Figure 1.

An Arabidopsis plant. Schematic of an adult plant depicting roots, leaves, stems, and flowers. In this article, three symmetry-breaking events are discussed. These examples are taken from different organs of the plant. The first example is taken from embryo development, which occurs after fertilization of the flower in the silique (seed pod) in Arabidopsis. Next, symmetry breaking in the leaf epidermis during stomatal development is discussed. Finally, the asymmetric cell division that gives rise to the ground tissue in the root is considered.