title: Architectural mutation and leaf form, for the palmate series.
abstract: Palmate leaf form occurs in both the ferns and angiosperms. The palmate leaf form, and its variants, is present in distantly separated clades within both ferns and angiosperms. There tend not to be intermediate forms which link these palmate leaves to other leaf forms within the taxonomic groups in question. The recurrence of homoplasious leaf forms in separate taxonomic groups could be a consequence of the algorithmic like mode of leaf growth. Leaves develop through the reiteration of modular units. It is probable that the homoplasious leaf forms in different taxa are derived independently through re-combinations of the parameters in the basic leaf form development algorithm.
authors.affiliation: Tree Care Consulting, Toronto, 78 Marcella Street, Toronto, Ont., Canada M1G 1L2. daw@msi.net
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: White
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D005075:Biological Evolution; D029624:Ferns / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D017343:Genes, Plant; D019684:Magnoliopsida / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D008954:Models, Biological; D009154:Mutation; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000254:growth & development; D013045:Species Specificity