Preliminary Course
Botany. Architectural Analysis
Branching typology.
Privileged branching arrangements
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The botanist Troll introduced in 1937 three modalities to describe the privileged arrangement of lateral axis.
They refer to the parent axis position, considering a cross section close to the ramification.
Epitony stands for privileged arrangements of lateral axes on the upper position of the parent axis. This is a common case on many fruit trees.
Amphitony stands for the privileged development of ramifications in the nearly horizontal.
Hypotony stands for the privileged development of lateral axes in the curvature zone of the parent axis.
Privileged branching arrangements (Photos and drawings D. Barthélémy, CIRAD)
The lower diagrams illustrate the branch arrangements around the parent axis (in grey). Privileged axes are circled in black.
Left: Epitony (Diospyros lotus)
Middle: Amphitony (Abies alba)
Right: Hypotony (Juglans nigra)
Definition
Cataphyll
Botany. In plant morphology, a cataphyll (sometimes also called a cataphylla, or cataphyll leaf) is a leaf whose primary function is something other than photosynthesis. Cataphylls are at most trivially or transiently photosynthetic, and instead of photosynthesis the main functions of most types are storage, protection, or structural support.Bibliography
Troll W. 1937. Vergleichende Morphologie der höheren Pflanzen. Berlin: Borntraeger.