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phyllotaxis

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

noun

Botany.
  • phyllotaxes
    plural
  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

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Nouns

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.

See Examples For:

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

Four quadrangular scales in mutual contact represent the condition of definite phyllotaxis.

From The Genus Pinus by Shaw, George Russell

There are two species of phyllotaxis, perfectly distinct, and we suppose, not mathematically reducible the one to the other, viz.:

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

Although we are not quite sure how Dr Falconer in tends to apply the law of phyllotaxis to illustrate his idea, we fancy that a pertinent illustration may be drawn from it in this way.

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

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