Résumé
In several circumstances, and in particular at the first workshop on functional-structural modelsheld in Helsinki, December 1996, the fact that the plant structure-function modelling communityshould have a coordinated effort in the development of data standards, tools and software wasunderlined. The ALEA project, initially sponsored by the Réseau d’Ecophysiologie de l’Arbre fromINRA, aims at providing modellers and biologists with a homogeneous software platform, integratingvarious tools and models for studying plant architecture and its development.