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phyllotaxis

American  
[fil-uh-tak-sis] / ˌfɪl əˈtæk sɪs /

noun

Botany.

plural

phyllotaxes
  1. phyllotaxy.


phyllotaxis British  
/ ˌfɪləˈtæksɪs /

noun

  1. the arrangement of the leaves on a stem

  2. the study of this arrangement in different plants

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of phyllotaxis

First recorded in 1870–75; phyllo- + -taxis

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Such are the majority of the scales of the cone and represent more or less indefinite conditions of phyllotaxis.

From The Genus Pinus by Shaw, George Russell

The law of phyllotaxis, which governs the evolution of leaves around the axis of a plant, is as nearly constant in its manifestation as any of the physical laws connected with the material world.

From Darwiniana; Essays and Reviews Pertaining to Darwinism by Gray, Asa

The cone, when closed, is very narrow; its thin flat scales distinguish it from the cone of P. peuce, and its phyllotaxis from the cone of P. monticola.

From The Genus Pinus by Shaw, George Russell

Cones with a dorsal umbo, the phyllotaxis complex.

From The Genus Pinus by Shaw, George Russell

The former condition represents a lower, the latter condition represents a higher, order of phyllotaxis.

From The Genus Pinus by Shaw, George Russell