Phyllotaxis is spiraling swirls full of colours including red, yellow, green, cyan, blue and magenta. Each branch of the spirals are at different angles to the viewer, and spiral inwards towards the center.

Yet, as the light passes through the prism, it almost magically seems to know where all the colour is and, erases all the colour from the image. This uncanny explanation may seem rather absurd, and it isn’t actually what is happening. But, when the image above is viewed correctly through a prism, the resulting image will turn black and white as shown below.

If you are having any troubles seeing the resulting image, don’t be discouraged. It takes a little practice to learn how to hold the prism right. For viewing instructions and tips, try reading the how to view prism art page.

phyl·lo·tax·is, noun;

Phyllotaxy is the arrangement of leaves on a plant stem. Phyllotactic spirals form a distinctive class of patterns in nature. This pattern can be seen in many plants in nature like sunflowers, pineapples, pine cones, aloe polyphilla, and more.