Phyllotaxis: the status of the field.

In the last decade important progress has been made regarding pattern recognition and generation of the phenomenon of phyllotaxis. Phyllotaxis, a central area in plant morphogenesis, proposes a challenge that reaches beyond the field of botany and whose resolution must be sought through evolutionary biology and general comparative morphology. This review summarizes the contributions in the area, redefines the challenge, and proposes an adequate framework for the study of the phenomenon.