Phyllotaxis: A Systemic Study in Plant Morphogenesis

"...an invaluable guide to the literature. For the beginning student it provides a clear introduction to the known facts, the basic concepts, and the questions to be answered." Irving Adler "...a marvelous little book..." Nature "...Roger Jean presents an overview of these fascinating phenomena and their roots in a new book that should interest biologists, mathematicians and historians of science....Jean untangles this confused web and provides an integrated approach to the description and mathematical study of phyllotactic spirals." Thomas J. Givnish, Science "...The book is written quite clearly with careful definitions and illustrations, a very helpful glossary, and a logical organization of the vast material...Jean has succeeded in the paradoxical task of writin g a book which is simultaneously at the forefront, and therefore useful to researcgers, yet comprehensible to those with little mathematical or botanical background...the study of this classic problem in mathmatical biology, which is so well and thoroughly presented in this book, is of interest to pure and applied mathematicians, physicists, chemists, and engineers--as well as to botanists." Sharon Lubkin, Bulle tin of Mathematical Biology "...provocatively and beautifully written...this book will doubtless become a classic." L.W. Roberts, Choice "...especially well done, with a careful description of the mathematical basis needed to describe phyllotaxic patterns and a large number of examples...an important book for the mathematical biologist or anyone whose research interests involve geometrical aspects of plant structure. It is an excellent primer for description and methods of generation of phyllotaxic patterns...specialists will want to buy the book..." Thomas Herbert, Plant Science Bulletin