It is a purely
morphological term, as opposed to life form, which is more
encompassing and describes the result of life conditions,
including growth form, influence of environment, and
assemblage of individuals (Warming 1896; Mägdefrau
1982). Life form embodies all the selection pressures that
are brought to bear upon a species, or in the words of
Mägdefrau (1969), "the organization of a plant in
correspondence with its life conditions." Hence, life forms
are genetically determined. Growth forms are influenced
by the environment.