rice terminology - (Jan/16/2012 )

hi guys,

I'm facing a bit of an issue here with terminology and any help would be greatly appreciated. Where this topic is going is to rice development, and anatomical description of the main stem and tillering. So, say the main stem has lateral buds at the bottom of the leaves, and these buds are the ones that differentiate into tillers, right? Well then, when the first tiller emerges from the first leaf, is that considered to be anatomically still a part of the main stem or is should it be considered as a leaf part of that independent tiller?

In my opinion, when that leaf becomes part of a tiller, it should no longer be accounted as a leaf on the main stem, however, I'm having difficulties finding any paper that supports such statement. In the end it is only terminology, and even though I followed my own classification system of leaves on the main stem (i.e. I don't consider them part of the stem if they are ON a tiller) now I need to find a classification that I can use for thesis purposes...

Thanks in advance to anyone who can shed light on this issue.

tj.

perhaps this paper may help (or the references): nature
my plant morphology courses are too long ago ../..//public/style_emoticons/default/wink.png (anyway aren't this nodes then where tillers develop?)

thanks hobs. indeed it's at the nodes where tillers develop from a lateral bud, it's just semantics and how i have to play with words in a language that is not my own so that i can get the message through to the people that matter (i.e. 1st my supervisor and secondly my examiners...)
i believe i have the right way to work it out tho... but thank you anyway