New Zealand: Fibonacci comes to the Marlborough rock daisy

One native plant that caught my attention at Otari-Wilton’s Bush in Wellington on February 20th was the Marlborough rock daisy, Pachystegia insignis. In the central disk of these seed head remains you can confirm the presence of consecutive Fibonacci numbers: I count 13 clockwise spirals and 21 counter-clockwise spirals (I believe New Zealanders say anti-clockwise), and I’ve thrown in 1 conspicuous shadow at no extra charge.

If you’d like to confirm the Fibonacci counts for yourself, click on the disk below for an enlargement. I find it easier to pick out the counter-clockwise spirals, but both are there.

© 2015 Steven Schwartzman