page_title: Heteroblasty (botany)
hierarchical_section_title: Heteroblasty (botany)
caption_attribution_description: English: Bois de Rat 2 Adult foliage and flowers - Terenna borbonica
context_page_description: Heteroblasty is significant and abrupt change in form and function that occurs over the lifespan of certain plants. Characteristics affected include internode length and stem structure as well as leaf form, size and arrangement. It should not be confused with seasonal heterophylly, where early and late growth in a season are markedly different. This change is different from a homoblastic change which is a gradual change or little change at all so that there is little difference between the juvenile and adult stages. Some characteristics affected by heteroblastic change include internode length and stem structure as well as leaf form, size and arrangement. Heteroblasty is found in many different Families as well as different species within a genus, this random spread of heteroblastic plants across species is believed to be caused by convergent evolution. Heteroblasty should not be confused with seasonal heterophylly, where early and late growth in a growing season are markedly different.
  The earlier and later stages of development are commonly labeled as juvenile and adult respectively, particularly in relation to leaves.
context_section_description: Heteroblasty is significant and abrupt change in form and function that occurs over the lifespan of certain plants. Characteristics affected include internode length and stem structure as well as leaf form, size and arrangement. It should not be confused with seasonal heterophylly, where early and late growth in a season are markedly different. This change is different from a homoblastic change which is a gradual change or little change at all so that there is little difference between the juvenile and adult stages. Some characteristics affected by heteroblastic change include internode length and stem structure as well as leaf form, size and arrangement. Heteroblasty is found in many different Families as well as different species within a genus, this random spread of heteroblastic plants across species is believed to be caused by convergent evolution. Heteroblasty should not be confused with seasonal heterophylly, where early and late growth in a growing season are markedly different.
  The earlier and later stages of development are commonly labeled as juvenile and adult respectively, particularly in relation to leaves.
  The term was coined by German botanist Karl Ritter von Goebel, along with homoblasty for plants with leaf characteristics that do not change significantly. Leonard Cockayne observed that heteroblasty occurred in an unusually high proportion of tree species native to New Zealand.
caption: Heteroblasty in a Mauritian species of plant, Tarenna borbonica
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