At the shoot tip of a plant, a new leaf grows at a fixed angle from the previous leaf, which is very frequently the golden angle 137.5°. As the plant grows, the leaves are arranged in a pattern characterized by a common fraction. This Demonstration shows you how the phyllotaxis pattern changes and what patterns would be obtained if the plant used a different angle. The golden angle is the most advantageous angle, since the plant experiences the least change and is most likely to survive.