A Catastrophe Model for the Switch from Vegetative to Reproductive Growth in the Shoot Apex

A mathematical model is constructed to describe the morphopneticswitch that occurs when a vegetative plant apex becomes reproductive.The cusp equation from catastrophe theory is modified, and isused to relate primordial size at initiation to apex size. Theresulting equation may be viewed as an equation of state definingthe allowed organizational modes of the shoot apex. The modelsimulates the growth of the apex from the vetative stage toearly reproductive growth, and makes reasonable predictionsabout apex size and growth rate, primordial sizes, and the lengthsof the plastochron. flowering, mathematical model, catastrophe theory, shoot apex