,  320 
Schwendener,  S.,  6,  151,  159,  345 
Scott,  D.  R.  M.,  358 


Scott,  Lorna  I.,  86,  201 

Scully,  N.  J.,  317,  366 

Seeliger,  R.,  215 

Sensarma,  P.,  Ill 

Setchell,  W.  A.,  233 

Shaffer,  R.  M.,  223,  228 

Shank,  D.  R.,  97 

Sharman,  R.  C,  67 

Shepard,  H.  R.,  36 

Shields,  Lora  M.,  327,  365 

Shirley,  H.  L.,  309 

Shull,  G.  H.,  419,  428,  429 

Sierp,  H.,  34 

Sifton,  H.  R.,  68 

Silberschmidt,  K.,  261 

Silow,  R.  A.,  419 

Simak,  M.,  98 

Simon,  S.,  123,  131,  237,  241,  242 

Simon,  S.  V.,  141,  249,  261 

Simonis,  W.,  329 

Simons,  R.  K.,  329 

Singleton,  W.  R.,  418,  425 

Sinnott,  E.  W.,  17,  20,  25,  27,  29,  31,  33, 
35,  51,  77,  82,   106,   107,   110-112, 
131,  142,   193,  197,  242,  356,  417, 
418,  420,  421,  423,  437,  439,  446 
Sinoto,  Y.,  34 
Sirks,  M.  J.,  282 
Sitton,  R.  G.,  259 
Skok,  J.,  317 
Skoog,  F.,  37,  247,  369,  371,  375,  384- 

386,  407,  414 
Smirnov,  E.,  311 
Smith,  E.  F.,  291 
Smith,  H.  R.,  39 

Smith,  H.  H.,  295,  417,  420,  437 
Smith,  Harriet  E.,  437 
Smith,  Joan,  514 
Smith,  K.  M.,  285 
Smith,  W.  H.,  33 
Smith,  W.  K.,  263 
Smuts,  J.  C,  453 

Snow,  Mary,  69,  101,  151,  160,  161,  187 
Snow,  R.,  69,  96,  101,  104,  151,  155,  160, 

161,  163,  187,  381,  382,  386 
Soding,  H.,  86,  327,  375,  381 
Solereder,  H.,  280 
Soltys,  A.,  403 
Sommer,  Anna  L.,  370 
Sorauer,  P.,  288 
Sorokin,  Helen,  194,  370 
Sorokin,  S.,  72,  204 
Sossountzov,  I.,  372 
Soueges,  R.,  206 
Southwick,  L.,  265 
Sparrow,  A.  H.,  295 
Spoerl,  E.,  291 
Sprague,  G.  F.,  419 
Springer,  Eva,  234 


536 


Name  Index 


Springorum,  Brigitte,  398 

Sproston,  T.,  338 

Spurr,  A.  R.,  65,  195 

Spurr,  S.  H.,  37,  358,  370,  371 

Stafford,  Helen  J.,  19 

Stahl,  E.,  137 

Stanfield,  J.  F.,  221,  368 

Stant,  Margaret  Y.,  65 

Starling,  E.  H.,  375 

Stebbins,  G.  L.,  Jr.,  440,  441 

Steeves,  T.  A.,  71,  187,  188,  296,  297 

Steffen,  K.,  445 

Steil,  W.  N.,  256 

Stein,  Emmy,  264,  432 

Stein,  O.  L.,  427 

Steinberg,  R.  A.,  343 

Steinecke,  F.,  139 

Stephens,  S.  G.,  210,  419,  426 

Stepka,  W.,  77,  78 

Sterling,  C,  159 

Stevenson,  E.  C,  431 

Steward,  F.  C,  51,  72,  75,  298 

Stewart,  K.  D.,  37 

Stewart,  L.  B.,  125 

Stewart,  W.  N.,  132 

Stiefel,  S.,  346 

Stingl,  G.,  237,  248 

Stocking,  C.  R.,  324 

Stolwijk,  J.  A.  J.,  313,  314 

Stonier,  T.,  291,  292,  407 

Stoudt,  H.  N.,  254,  255 

Stout,  G.  J.,  97 

Stout,  M.,  339 

Stoutemyer,  V.  T.,  321 

Stowe,  B.  B.,  411 

Strasburger,  E.,  6,  25,  29,  193,  256,  280 

Straub,  J.,  40,  314 

Street,  H.  E.,  390 

Struckmeyer,  B.  Esther,  97,  205,  320,  341, 

371 
Strugger,  S.,  165 
Sunderland,  N.,  68 
Surface,  F.  M.,  500 
Sussex,  I.  M.,  71,  175,  188,  296,  297 
Sussman,  M.,  223,  227,  228 
Swamy,  B.  G.  L.,  127 
Swarbrick,  T.,  259,  260 
Swingle,  C.  F.,  118,  244 
Swingle,  W.  T.,  267,  406 


Takashima,  R.  H.,  354 
Talbert,  Charlotte  M.,  312 
Tammes,  Tine,  107 
Tandan,  K.  N.,  86 
Tartar,  V.,  433,  455 
Tatum,  E.  L.,  373 
Tellefsen,  Marjorie  A.,  38 
Tenopyr,  Lillian  A.,  53 


Teodoresco,  E.  C,  313 

Terby,  Jeanne,  138 

Teubner,  F.  G.,  342 

Thennan,  Eeva,  292 

Thimann,  K.  V.,  21,  40,  96,  103,  118,  375, 

377,  383,  386,  387,  392,  412,  414 
Thomas,  J.  B.,  361 
Thompson,    D'Arcy   W.,    18,   44,   45-47, 

148,  151,  156,  180,  424,  456 
Thompson,  H.  C,  341 
Thompson,  J.  F.,  72 
Thompson,  M.  T.,  284 
Thomson,  Betty  F.,  311 
Thurlow,  J.,  398 
Tieghem,  P.  van,  6,  75,  201,  245 
Timmermann,  G,  199 
Timofeev,  A.  S.,  110,  334 
Ting,  Y.  C,  262 
Tingley,  Mary  A.,  140 
Tischler,  G.,  26,  35 
Titman,  P.  W.,  189 
Tobler,  F.,  134,  370 
Tobler,  Margarete,  437 
Torrey,  J.  G.,  79,  204,  221,  237,  298,  314, 

394 
Townsend,  C.  O.,  291 
Townsend,  G.  F.,  35 
Transeau,  E.  N.,  38 
Trecul,  A.,  124 
Troll,  W.,  453 

Trombetta,  Vivian  V.,  28,  29,  111 
Truscott,  F.  H.,  237 
Tschermak-Woess,     Elisabeth,    40,     192, 

442-445 
Tsui,  C,  407 

Tukey,  H.  B.,  18,  99,  259,  260 
Tukey,  L.  D.,  19,  343 
Tulecke,  W.,  298 
Tupper-Carey,  Rose  M.,  128 
Turing,  A.  M.,  456 


Ullrich,  J.,  33 
Umrath,  K.,  185,  186,  403 
Ungerer,  E.,  452,  453 
Uphof,  J.  C.  T.,  419 
Ursprung,  A.,  124 


Van  Fleet,  D.  S.,  197,  222 

Van   Overbeek,   J.,   247,   355,   377,   387, 

390,  393,  398 
Vardar,  Y.,  255 
Vasart,  B.,  379 
Veale,  J.  A.,  387 
Veen,  J.  H.  van  der,  221 
Venning,  F.  D.,  197,  353,  368 
Vince,  Daphne,  313 
Vischer,  W.,  216 


Name  Index 


537 


Vlitos,  A.  J.,  315 

Vochting,  H.,  6,  118-121,  127-130,  177, 

217,  241,  244,  348,  352 
Von  Schrenk,  H.,  288 


Wagenbreth,  D.,  265 
Wagner,  N.,  26,  27,  40,  77 
Wain,  R.  L.,  375,  412 
Wakanker,  S.  M.,  98 
Wakker,  J.  H.,  139 
Wald,  G.,  459 
Walker,  Rona,  261 
Wallace,  R.  H.,  288 
Wallace,  T.,  368 
Walp,  L.,  372 
Walsh,  J.  P.  de  C,  37 
Walter,  H.,  324 

Wangermann,  Elisabeth,  33,  38,  210 
Wanner,  H.,  140 
Ward,  M,  102 

Wardlaw,   C.   W.,   68-72,   74,    151,   156, 
160,   187,  206,  218,  222,  238,  239: 
453,  456 
Wardrop,  A.  B.,  37,  357 

Wareing,  P.  F.,  86,  201,  322 

Warmke,  Germaine  L.,  124,  125,  393 

Warmke,  H.  E.,  124,  125,  393,  430 

Wassink,  E.  C.,  313,  314 

Waterbury,  Elizabeth,  260 

Watson,  D.  P.,  245 

Way,  D.  W.,  247 

Weaver,  H.  L.,  427 

Webber,  J.  M.,  256 

Weber,  Friedl,  223 

Wehnelt,  B.,  402 

Weide,  A.,  232 

Weier,  T.  E.,  194 

Weiss,  F.  E.,  267 

Weiss,  P.,  433,  453,  455 

Weissenbock,  K.,  233 

Wellensiek,  S.  J.,  263 

Wenck,  Ursula,  389,  390,  395 

Went,  F.  W.,  118,  129,  141,  210,  211, 
337,  338,  361.  375,  376,  384,  385, 
391,  394,  395,  396.  428 

Werner,  O.,  334 

Wershing,  H.  F.,  358 

Westerdijk,  Johanna,  121 

Westergaard,  M.,  430 

Westphal,  Maria,  319 

Wetmore,  R.  H.,  57,  58,  67,  69,  72,  73, 
102,  111,  159,  189,  204,  219,  222, 
297,  405 

Wetter,  C.,  126 

Wettstein,  D.  von,  137 

Wettstein,  F.  von,  35,  234,  264,  435,  437 

Whaley,  C.  Y.,  427 

Whaley,  W.  G.,  20,  65,  419,  427 


Whalley,  Barbara  E.,  82 

Whitaker,  D.  M.,  135,  136 

White,  D.J.  B.,  110,333 

White,  O.  E.,  281,  282,  426 

White,  P.  R.,  292-294,  296 

Whyte,  L.  L.,  453 

Whyte,  R.  O.,  341 

Wiedersheim,  W.,  347 

Wiersum,  L.  K.,  396 

Wiesner,  J.,  124,  171,  174,  354,  355 

Wightman,  F.,  42,  375,  412 

Wifcoxon,  W.  F.,  375,  391 

Wildt,  W.,  348 

Williams,  B.  C,  76,  77 

Williams,  S.,  248 

Wilson,  C.  M.,  223,  228 

Wilson,  G.  E.,  274 

Wilson,  K.,  132 

Wilson,  Katherine  S.,  262 

Wilton,  Ocra  C.,  86 

Winkler,  H.,  6,  102,  118,  138,  233,  239, 
248,  253,  266,  268 

Winton,  Dorothea  de,  110 

Wipf,  Louise,  442 

Withner,  C.  L.,  Jr.,  262 

Withrow,  Alice  P.,  396 

Withrow,  R.  B.,  396 

Witkus,  E.  R.,  184 

Witsch,  H.  von,  317,  322,  396,  445 

Wittwer,  S.  H.,  342,  398 

Wolf,  F.  A.,  19 

Wolterek,  Use,  216 

Woodford,  E.  K.,  407 

Woodger,  J.  H.,  453 

Worsdell,  W.  C.,  277-279 

Woyciki,  S.,  214 

Wright,  C.,  151,  152 

Wulff,  E.,  121 


Yamaki,  T.,  411 

Yampolsky,  C,  263,  400,  430 

Yapp,  R.  H.,  325 

Yarbrough,  J.  A.,  251,  254-256 

Yarwood,  C.  E.,  248 

Yates,  Ruth  C.,  372 

Young,  B.  S.,  204 

Young,  H.  E.,  97 

Young,  J.  O.,  18 


Zalenski,  V.,  40,  325 

Zeeuw,  D.  de,  217,  398 

Zeller,  O.,  185 

Zepf,  E.,  191 

Zhelochovtsev,  A.  N.,  311 

Zimmerman,  P.  W.,  271,  320,  375,  391, 

392,  395,  409 
Zimmermann,  W.,  121,  139,  233 


Subject  Index 


Abies,  189 

Abnormal  growth,  275-299 

amorphous  structures  in,  287 

distinguished  from  pathological,  277 

morphogenetic  significance,  299 

new  structures  produced  by,  283 

of  organs,  277 

produced  by  growth  substances,  290 

two  concepts,  276 
Abscission,     stimulation     and     inhibition, 

405 
Absolute  size,  morphogenetic  effects,  359 
Acacia,  206,  209 
Acalypha,  128 
Acer,  84,  109,  129 
Acetabularia,  136,  233,  427 

nuclear  control  in,  427 

polarity  in,  137 

regeneration  in,  233 
Achimenes,  124,  249,  253 
Achlya,  400 
Acrasiaceae,    morphogenetic    significance, 

223 
Acrasin,  223 

effect  on  aggregation,  406 
Actinomorphic  flowers,  175 
Adaptation  not  inherent  in  organization, 

452 
Adenine,  and  bud  formation,  247 

and  leaf  formation,  396 
Adventitious  buds,  on  leaves,  245 

on  roots,  245 

on  shoots,  251 

and  vascular  development,  72 
Agaricus,  growth  of  sporophore  in,  228, 

229 
Aggregation  in  Acrasiaceae,  223 
Aging,     significance     in     morphogenesis, 

210 
Agrobacterium,  291 
Alkaloids,  passage  across  graft,  261 
Allium,  78,  107 
Allometric    constants,    segregation,     113, 

423 
Allometry,  105 
Allomyces,  400 

Allopolyploidy  and  evolution,  441 
Ambrosia,  317 


Amino  acids,  in  meristematic  region,  72 

in  prothallial  development,  372 
Ampelopsis,  125 
Amphibious  plants,  216 
Amphigastria,  171 
Amphitropy,  171 
Anacharis,  68 
Anadendrum,  209 

Anatomical   coefficients   and   drought   re- 
sistance, 326 
Angiosperms,  shoot  meristem  in,  68 
Angle  meristem  in  Selaginella,  248 
Animal  hormones,  effect  on  sex  in  plants, 

400 
Anisophylly,  171,  354 

factors  in,  171 

habitual,  172 

role  of  gravity  in,  354 
Annual  rings,  factors  determining,  85 

use  in  studying  past,  86 
Anomalous  secondary  growth,  87 
Antheridium-forming   substance  in   ferns. 

400 
Antiauxins,  408 
Antirrhinum,  264,  282 
Apical  cell,  56 

angiosperm  root,  76 

angiosperm  shoot,  60,  65 

fern  leaves,  89,  187,  238 

lower  plants,  56,  75 
Apical  dome  in  shoot  meristem,  60 

cell  relations  in,  68 

shape,  67 
Apical  meristem,  determination  of  stelar 
structure  by,  72 

development  in  embryo,  78 

organization,  59 

root,  75-79 

self-determining  region,  238 

shoot,  59-68 
Apogamy,  256 
Apospory,  256 
Aquilegia,  41,  426 
Araucaria,  189,  214,  404 
Aristolochia,  247 
Aster,  358,  387,  388 
Asymmetry,  173 
Atropa,  261 


538 


Subject  Index 


539 


Attraction  center,  98,  140 
Autocatalysis  in  growth,  16 
Auxin,  376 

in  apical  dominance,  387 

in  apical  meristems,  72 

in  cambial  activity,  381 

in  cell  division,  381 

in  cell  enlargement,  379 

and  cell  wall  changes,  404,  412 

in  crown  gall,  407 

in    differentiation    of    vascular    tissues, 
72,  219,  405 

and  dorsiventrality,  391 

in  growth  of  fruits,  378 

in  growth  correlations,  390 

polar  flow,  385 

and  protoplasmic  viscosity,  413 

in  rhizoid  formation,  394 

in  root  growth,  78,  246,  391 

in  shoots  of  Ginkgo,  378 

stimulatory  effects,  388 

transverse  polarity  in  flow,  384 

and  tropisms,  380 

use  of  term,  376 

various  effects,  377 

in  vein  development,  395 

and  water  uptake,  412 
Auxin-auxin  balance,  405 
Auxin-kinetin  interactions,  414 
Available  free  space  in  phyllotaxy,  160 
Avena,  31,  99,  141 
Axiation  in  polarity,  144 
Axillary  buds,  development,  67 
Axis,  polar,  116 


Balance  between  parts  in  growth,  104 
Begonia,   123,   147,   174,   192,  249,   252, 

255 
Bending,  formative  effects,  351 
Benzimidazole  and  cell  shape,  53 
Bijugate  spirals  in  phyllotaxy,  163 
Bioelectric  factors,  in  morphogenesis,  360 

in  polar  flow  of  auxin,  361 
Bioelectric  fields,  362 

and  developmental  patterns,  361 

in  organization,  455 
Biological  organization,  2 
Biota,  214 

Boron,  role  in  development,  371 
Bouvardia,  271 

Brachysclereids,   differentiation,   218 
Brassica,  250 

Bryonia,  110,334,428,429 
Bryophyllum,  240,  247,  254,  321 
Bryopsis,  138,  139,  169,  179,  233,  394 
Bryum,  437 
Buds,  adventitious,  72 

axillary,  188 


Bulbils,  256 

Bundle  sheath,  effect  of  wounding,  219 

Burdo,  269 

Bursa,  419 

Byrnesia,  255 


Calcium,  role  in  development,  369 

Calendula,  398 

Calines,  suggested  roles,  376 

Callithamnion,  232 

Callitriche,  217 

Callus,  244,  288 

meristems  formed  in,  289 
produced  by  growth  substances,  290 
Cambial  cells,  division,  80 
polarity,  130 
regulation  of  size  in,  81 
Cambial  growth,  and  auxin,  86 
differentiation  in,  198 
ratio,  at  fork,  87 
seasonal  changes  in,  86 
Cambium,  79-88 
cork,  87 

in  herbaceous  and  woody  stems,  86 
physiology,  86 
vascular,  79 
Campanula,  217 
Camptosorus,  256 
Camptotrophism,  351 
Candida,  372 

Cannabis,  221,  317,  399,  400,  430 
Carbohydrate-nitrogen  ratio,  366 
effect,  on  flowering,  366 
on  root  growth,  79 
on  root-shoot  ratio,  367 
Carbon  monoxide  and  root  formation,  409 
Cardamine,  251 
Carica,  431 
Carnegiea,  282 
Cartesian   diver   technique,   use   in  meri- 

stem  studies,  73 
Casuarina,  130 
Cataphylls,  188 

Caulerpa,  104,  138,  139,  170,  233,  434 
Caulocaline,  396 
Causal  morphology,  3 
Cecidomyia,  280 
Cell  and  organism,  relations,  24 
Cell  division,  25-29 
and  cell  size,  27 
in  culture,  51 
differential,  192 
duration,  30 
experimental  studies,  37 
in  fruit  shape,  51 
genetic  factors  in,  42 
in  living  root  tips,  77 
rate,  28,  29,  41,  42 


540 


Subject  Index 


Cell  lineage,  58 

Cell  multiplication  in  culture,  75 
Cell  number,  methods  for  measuring,  28 
orientation,  51 
periodicity,  78 
plane,  43-52 
plate,  43 
Cell  shape,  52-54 
ideal,  53 

in  leaves  of  different  shapes,  53 
at  meristem,  53 
Cell  size,  29-37 

in  developing  fruits,  33 
in  dwarfs,  34 
effect  of  water  on,  40 
factors  determining,  30,  37-40 
genetic  factors,  34,  437 
inheritance,  418 
in  lower  plants,  35 
and  organ  size,  32 
and  position,  35 
rate  of  increase  in,  33 
Cell  theory  as  unifying  concept,  23 
Cell  wall,  fibrillar  angle  in,  37 
growth,  41 
plasticity,  41 
polarity  in,  132 
in  xylem,  changes  in,  85 
Cellular  basis  of  growth,  23-54 
Cellular  differences,  origin,  189 
Celosia,  282 
Celtis,  285 
Centradenia,  173 
Cercidiphyllum,  189 
Chamaecyparis,  210,  214 
Chara,  149,  150,  203 
Chemical  elements,  morphogenetic  effects, 

364 
Chemical  factors  in  morphogenesis,  363- 

373 
Chemical  organization  of  shoot  apex,  73 
Chimeras,    266-272 
mericlinal,  267 
mixed,  267 
periclinal,  61,  89,  268 
breeding  behavior,  269 
complex    chromosome    situation    in, 

269 
from  Datura  polyploids,  268 
morphogenetic  importance,  270 
from   tomato-nightshade   grafts,   268 
use  in  determining  tissue  origin,  272 
in  various  cultivated  fruits,  271 
in    vegetatively    propagated    plants, 
271 
sectorial,  267 
Chitin  molecules,  angles,  165 
Chlamydomonas,  402 
Chondromyces,  228 


Chromatography,  use  in  meristem  analy- 
sis, 72 
Chromosomes,  436-447 
accessory,  35,  445 

as  morphogenetic  factors,  436 

number  and  cell  size,  437 

and  sex^  determination  in  plants,  429 

volume  and  cell  size,  35,  445 
Chrysanthemum,  156,  315,  319,  341 
Cichorium,  405 
Citrus,  164,  256 
Cladonia,  170 

Cladophora,  133,  134,  145,  232 
Classification,  natural,  1 
Cleavage,  12 

Cobalt,  role  in  development,  371 
Coelebogyne,  256 
Coffea,  189 
Colchicine,  use  in  induction  of  polyploidy, 

436 
Coleus,  60,  65,  99,  126 
Columnea,  173 

Compression,  formative  effects,  350 
Compression  wood,  356 
Connation  in  fasciation,  281 
Control,  evidence  in  growth,  95 
Conversion  of  petiole  to  stem,  248 
Coordination  in  development,  2 
Coprinus,  21,  233,  346 
Cork  cambium,  87 

origin  in  old  tissue,  88 
Cornus,  313 
Corpus  in  meristem,  62 
Correlation,  38,  95-115 

compensatory,  98,  244 

between  dimensions,  111 

in  dwarf  trees,  97 

of  embryo  with  maternal  tissue,  99 

genetic,  96,  104-115 

inhibitory,  101 

nutritional,  96 

of  part  to  whole,  105 

between  parts,  97,  107 

physiological,  96-104 

of  position,  102 

stimulatory,  100 
Correlative  inhibition,  39,  103 
Corylus,  282 
Cosmos,  398 
Crassula,  255 

Crataego-mespilus,  268,  270 
Crataegus,  268 
Crepis,  76,  445,  446 
Crown  gall,  291 

absence  of  bacteria  from,  293 

cancer-like  character,  295 

capacity  for  autonomous  growth,  292 

conditioning  phase,  293 

induction  phase,  294 


Subject  Index 


541 


Crown   gall,   permanent   change   in   cells, 
292 

promotion  phase,  294 

secondary  tumors  in,  292 

steps  in  development,  293 
Cucumis,  249,  442 

Cucurbita,  34,  41,  106,  210,  263,  421 
Cuscuta,  397 

Cybernetics  and  organization,  457 
Cycas,  250 
Cyclamen,  239,  245 
Cyclophysis,  215 

Cynipid  wasps  as  gall  inducers,  283 
Cystosira,  135 
Cytisus-laburnum,  268 
Cytonuclear  ratio,  27 

Cytoplasm  as  morphogenetic  factor,  433- 
436 

cell  wall  pattern,  433 

dehydration,  40 

in  differentiation,  434 

macromolecular  patterns,  433 

in  reciprocal  crosses,  435 

structure,  49 

unequal  distribution  at  division,  435 
Cytoplasmic     pattern     in     development, 

456 
Cytoplasmic  viscosity,  39 


Dacrydium,  213 

Dactylis,  325 

Dasycladus,  233 

Datura,  89,  222,  261,  270,  273,  296,  440, 

446 
Dedifferentiation,  181,  232 
Dehydration  of  cytoplasm,  40 
Delphinium,  273,  282 
Deoxyribonucleic  acid,  41,  165,  294,  416 
Dermatogen,  60 

Determinate  structures,  growth,  88-91 
Development,  contrasted  with  growth,  11 

self-regulation  in,  452 
Developmental  changes,  progressive,  209 
Dictyostele,  72 
Dictyostelium,  143,  178,  226,  365,  406 

mutants  in,  227 
Didymium,  314 
Differentiation,  181-229 

in  Acrasiaceae,  223 

at  apices,  203 

brachysclereids,  218 

in  cambial  region,  84,  198 

in  cell  lineage,  203 

in  cell  size,  192 

cell  wall,  193 

in  cells,  induced  by  others,   192 

complex  patterns,  202 

cytoplasmic  pattern  in,  193 


Differentiation,    and    development,     181, 
202 

in  distribution  of  nucleic  acids,  222 

dormant  primordia,  245 

endodermis,  196 

in  external  structure,  184-189 

fiber  patterns,  197 

gametophyte  from  sporophyte,   185 

and  gradients,  218,  222 

and  growth,  contrasted,  182 
relative  rates,  183 

without  growth,  223-229 

growth  substances  in,  189,  219 

histochemical,  197,  222 

histological  pattern,  195 

in  internal  structure,  189-204 

intracellular,  194 

in  Myxobacteriaceae,  228 

during  ontogeny,  205-215 

origin,  186 

in  osmotic  concentration,  222 

physiological,  220-223 

and  polarity,  190 

and  position,  193 

primordia  at  meristem,  187 

in  pseudoplasmodium,  224 

in  relation  to  environment,  215-220 

between  root  and  shoot,  220 

between  sexes,  185 

between  staminate  and  pistillate  plants, 
221 

stomata,  199 

in  synthesis  of  alkaloids,  220 

vascular  tissue  at  apices,  204 

between    vegetative    and    reproductive 
phases,  184,  205 

veins,  198 

vessels,  201 

wall  relationships  in,  195 

and  water  gradient,  218 
Diffusion-reaction  system  of  Turing,  456 
Digitalis,  176,  283,  425 
Dioecious  form,  origin  in  maize,  431 
Dionaea,  345 
Dioscorea,  123,  429 

Diploid  gametophyte,  origin  from  sporo- 
phyte, 234,  437 
Divergence  angles   in  polypeptid   chains, 

166 
DNA,  41,  165,  294,  416 
Dominance  of  apical  bud,  101,  386 

role  in,  of  auxin,  386 
of  nutrients,  387 
Dormancy  and  temperature,  339 
Dorsiventrality,  170-178 

in  flowers,  175 

and  gravity,  176,  354 

internal  structures,  174 

in  leaves,  175 


542 


Subject  Index 


Dorsiventrality,  physiological,  178 

reversibility,  170 

in  roots,  170 

in  shoots,  171 

in  thalli,  170 
Double-worked  trees,  258 
Drosera,  125,  249,  252 
Drosophila,  429,  431,  442 
Drought  resistance,  326 
Dryopteris,  69,  70,  72 
Dwarfs,  260 

genetic,  418 

from  immature  seeds,  260 

produced,  by  bark  inversion,  259 
by  grafting,  259 


Efficiency  index,  16 
Elaters,  differentiation,  191 
Electrodynamic  fields,  361 
Eleocharis,  246 
Elodea,  65,  68 
Embryo  culture,  4 
Embryology  of  plants,  206 
Enation,  65,  280 
Endogenous  rhythm,  18,  322 
Endomitosis,  442 
Endophyllum,  395 
Enter omorpha,  135 
Entwicklungsmechanik,  3 
Environment,  and  external  differentiation, 
215 

and  internal  differentiation,  217 

role  in  morphogenesis,  451 
Epilobium,  160,  176,  435 
Equifinality,  452 
Equisetum,  58,  137,  179,  203 
Eriophyces,  279,  280 
Ethylene,  and  flower  induction,  409 

and  root  formation,  409 
Etiolation,  309 

causes,  310 

and  cell  size,  40 

in  fungi,  310 

structural  changes  in,  310 
Eucalyptus,  206,  209 
Evolution,  1 
Exotrophy,  174 
Experimental  morphology,  3 
Experimental  studies,  on  cells,  37-43 

on  shoot  apex,  68-75 


Fagus,  77 
Faciation,  280 

inheritance,  282 

origin,  281 
Fibonacci  series  in  phyllotaxy,  152 
Ficaria,  107 


Field,  bioelectrical,  455 

biological,  454 

concept,  454 
Florigen,  376,  397 
Flowering,  all-or-none  reaction,  398 

induction,  by  growth  substances,  398 
by  low  temperature,  341 
by  photoperiod,  315 
Flowering  stimulus,  in  host-parasite  rela- 
tionship, 397 

nonspecificity,  398 

transmitted  by  grafting,  262,  397 
Foliar  embryos,  127,  250 

factors  in  growth,  254 
Foliar  helices,  156 
Fontinalis,  151,  203 
Form,  organic,  1,  117,  449 

and  cell  division,  52 
Formativeness  inherent  in  organisms,  425 
Fractional  series,  in  genetic  spiral,  152 

in  parastichies,  155 
Fragaria,  430 
Fraxinus,  280 
Friesia,  176 
Fucus,  4,  50,  56,  117,  121,  135-137,  145, 

169,  178,  233,  372 
Funaria,  137 
Functional  stimulus,  110 
Funkia,  256 
Fusiform  initials,  80 


Gall  stimulus,  specificity,  285 
Galls,  277-295 

amorphous,  caused  by  parasites,  290 

cataplasmatic,  291 

insect,  283 
histology,  284 

organoid,  279 

prosoplasmatic,  283 

artificial  production,  285 
Gametophytes,  aposporous,  256 
Gametophytic  characters,  inheritance,  426 
Gases,  morphogenetic  effects,  409 
Gaylussacia,  329 
Gemmipary,  250 
Gene  action  in  development,  415 
Gene  effects  transmitted  by  grafting,  264 
Generative    center   in    Plantefol's   theory, 

156 
Genes,  415-433 

"compound,"  419 

controlling    growth    relationships,    416, 
421,  451 

and  duration  of  growth,  417 

and  environment,  relation  between,  451 

as  evocators,  425 

and  form,  418,  425 

geometric  effect,  417 


Subject  Index 


543 


Genes,  governing  shape,  evidence  for,  419 

in  photoperiodism,  432 

and  rate  of  growth,  417 

and  sex,  428 

for  shape  linked  with  others,  421 
Genetic  constitution  as  factor  in  organiza- 
tion, 450 
Genetic  factors,   in  morphogenesis,   415- 
447 

relation  to  environment,  305 
Genetic  reserve  in  meristematic  cells,  232 
Genetic    segregation    of    allometric    con- 
stants, 423 
Genie  balance,  446 
Georgia,  234 
Geotrophism,  352 
Germ  layers  in  plants,  theory,  59 
Gibberella,  410 
Gibberellin,  37,  376,  409 

differences  from  auxin,  411 

effect  on  dwarf  plants,  410 

morphogenetic  effects,  410 

and  stem  elongation,  410 
Ginkgo,  159,  189,  237,  378 
Gleditsia,  91 
Gleichenia,  238 
Gmelina,  201 
Golden  mean,  153,  156 
Gradients,  in  cell  size,  326 

as  components  of  organization,  450 

histological,  140 

metabolic,  73,  140 
Graft  hybrids,  268 
Grafting,  of  bud  into  callus,  72 

as  morphogenetic  technique,  258 
Grafts,  between  male  and  female  plants, 
263 

between  tomato   and  tobacco,   261 
Gravity,  354 

and  dorsiventrality,  355 

effect,  on  growth,  354 
on  mitosis,  40 

and  flowering,  355 

formative  effects,  354 

influence  on  other  factors,  355 
Griffithsia,  134,  233 
Group  effect  in  Fucus  eggs,  136 
Growth,  11-22 

analysis,  13 

cellular  basis,  23-54 

curve,  sigmoid,  13 

definition,  11 

determinate,  19,  88 

differential,  112 

and  differentiation,  182 

direction,  51 

distribution,  21 

duration,  20 

exponential,  15 


Growth,  of  gourd  fruits,  12 

indeterminate,  19 

physiology,  21 

rate,  15,  20 

relative,  105 

and  size,  20 

variation  in,  18 
Growth  substances,  374-414 

in  abscission,  404 

in  callus  formation,  290,  393 

in  correlation,  383 

in  determination  of  structure,  390 

differential  movement,  384 

in    dominance    and    inhibition,    386 

effects,  on  cells,  37 

on  genetic  dwarfs,  377 
various  anatomical,  405 

in  flower  development,  396 

in  growth  stimulation,  386 

in  internal  differentiation,  404 

in  leaf  development,  394 

mechanism  of  action,  411 

minimal    structural    requirements    for, 
412 

other  terms  for,  374 

in  plant  growth,  377 

polar  transport,  384 

in  root  development,  391 

and  root  nodules,  407 

in  sex  determination,  399 

in  stem  development,  395 

synthetic  compounds  as,  374 

types,  376 
Guttulina,  366 
Guttulinopsis,  366 

Gymnosperms,  shoot  meristem  in,  68 
Gynophore,  intercalary  meristem  in,  79 


Haploid  sporophytes,  437 
Hedera,  125,  179,  213,  217,  263 
Helianthus,  311 
Helleborus,  346 
Heterauxesis,  105 
Heteroblastic  development,  206 
Heterogony,  105 
Heterophylly,  216 
Heterosis  and  cell  size,  35 
Hibiscus,  393 
Histogens,  in  root  meristem,  75 

in  shoot  meristem,  60 
Hofmeister's  rule,  in  cell  division,  44,  80 

in  phyllotaxy,  159 
Homeosis,  110 
Homeostasis,  2,  452 
Homoblastic  development,  206 
Hormone,  use  of  term,  375 
Horseradish  roots,  regeneration  in,  248 
Humulus,  430 


544 


Subject  Index 


Hyacinthus,  256 

Hydrostatic  pressure,  effect  on  structure, 

335 
Hyoscyamus,   263,    264,    313,    322,    397, 

411,  432 
Hyperplasia  of  tissues,  288 
Hypertrophy  of  tissues,  288 
Hyponasty  as  effect  of  growth  substances, 

393 


Ideal  angle  in  phyllotaxy,  152,  155 

Idioblasts,  origin,  192 

Impatiens,  151 

Incompatibility  between  stock  and  scion, 

260,  263 
Individual  in  plants,  24 
Indoleacetic  acid  ( I AA ) ,  376 
Information  theory  and  organization,  457 
Inheritance,  cell  size,  418 

dimensions,  424 

dwarf  habit,  418 

gametophytic  characters,  426 

pattern,  423 

shape,  419 
Inhibition,  of  buds,  387 

of  one  primordium  by  another,  160 

and  stimulation  in  physiology,  103 
Initiator  cells  in  Acrasiaceae,  223 
Intrusive  growth,  82 
Intumescences,  288 
Ipomoea,  38,   107,   210,   262,   311,   321, 

337 
Iresine,  261 
Iris,  33,  169,  175,  355 
Isoetes,  126,  132,  171 


Juncus,  279 

June  drop  of  fruit  caused  by  auxin,  98 

Jussiaea,  250 

Juvenile  stages,  205,  206 

adapted  to  special  environments,  217 

and  recapitulation,  209 

reversal  by  gibberellic  acid,  214 


Kalanchoe,  127,  240,  254,  255,  317,  319, 

321,  322,  396,  397,  445 
Karyological  plant  anatomy,  445 
Kinetin,  414 
Kinoplasmosome,  80 
Kohlrabi,  reconstitution  of  tissue  pattern 

in,  244 
Krenke's  theory  of  physiological  age,  210 

Laburnum,  129 
Lacunaria,  208 


Lagenaria,  51,  130,  421,  423 

Laminaria,  169,  233 

Lateral  meristems,  79-88 

Lateral  roots  from  convex  side  of  main 

root,  385 
Layering  in  meristem,  62 
"Lazy"  maize,  390 
Leaf,  development,  89 

primordium,  changed  to  bud,  71 
Least  surface  principle,  44 
Leaves,  effect  on  root  formation,  393 
Lecythis,  250 
Light,  308-323 

duration,  314 

effect  on  reproduction,  315 

intensity,  effect  on  structure,  309 

quality,  effect,  on  differentiation,  314 
on  length  growth,  313 

relation  to  other  factors,  322 
Ligustrum,  89 
Lilium,  250,  256 
Linaria,  176,  245,  282,  425 
Linum,  157,  187,  245,  439 
Liquid  film  theory,  in  cell  form,  44-49 
Livia,  279 
Living  root  tips,  cell  division  observed  in, 

77 
Long-day  plants,  315 
Luff  a,  197,  201,  243,  250,  433 
Lunularia,  121,  343 
Lupinus,  69,  73,  160,  238 
Lychnis,  221,  280,  368,  428 
Lycopersicon,  34,  261 
Lycopodium,  59,  171,  282 


Madura,  124 

Macromolecular  pattern,  433 

Male  and  female  tendencies,  balance,  431 

Maleic  hydrazide,  407 

Manoilov  reaction,  221 

Marchantia,  121 

Marsilea,  332,  372 

Mechanical  contact  in  phyllotaxy,  345 

Mechanical  factors,  morphogenetic  effects, 

345 
Meiosis,  in  Acrasiaceae,  224 

in  somatic  cells,  274 
Melandrium,  365,  400,  428-430 
Melilotus,  263 

Mercurialis,  185,  263,  317,  399,  400 
Meristematic  center  in  root,  77 
Meristematic  cells  as  genetic  reserve,  232 
Meristemoids,  201 
Meristems,  4,  12,  55-91 

apical,  56-79 

determinate,  88-91 

differentiation  in  culture,  75 

diffuse,  13 


Subject  Index 


545 


Meristems,  intercalary,  79 

lateral,  79-88 

residual,  67 

rib,  47 

zonation  in,  64 
Mespilus,  268 

Metabolic  gradient,  73,  140 
Metaplasin,  396 
Metaxenia,  101,  407 
Metzgeria,  234 
Microcycas,  64 
Microfibrils  in  cell  wall,  165 
Middle  piece,  effect  in  grafts,  260 
Mimosa,  345,  346 
Mitogenetic  rays,  40 
Mitosis,  25 
Mnium,  170 
Monstera,  191,  218 
Morphogenesis,  defined,  3 

early  work  in,  5-6 

in  lower  plants,  6 

phenomena  in  plants,  7 
Morphogenetic  factors,  7,  303 
Morphogenetic  movements,  5 
Morphogenetic  norms,  449 
Morphogenetic  point  of  view,  8 
Morphogenetic  problems,  5 
Morphology,  1 

idealistic,  1,  114 
Mucor,  221,  400 
Muehlenbeckia,  169 
Multipotent  primordia,  189 
Myxamoeba,  23,  223 
Myxobacteriaceae,  228 


Narcissus,  65 

Neurospora,  373 

Nicotiana,  156,  261,  264,  282,  295,  296, 

343,  419,  426 
Nitella,  41,  149,  166 
Nitrogen,  effects,  in  development,  364 

in  slime  molds,  366 
and  sex  differences,  365 
Normal  curve,  16 
Norms,  morphogenetic,  449 
Nothoscordum,  107 
Nucellar  embryos,  206 
Nuclear  size  in  relation  to  cell  size,  27 
Nucleic  acids,  3 
Nucleoplasmic  ratio,  27 
Nuphar,  71 
Nymphaea,  71 


Oenanthe,  332 

Oenothera,  35,  321,  438 

Onoclea,  137 

Ontogeny,  differentiation  during,  205 


Ophiostoma,  54 

Opuntia,  169 

Organ-forming  substances,  376,  391,  413, 

'  458 
Organism,  2,  23 

as  fundamental  biological  fact,  459 
Organismal  theory,  23 
Organization,  449-459 

components,  449 

as  expression  of  molecular  forces,  456 

gradients,  450 

mathematical  relations,  456 

not  lost  in  abnormal  growth,  453 

polarity  in,  449 

regulatory  mechanisms,  452 

spirality  in,  450 

symmetry  in,  450 
Organizer,  156 

Oriented  behavior  in  polarity,  144 
Orobanche,  397 

Orthostichies  in  phyllotaxy,  153 
Osmotic  concentration,  of  cell  sap,  40 

and  cell  size,  40,  335 

and  plant  form  in  algae,  336 

and  polyploidy,  335 
Osmunda,  71,  188 


Parabolic  curves  in  meristem,  63 
Paramorphs  in  fungi,  373 
Parastichies,  contact,  155 

in  phyllotaxy,  154 
Parthenocarpy,  378 
Pattern,  cytoplasmic,  456 

macromolecular,  455 
Pediastrum,  179,  390 
Pedicularis,  445 
Pelargonium,  269 
Pellionia,  173 
Pelory,  176,  282 
Pemphigus,  284 
Periblem,  60 
Petunia,  264,  265 
Phalaris,  190,  222 
Pharbitis,  282,  419 
Phascum,  234 
Phaseolus,  250,  274,  282 
Phasic  development,  205 

and  sex,  428 
Phellem,  87 
Phelloderm,  87 
Phellogen,  87 

origin  in  old  tissue,  88,  201 
Philodendron,  218 
Phleum,  131 

Phloem  fibers,  growth,  82 
Phlox,  282,  315 

Phosphorus,  role  in  development,  368 
Photoperiod,  315 


546 


Subject  Index 


Photoperiodic  induction,  315 
Photoperiodism,  effect,  315 

on  chromosome  number,  322 
on  flowering,  315 
on  leaf  structure,  321 
on  lower  plants,  317 
on  parasite  and  host,  397 
on  root-shoot  ratio,  320 
on  sex  determination,  317 
on  tuberization,  320 
on  vegetative  structures,  319 
Photothermal  induction,  339 
Phragmites,  35,  445 
Phragmoplast,  25,  80 
Phragmosome,  25,  43 
Phycomyces,  21,  149,  165,  400 
Phyllocaline,  396 
Phyllocladus,  169,  208 
Phyllody,  277,  317 
Phyllogen,  89 
Phyllotaxy,  66,  150 
decussate,  151 

experimental  modification,  160 
Fibonacci  series  in,  152 
fractional  divergence,  152 
genetic  spiral,  151 

direction,  164 
at  meristem,  71 
spiral,  151 
theories,  156-163 
Physarum,  314 
Physiological  age,  210 
Phytohormones,  375 
Picea,  189,  263 
Pilobolus,  318,  400 
Pisum,  250 
Plagiotropic  axes,  189 
Plantefol's  theory  of  phyllotaxy,  156 
Plasmodiophora,  138 
Plastochron,  66,  68 
Plastochron  index,  66 
Plastochron  ratio  in  phyllotaxy,  162 
Plectranthus,  89 
Plerome,  60 
Pleurococcus,  119 
Poa,  280,  320 
Podophyllum,  187,  350 
Podostemon,  237 
Pogonia,  247 

Polar  patterns  in  organic  form,  142 
Polarity,  116-146 

aspect  of  differentiation,  118 
in  auxin  flow,  141 

bioelectrical  effect  on,  361 
cambial  cells,  128,  130 
cell,  131 

in  cell  division,  131 
cell  wall,  132 
in  cellular  slime  molds,  143 


Polarity,    as    component   of   organization, 
449 

definition,  117 

determination,  137 

and   developmental   pattern,    142 

electrical,  139 

in  embryonic  development,  126 

in  external  structure,  119-126 

factors  of  induction,  117 

and  gradients,  145 

in  grafts,  129 

in  isolated  cells,  135 

in  leaf  cuttings,  124 

loss,  137 

in  lower  plants,  121 

of  movement  in  phloem,   141 

in  plasmodia  and  coenocytes,  138 

in  pseudoplasmodium,  225 

in  regeneration,  119 

reversal,  125 

in  root  cuttings,  124 

in  root-hair  cells,  131 

in  single  cells,  134 

in  stem  cuttings,  123 

three  aspects,  144 

in  tissue  reorganization,  127 

transverse,  123,  361 
Polarized  growth  in  leaves,  90 
Polyembryony,  adventive,  256 

cleavage,  206,  235 
Polygonum,  311,  330 
Polyploid  series,  35,  436 
Polyploidy,  436 

and  cell  shape,  440 

and  cell  size,  35,  437 

distribution  among  growth  forms,  440 

and  organ  shape,  440 

and  organ  size,  439 

and  plant  size,  438 

produced  by  colchicine,  436 

somatic,  441 
Polypodium,  239 
Polysomaty,  441 

and  cell  size,  35 

and  cellular  differentiation,  445 

distribution  in  plant,  442 

and  photoperiodism,  442 
Polysphondylium,  226,  366 
Populus,  279,  282,  284,  404 
Potamogeton,  192,  216,  217,  331,  370 
Potassium,  role  in  development,  370 
Potency  of  cell,  306 
Potentilla,  284 
Pressure  and  plane  of  cell  division,  49, 

346 
Primary  tissues,  origin,  79 
Primula,  35,  70,  110,  238,  445 
Proserpinaca,  216,  217,  330 
Protein  synthesis  in  root  tip,  42 


Subject  Index 


547 


Protosiphon,  43 

Protostele,  72 

Primus,  279 

Pseudoplasmodium  in  Acrasiaceae,  223 

Pseudotransverse  division  in  cambial  cells, 

81 
Pseudotsuga,  78 
Psilntum,  282 
Pteridium,  175 

Pteridophytes,  shoot  meristem  in,  68 
Pyronema,  233 


Quiescent  center  in  root  apex,  78 
Quincuncial  arrangement  of  floral  parts, 
167 


Ranunctdus,  216,  330,  343 

Raphanus,  250 

Ratio  between  rays  and  vertical  cells  in 

wood,  83 
Ray  initials,  at  cambium,  80 

origin,  83 
Rays,  uniform  distribution,  83 
Reaction  wood,  103,  193,  355 

in  angiosperms,  357 

and  auxin,  358 

in  conifers,  355 

longitudinal  compression  in,  356 

regulatory  action,  356 
Reactivity  of  cell,  306 
Recapitulation  in  juvenile  traits,  1 
Reciprocal  crosses,  role  of  cytoplasm  in, 

435 
Reconstitution  in  regeneration,  235-244 

basipetal  character,  242 

fem  leaf,  239 

fern  prothallium,  240 

in  kohlrabi  tuber,  244 

root  meristem,  236 

shoot  meristem,  237 

after  splitting  of  meristem,  237 

tissue  patterns,  240,  244 
Regeneration,  230-257 

bryophytes,  234 

buds  on  hypocotyls,  245 

defined,  231 

epidermis  under  wound  cork,  241 

in  flowers,  250 

fungus  fruiting  body,  233 

in  gametophytes,  250 

in  higher  plants,  235 

indifferent  primordia,  248 

individual  cells,  233 

in  inflorescences,  250 

after  injury,  230 

in  leaf  cuttings,  249 

in  lower  plants,  232 


Regeneration,    after    physiological    isola- 
tion,  231 

protonema  from  sporophyte,  234 

by    reconstitution    (see    Reconstitution 
in  regeneration ) 

redifferentiation  in,  241 

reproductive,  235,  250-257 

by  restoration,  235,  244-250 

from  root  cuttings,  247 

self-regulation  in,  231 

shoots  from  leaves,  252 

from  single  cells  in  algae,  233 

from  single  epidermal  cells,  245,  253, 
255 

split  meristems,  238 

from  stem  cuttings,  245 

vascular  strands,  242 

in  vegetative  propagation,  244 
Rejuvenescence,  210 
Relations,  importance,  3 
Relative  conducting  surface,  334 
Relative  growth,  105 
Relative    growth    constants,    segregation, 

423 
Reproductive  apex,  development,  67 
Reproductive     regeneration,     235,     250- 

257 
Reseau  de  soutien,  201 
Restoration    in    regeneration,    235,    244- 

250 
Retinospora,  214 
Reversibility  of  ontogenetic  change,  214 

effect  of  gibberellin  on,  214 
Reversion  to  juvenile  state,  217 
Rhizobium,  295 
Rhizocaline,  394 
Rhizophore,  248 
Rhythms,  endogenous,  322 
Ricinus,  191,  351,  352 
Ripeness  to  flower,  205 
Robinia,  282 
Root  apex,  75-79 

physiology,  78 

in  tissue  culture,  78 

tissue  differentiation,  77 

"types,"  78 
Root  formation,  effect  of  leaves  on,  393 
Root-forming  hormones,  247,  392 
Root     nodules,     as     cataplasmatic    galls,, 
295 

tetraploidy  in,  442 
Root-shoot  ratio,  96 
Rotholz,  356 
Rudbeckia,  222,  338 
Rumex,  185,  430 


Sachs's  rule  in  cell  division,  44 
Sagittaria,  216 


548 


Subject  Index 


Saintpaulia,  239,  253,  255 

Salix,  128,  282 

Samhucus,  279 

Sanio's  laws,  36 

Sarracenia,  187 

Sauromatum,  442 

Scenedesmus,  343 

Schizaea,  203 

Schizostegia,  169 

Scion  in  grafting,  258 

Sclerotinia,  338 

Scolopendrium,  239 

Scorpioid  cyme,  178 

Secondary  tissues,  80 

Sectio  aurea,  153 

Sedum,  192,  255,  437 

Seed  size  and  plant  size,  97 

Segregation  in  somatic  cells,  274 

Selaginella,   12,  58,   171,   172,   175,  202, 

248 
Self-differentiation,  24,  73 
Self-regulation,  in  development,  452 

in  regeneration,  231 
Sempervivum,  395 
Senescence,  38,  205,  211 
Sequoia,  110,  159 
Sex  chromosomes  in  plants,  429 
Sex  determination,  430 
Sex  hormones  in  fungi,  400 
Sex  inheritance,  XY  type,  429 
Sex-linked  traits  in  plants,  429 
Sex  reversal  by  environmental  factors, 

317,  428 
Shade  leaves,  312 

Shaking  as  substitute  for  light  in  develop- 
ment, 346 
Shoot  apex,  59-75 

chemical  organization,  73 

compared  to  organizer,  73 

culture,  70,  73 

ontogeny,  65 

organized  system,  74 

role  in  differentiation,  70,  73 

size     and     stelar     development,      72, 
222 

totipotence,  70 

in  various  ecological  types,  65 

in  various  plant  groups,  65 
Short-day  plants,  315 
Short-day  shape  of  leaves,  315,  395 
Sigmoid  curve  of  growth,  13 
Similitude  principle,  359 
Sinapis,  346 
Siphonostele,  72 
Sirenin,  400 

Size,  absolute,  importance  in  develop- 
ment, 359 

in  relation  to  form,  361 
Sliding  growth,  81,  83 


Soap  bubbles,  division,  46 

resemblance  to  cells,  44 
Solanum,  261,  264,  268,  269 
Solidago,  432 
Somatic  mutation,  273 
Sophora,  263 
Sorbose,  373 
Sorocarp  development  in  Acrasiaceae, 

225 
Sphacelaria,  233 
Sphaerocarpos,  234,  426,  429 
Sphagnum,  58,  191 
Spinacia,  221 
Spiral  grain  in  wood,  166 
Spirality,  in  cell  wall,  165 

as  component  of  organization,   164 

omnipresence,  165 
Spirogyra,  38,  56,  119,  147,  150 
Sporobolus,  131 
Stellaria,  167,  177 
Stentor,  455 
Stereum,  233 
Stichococcus,  311,  314 
Stimulation   and   inhibition,   balance   be- 
tween, 103 
Stock  in  grafting,  258 
Stock-scion  interrelations,  262 
Stomatal  index,  325 
Storied  woods,  cell  length  in,  37 
Streckungswachstum,  31 
Streptocarpus,  239,  253,  397 
Sucrose,   morphogenetic  effects,  73,   371, 

372 
Sun  leaves,  312 
Surface-volume  ratio,  38 
Swaying,  formative  effects,  353 
Symmetry,  147-180 

axis,  147 

bilateral,  169 

as  component  of  organization,  450 

of  crystals,  148 

development,  178 

in  cellular  systems,  179 
in  coenocytes,  178 

dorsiventral,  147,  170-178 

in  flowers,  167 

and  form,  180 

in  inflorescences,  167 

inorganic  and  organic,  compared 
148 

pendular,  179 

radial,  147,  149-169 
lower  plants,  150 
meristems,  179 
roots,  150 
shoots,  150 
Symphoricarpos,  279 
Symplastic  growth,  81 
Syncephalastrum,  373 


Subject  Index 


549 


Synchitrium,  284 

Synthetic    growth    substances,    374,    378, 

391 
Syringa,  73 

Tagetes,  129 
Taraxacum,  282 
Teilungswachstum,  31 
Temperature    as     morphogenetic    factor, 
337-344 
and  dormancy,  339 
and  mitosis,  40 
various  effects,  341 
Tensile    stress    in    development    of    pri- 

mordia,  160 
Tension,  effect  on  tensile  strength,   347- 
350 
formative  effects,  351 
at  meristem,  186 
Teratology,  277 
Teratomata,  278 
Tetrakaidecahedron,  53 
Thermoperiodism  and  growth,  337 
Thuja,  84,  171,  174,  214 
Tilia,  282 

Tilted  grain  in  wood,  166 
Tissue  culture,  73,  75,  222,  296 
entire  organs,  297 

organization  of  meristems  in,  75,  298 
single  cells,  298 
Tissue  mixtures,  258-274 
Tissue  tension,  in  dead  wood,  359 
distribution,  358 
effects,  358 
Tolmiea,  251 

Topiary  and  correlation,  99 
Topophysis,  189,  212,  214 

reversibility,  214 
Torenia,  249,  253,  440 
Totipotent  structures,  102 
Trace  elements,  364 
Tradescantia,  219,  237 
Transpiration  stream,  as  functional  stim- 
ulus, 333 
as  morphogenetic  factor,  332 
relation,  to  leaf  area,  333 
to  vascular  tissue,  333 
Traumatin,  376,  403 
Trichoblast,  131,  190 
Trichosanthes,  51,  52 
Trichosclereids,  development,  191 
Trillium,  40 

Trisomies,  genetic  effects,  446 
Tropaeolum,  60,  65,  72,  73,  109,  238, 

309,  311,  419,  425,  427 
Tropisms   as   morphogenetic   phenomena, 

345 
Tuber-forming    stimulus    transmitted    by 
grafting,  262 


Tumors,  from  incompatible  crosses,  296 

from  tobacco  hybrids,  295 
Tunica  in  meristems,  62 
Twin  spots,  causes,  274 
2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic    acid    ( 2,4-D ) 
as  herbicide,  407 


Ultrasonics,  effects,  354 
Viva,  56 
Urtica,  185 
Ustilago,  280 
Utricularia,  249 


Valeriana,  185 

Valonia,  132 

Vaucheria,  233,  317,  399 

Vegetative  propagation,   regeneration   in, 

244 
Vernalization,  315,  339 

chemical,  343 

and  day  length,  340 

effect,  on  flowering,  339 

on  vegetative  characters,  341 

and  phasic  development,  340 

sensitive  region  in,  340 
Viburnum,  313 
Vicia,  29,  41,  76,   78,   103,  221,  279, 

346 
Vitamin  C  and  cell  size,  37 
Vitamins  in  plant  development,  373 
Vitis,  38 
Volvox,  149 


Water    as    morphogenetic    factor,     324- 
336 

in  air  and  soil,  effects,  329 

experimental  work  on,  329 

in  "water"  and  "air"  forms,  332 
Water  balance  and  heterophylly,  217 
Whorls  of  cells,  cause,  128,  289 
Witches  brooms,  280 
Wound  healing,  240 
Wound  hormones,  37,  376,  381,  402 

bean  test  for,  403 

chemical  nature,  402 

and  cork  formation,  402 

nonspecificity,  402 
Wound  tissue,  character,  289 


Xanthisma,  184 
Xanthium,  397,  398 
Xeromorphy,  324 

as  adaptive  character,  324 

causes,  324 

cell  size  in,  324 


550 


Subject  Index 


Xeromorphy,     and     drought     resistance, 
326 
influence  of  immature  leaves  in,  327 
and  nitrogen  deficiency,  329 
Xerophytes,  324 

Xylem  and  phloem,  developmental  rela- 
tions, 84 


Zalenski's  law,  325 

Zamia,  237,  250 

Zea,  77 

Zinc,  role  in  development,  37] 

Zinnia,  34,  261 

Zonation  in  meristems,  64 

Zygomorphic  flowers,  176