What is the difference between heliotropism and phototropism?

Question

What is the difference between heliotropism and phototropism?

Answer 1

Heliotropism is a response to sunlight as opposed to general light conditions. Various plants show heliotropism the most obvious being the sunflower that racks the suns path during the day. Osteospermum, scarlet pimpernel and other plants only fully open their flowers in response to bright sunlight.

Phototropism is a more general response to light by various parts of a plant. Normally the leaves and flowers tend to seek light while the roots tend to have a negative phototropism.

Answer 2

Heliotropism is a response to sunlight in which a plant turns toward the sun.

As far as I can determine, Phototropism has more than one meaning, but I think the one you are looking for is that sunlight causes the plant leaves to turn toward the sun and stimulates growth.

Now that I look at it, it seems like very little difference, except that Heliotropism just involves the plant turning toward the sun.

Answer 3

heliotropism is growth or orientation of a sessile organism, especially a plant, toward or away from the light of the sun.

And phototropism is growth or movement of a sessile organism toward or away from a source of light.

so basically the same thing but a little bit different