| Raunkiaer Life forms | Classification of Life forms HPU BSc 1st Year

Raunkiaer Life forms General appearance of plants based on their morphological features such as shape, branching pattern, crown and life span. Idea has been extensively developed by a Danish botanist Raunkiaer (1934). Considered that the un-favourable environmental condition which exerts a major control over the growth form. He also stressed on the significance of the adaptations of buds and shoot tips for overcoming adverse temperatures and survival in drought. THREE GUIDING RULES IN THE SELECTION OF LIFE-FORM CHARACTERISTICS: The character must be structural and essential and must represent important morphological adaptation. (2) The character must be sufficiently clear so that one can easily see in nature. (3) Life-forms employed must constitute a homologous system. Represent a single aspect of plants and thus enable a comparative statistical treatment of flora of different communities. On the basis of these principles, he recognized live life-form groups: (1) Phanerophytes (2) Chamaephytes (3) Hemicryptophytes (4) Cryptophytes (5) Therophytes Cryptogams are not included in this system