title: Virtual medical plant modeling based on L-system.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Searching the drug molecules from the medicinal plants become more and more popular given that herbal components have been widely considered to be safe. In medical virtual plant studies, development rules are difficult to be extracted, the construction of plant organs is highly dependent on equipment and the process is complicated.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To establish three-dimensional structural virtual plant growth model.
  
  
  METHODS
  The quasi-binary tree structure and its properties were obtained through the research of theory on binary tree, then the relationship between quasi-binary tree structure and plant three-dimensional branching structure model was analyzed, and the three-dimensional morphology of plants was described.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A three-dimensional plant branch structure pattern extracting algorithm based on quasi-binary tree structure. By using 3-D L-system method, the extracted rules were systematized, and standardized. Further more, we built a comprehensive L-model system. With the aid of graphics and PlantVR, we implemented the plant shape and 3-D structure's reconstruction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Three-dimensional structure virtual plant growth model based on time-controlled L-system has been successfully established.
authors.affiliation: College of Information Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China ; HeZhou University, College of Computer Science & Information Technology, Hezhou, China, 542800.
authors.forename: Dehong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: College of Information Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China.
authors.forename: Kui
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.affiliation: College of Information Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China.
authors.forename: Song
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jing
authors.affiliation: College of Information Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China.
authors.forename: Liu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bo
authors.affiliation: College of Information Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China.
authors.forename: Qiao
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Bo
authors.affiliation: College of Resource and Environment, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China.
authors.forename: Hexing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D001693:Biological Transport, Active; D050260:Carbohydrate Metabolism; D003198:Computer Simulation; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008954:Models, Biological; D008961:Models, Structural; D035261:Plant Components, Aerial / Q000378:metabolism; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D014197:Trees / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*
keywords: Drug R&D; L-system; fractals; medical plants; quasi binary-trees; toxicity
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