Even without the proper vocabulary to describe their forms, anyone with a keen search image understands there is a gestalt to most species and that there is more to this than simply fodder for dichotomous keys. The overall form of plants has garnered attention from a variety of disciplines. Such investigations involve fields of study like theoretical and quantitative biology to engineering and biomechanics. It has even been used to understand how life may evolve on other planets. It is a fascinating field of investigation and one worth spending time in the literature.

Some of the pioneering work on this subject started with two European botanists: Dr. Francis Hallé and Dr. Roelof Oldeman. Together they worked on conceptual models of tree architecture. Using a plethora of empirical studies on whether a tree branches or doesn't, where branches occurs, how shoots extend, how branches differentiate, and whether reproductive structures are terminal or lateral, they were able to reduce the total number of tree forms down to 23 basic architectural models (pictured above). Each model describes the overall pattern with which plants grow, branch, and produce reproductive structures. At the core of these models is the concept of reiteration or the repitition of form in repeatable sub-units. The models themselves were given neutral names that reflect the botanists that provided the groundwork necessary to understand them.

Despite the fact that these models are based on investigations of tropical tree species, they are largely applicable to all plant types whether they are woody or herbaceous and whether they occur in the temperate zone or the tropics. The models themselves do not represent precise categories but rather points on a spectrum of architectural possibilities. Some plants may be intermediate between two forms or share features of more than one model. It should also be noted that most trees conform to a specific model for only a limited time period during their early years of development. Random or stochastic events throughout a trees life greatly influence its overall structure as it continues to grow. The authors are careful to point out that a trees crown is the result of all the deterministic, opportunistic, and chance events in its lifetime.

Despite these exceptions, the adherence of most plants to these 23 basic models is quite astounding. Although many of the 23 models are only found in the tropics (likely an artifact of the higher number of species in the tropics than in the temperate zones), they provide accurate reference points for further study. For instance, the restriction of some growth forms to the tropics raises intriguing questions. What is it about tropical habitats that restricts models such as Nozeran's (represented by chocolate - Theobroma cacao) and Aubréville's (represented by the sea almond - Terminalia catappa) to these tropical environments? It likely has to do with the way in which lateral buds develop. In these models, buds develop without a dormancy stage, a characteristic that is not possible in the seasonal climates of the temperate zones.