Phyllotaxis
/ˌfɪləˈtæk.sɪs/noun
The arrangement of leaves on a plant stem or branch.
Did you know?The term comes from Greek botanical science, and the same root phyll- appears in words for leaves, tribes, and even pages—because ancient languages often treated a “leaf” as a flat, layered thing.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
phýllon
“leaf”
Ancient Greek
Greek
táxis
“arrangement, ordering, ordering in battle”
18th–19th Century
New Latin
phyllotaxis
“the arrangement of leaves on a plant stem”
Modern English
English
phyllotaxis
“the arrangement of leaves on a stem or branch”
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