XVI International Botanical Congess

If studies of molecular genetics supply the text, plant morphology supplies the context. Many recent studies in molecular genetics have attempted to derive the context from the text. As a result, several interpretive problems and conflicts occur. This presentation attempts to resolve these problems by clarifying the developmental priorities in two facets of leaf development: 1) Leaf transectional symmetry, and 2) Leaf blade dissection. In both cases it will be demonstrated that morphogenesis and histogenesis are independent of one another and that, where correlated, one level does not necessarily determine the other. Moreover, one must also take into account the level of organization in the hierarchy of the plant's body.Kaplan, Donald R.