Phyllotaxis: a reappraisal

Abstract

The field of research known as pyllotaxis has been the object of intense studies in the last 15 years. The present article proposes a reflection on the subject and on the objectives of this discipline and places it in a broader perspective. It stresses the necessity of a systemic and synergetic approach. The "biological problem" of phyllotaxis is redefined in the light of the fact that patterns identical to phyllotactic patterns are found in other areas of research. It is underlined that this organizational problem is fundamentally a "mathematical problem," the mathematical approach being able indeed to reach the explanatory level and the fundamental causes as well. To replace the narrow term phyllotaxis, the logo PPM, for primordial pattern morphogenesis and pyramidal pattern modelling, is proposed to underline the synergy of biological and mathematical approaches.