INTRODUCTORY BOTANY

The study of botany can be approached from many different viewpoints; from the simple to the complex or from the complex to the simple. In this book we have adopted the view of starting from the simple to the most complex.It is our aim to provide a more general lucid exposition of topics in botany for the first two years of a degree programme in botany. This we have found lacking in most of our textbooks currently in use. Our emphasis is towards an understanding of the principles that will lead to a clear focus of the relevance of plants to man. Our second aim is to provide the general theoretical concepts that are necessary for formulating adequate practical work for students wishing to pursue a degree in botany. The practical aspect of this work will be handled in another volume under preparation. We acknowledge, gratefully, the constructive criticism of our colleagues and the editor.We do however,take full responsibility for the errors and emission.2009