ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a brief summary of some of the essential concepts in plant growth and development and discussion of woody plant form and function as it relates to the environment. Many of the mechanisms central to growth and development in herbaceous plants are shared with woody plants. Lignification gives woody plants the mechanical strength and durability to persist as enduring, and sometimes towering, features of the landscape through sequential additions of primary growth. The chapter presents key themes in plant growth and development presented with a focus on the diverse adaptive characteristics important to woody plants. Primary physiological dormancy, an especially common characteristic of the seeds of temperate woody plants, is maintained by hormonal balances within the seed. Plant root architecture is particularly responsive to nutrient availability, with pronounced responses demonstrated for nitrogen, phosphate, and iron. Photomorphogenesis is the adaptive growth and development of plant shoots or other organs in response to the light environment.
