The comparison of published data on clonal morphology of closely related species and/or data on comparative morphology of larger groups of related species showed that most of the variation observed is more related to history than to putative selection pressures within present plant communities. Historical factors include both phylogeny and climatic conditions experienced in the past. Inheritance of clonal growth traits is variable even within one genus and is hard to predict namely in polyploid groups. Community parameters and architectural traits may be closely related in the case of hybrid speciation when the divergence of newly formed taxa may be very rapid and easily influenced by short term community parameters; however there are very few well documented examples.