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a b s t r a c tIn many applications of rod theories as models for plant stem growth and development, it is necessary to allow the intrinsic curvature and flexural stiffness of the rod to evolve. In the present paper, the application of evolution equations for these quantities is examined and a new evolution equation for the intrinsic curvature is proposed. To illustrate the new evolution equation, several examples of the evolution of rods in the presence of external forces and tip growth are presented. Growth in plants frequently results in residual stresses and the compatibility of rod models with these fields is also discussed.

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In a recent paper [1], plant growth and branching were modeled using a rod-based theory featuring Euler’s elastica. This work extended the works of Goreily et al. [2] and Silk et al. [3] on this topic. Special features of the model developed in [1] included an evolution equation for the flexural rigidity EI and intrinsic curvature νo and the use of an intermediate (growth) configuration.