Flowering Plant Origin, Evolution & Phylogeny, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1996

Introduction: The challenge of flowering plant history; Morphology and leaf architecture of glossopterids and other reticulate gymnosperm leaves; A new gnetophyte from the Late Carnian (Late Triassic) of Texas and its bearing on the origin of the angiosperm carpel and stamen; Wood anatomy of primitive angiosperms: new perspectives and syntheses; Evidence for the earliest stage of angiosperm pollen evolution: a paleoequatorial section from Israel; The origin and evolution of the angiosperm carpel; Floral structure, development and relationships of paleoherbs: Saruma, Cabomba, Lactoris and selected Piperales; The origin of the angiosperm flower; Evidence for, and implications of, an herbaceous origin of angiosperms; Comparison of alternative hypotheses for the origin of the angiosperms; The least specialized angiosperms; Molecular phylogeny and the diversification of the angiosperms; Appendix: Stratigraphic timescale; Index.

The origin, early evolution and basal phylogeny of angiosperms continue to be areas of ferment in botanical research. Rapid progress is being made, in part due to the unprecedented number of approaches. This book summarizes much of recent reearch from the fields of palaeobotany, comparative morphology, development, and structural and molecular phylogeny, and addresses questions of structure and evolution of angiosperms, and angiosperm phylogeny. The book also presents evidence congruent with the herbaceous hypothesis of angiosperm origin. What makes this book particularly useful are its survey of most of the botanical and its coverage of current research directions.