Page 85 - Photosynthesis: The Green Miracle

Harun Yahya

The two leaves that emerge after the bud sprouts are set out at a 180-degree an-
gle from each other. The next two leaves that develop above the initial pair
open at a 90-degree angle to the first two, in order to ensure maximum ex-
posure to light.

think about why it is that seeds germinate up in this way. The fact is, how-
ever, that this is the result of planning and design. The aim behind it is to
prevent leaves from shading one another and to enable them all to make

maximum use of sunlight.
The more complex spiral form is also often to be seen. To observe this
spiral action in plants, tie a thread to the base of one leaf and then extend
the thread to the branches and knots, make a loop around the base of ev-
ery leaf you come to, and keep the curves as regular as possible. Using
this method, you will see that each leaf on an elm or lime tree is 180 de-
grees away from the neighbouring leaf on the branch; thus the thread will
turn halfway round the branch for every next leaf. Leaves on beech trees
are set 120 degrees apart, with 1/3 turns per leaf. The ratio for apple trees

are 144 degrees and 2/5 turns, and for black pine, 5/13 turns. If you have
an interest in mathematics, you will see that these exact figures cannot be
the work of chance, and that each unit is the total of those preceding it (as
shown below). Each two numbers exhibit the same simple calculation: 1,
1, 2 (1+1), 3 (1+2), 5 (2+3), 8 (3+5), 13 (5+8), 21 (8+13), 34 (13+21), 55
(21+34), 89 (34+55), 144 (55+89), 233 (89+144), 377 (144+233), and so on. 29
This special progression is known as a Fibonacci series, named after the

83