Ancient Plant Defies Fibonacci Sequence, Baffling Scientists
An ancient fossilized plant, Asteroxylon mackiei, dating back 407 million years, has challenged the assumption that the Fibonacci sequence is present in the structure of early plant species. Most living plants exhibit organs arranged in Fibonacci spirals, but this extinct lycopod species from the Early Devonian period has leaves arranged in non-Fibonacci patterns. 3D-printed reconstructions of the plant's cross-sections revealed that some reconstructions followed Fibonacci spirals, while others had no spirals at all and instead grew leaves in rings along the stem. These findings suggest that the evolution of Fibonacci spirals in plants may not be as ancient as previously thought and that leaf evolution in these clubmosses may be separate from other plant groups.