Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Repulsion theory
open-in-new
<p>In <a href="/facts/Botany/PaIRoxnb">botany</a>, Repulsion theory is a <a href="/facts/Theory/9vrNS1Rr">theory</a> that is used to explain how <a href="/facts/Plants/X5BMDMvS">plants</a> regulate the distance between new <a href="/facts/Buds/USYHoQv8">budding leaves</a> on a <a href="/facts/Plant_stem/QlQWSzV4">stem</a>. The theory states that each leaf on a stem secretes a substance that inhibits growth of a new leaf. A new leaf will only grow a certain distance away from the previous leaf where the <a href="/facts/Concentration/wqBmz5od">concentration</a> of the substance reaches a lower level. Although no inhibitors have yet been discovered, the theory is supported by several surgical and modeling experiments. </p>