Cotton Phyllotaxy, Side and Top Views

In real plants, the angle around the stem from one leaf to the next is 135 degrees as shown in the middle image. This arrangement minimises shading of lower leaves by the leaves above them. In the virtual cotton model, the angle can be changed easily to see and calculate the resulting self-shading. The angle has been set at 180 degrees in the image on the right and near zero degrees in the image on the left. Small longitudinal angles between successive internodes of the main stem are not easily noticed except when they accumulate to give the main stem a curved appearance, as in the image on the left where there is no rotation between successive internodes.

Last updated: Jim Hanan, 15 January 1997