CHAPTER 1 



FLOWERING IN ITS BIOLOGICAL 

 FRAMEWORK 



Some of the most general, and indeed the most exciting aspects of 

 biology are an integral part of the flowering process, and most of the 

 basic fields are represented to a greater or lesser degree. Any study 

 of plant or animal function is physiology, and so the discussions to 

 follow will emphasize physiology. Of course any function is depen- 

 dent upon some entity or structure, and in the study of flowering we 

 are concerned with the origin of structure itself. Thus we approach 

 the fields of anatomy or morphology. Many plants flower in response 

 to some change in the environment, so the topic bears a valid 

 relationship to ecology. Diff'erent kinds of plants respond in different 

 ways, and as one tries to organize these responses according to type, 

 one does work not too unrelated to that of the taxonomist. The 

 flowering response is inherited, and it is possible to study its genetics ; 

 indeed, flowering involves the response of the genes and their 

 products to the environment, and study of such things lies in the 

 new field of molecular biology. If there were space, one could also 

 discuss certain applied aspects of flowering in the fields of horticulture 

 and agronomy. Obviously, if flowering could be controlled, 

 agriculture could be revolutionized. 



It is amazing how a study in depth of any topic in biology may cut 

 across nearly the entire field of biology itself. The process of 

 flowering is certainly no exception, although there are aspects which 

 are not encountered, such as nerve or muscle function. Certain 

 rather unlikely subjects such as paleobotany or evolutionary 

 mechanisms do bear a relationship to flowering, although we will 

 not have much to say about them here. 



We will not approach the flowering process by studying its 

 relationship to each of the traditional fields listed above. Rather, 

 we will keep in mind five general biological areas: 



1. Diversity and Uniformity of Biological Material 



