The biology of flowering

the long version

Describes the flowering process: how it works, how it is influenced by the natural environment, and how it is investigated in the laboratory. Many environmental factors significantly affect flowering: among them the quality and quantity of light, daylength, temperature, and availability of nutrients. Phytochrome, the recently discovered pigment system that detects light and daylength, is considered at length as a vital part of the plant's "biological clock."