Mums & the Golden Ratio in Nature - NEPA « Fading Ad Blog by Frank H. Jump

Mums & the Golden Ratio in Nature - NEPA

23 11 2007

Mums & the Golden Ratio - NEPA
© Frank H. Jump

23 11 2007: xrisfg (04:30:38) :

All the Asteracea (Aster or Daisy Family) exhibit this in their disk flowers.
23 11 2007: fadingad (05:02:31) :

Hey Kris! Can you help me out with the milk thistle? Are the burr and milk thistle one of the same or different species? Frank
23 11 2007: xrisfg (15:16:25) :

I don’t know my thistles! I’d have to look it up.
23 05 2008: Kity Kat (18:14:34) :

hey ok so ive been reseraching the golden ratio and can someone please explain the consept of the mum flower and how it is related to the golden ratio???? please.
24 05 2008: fadingad (04:23:06) :

Here KityKat-

I found this at another blog: Enjoy Gardening

Do the Math

But what is this incredible pattern? Without going into grueling detail, suffice it to say that the arrangement of plant structures is based on Fibonacci’s “golden ratio” or “golden section,” represented by the Greek letter phi. The golden ratio is .618 – not exactly enlightening unless you’re a mathematician, but, in essence, it means that most plants tend to grow in fixed-angle spirals or turns, starting from the centre and moving outward. So for every phi (.618) turn per leaf or seed, you get the best “packing” of plant material into a limited space. As a result, leaves capture more sunlight and channel rainfall in an optimal path that flows down the stem and straight to the roots, while flowers get the best possible exposure to pollinating insects.