Electrical excitability and signalling, frequently associated
with rapid responses to environmental stimuli, are well
known in some algae and higher plants. The presence of
electrical signals, such as action potentials (AP), in both
animal and plant cells suggested that plant cells, too, make
use of ion channels to transmit information over long distances.
In the light of rapid progress in plant biology during
the past decade, the assumption that electrical signals do
not only trigger rapid leaf movements in ‘sensitive’ plants
such as Mimosa pudica or Dionaea muscipula, but also
physiological processes in ordinary plants proved to be
correct. Summarizing recent progress in the field of electrical
signalling in plants, the present review will focus on the
generation and propagation of various electrical signals,
their ways of transmission within the plant body and various
physiological effects.