Whats plastic growth?

Question

Whats plastic growth?

Answer 1

Plastic here means variable.  When environmental conditions change, the growth type can also change.  You've probably seen this yourself in plants that are grown in normal conditions (they look "normal") versus those grown in dim conditions or crowed among other plants - these tend to grow tall and spindly (they use their resources for height to reach sunlight rather than broad leaves to capture available light).

Plasticity can affect height, branching patterns, number and direction of leaves produced, and other features.