Abstract

From this modern and profusely illustrated book, the reader will learn not just the basics, which are amply reviewed, but also how plant anatomy is integrated with a wide variety of other disciplines, such as plant breeding, forensic analysis, medicine, food science, wood and fiber products, and the arts. The author presents the basic concepts and terminology of plant anatomy with a special emphasis on its significance and applications to other disciplines, and addresses the central role of anatomy by consolidating previously scattered information into a single volume.

Integrative Plant Anatomy highlights the important contribution made by studying anatomy to the solutions of a number of present and future problems. It succeeds in integrating diverse areas of botany, as well as the non-biological sciences, the arts, and numerous other fields of human endeavor.

• Presents both the classical and modern approaches to the subject
• Teaches the importance of the subject to other disciplines such as the nonbiological sciences, the arts, and other fields of human endeavor
• Written and organized to be useful to students and instructors, but also to be accessible and appealing to a general audience
• Bridges the gap between conventional textbooks and comprehensive reference works
• Includes key terms and extensive additional readings
• Richly illustrated with line drawings and photographs

"This is an ambitious and scholarly text, and Dr. Dickison should be congratulated for his efforts." --Thomas L. Rost, University of California at Davis

"I commend the author for his fresh and novel approach to the study of plant anatomy. Presently, there is no textbook available that interrelates plant anatomy with systematics, physiology, ecology, genetics, anthropology, and the other fields of study covered in the manuscript; this approach has merit and addresses a need as far as plant anatomy and its applications are concerned." --Terence W. Lucansky, University of Florida

"The author is completely successful in fulfilling his objective of conveying the importance of plant anatomy as a field of endeavor with widespread applications to other fields. Dickison's approach is refreshingly different and likely to have great appeal to the novice.... For example, the manuscript was easy to read, unlike most [plant] anatomy books, because of minimal use of technical jargon." --Dale M.J. Mueller, Texas A&M University