title: Finding the center of a phyllotactic pattern.
abstract: The calculation of divergence angles between primordia in a plant apex depends on the point used as the center of the apex. In mathematically ideal phyllotactic patterns, the center is well defined but there has not been a precise definition for the center of naturally occurring phyllotactic patterns. A few techniques have been proposed for estimating the location of the center but without a precise definition for the center the accuracy of these methods cannot be known. This paper provides a precise definition that can be used as the center of a phyllotactic pattern and a numerical method which can accurately find it. These tools will make it easier to compare theory against experiment in phyllotaxis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA. zeno@math.smith.edu
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hotton
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D008722:Methods; D009024:Morphogenesis; D063245:Plant Development; D010944:Plants / Q000033:anatomy & histology