This time-lapse movie shows the development of an Arabidopsis rosette over a period of 21 days of growth in continuous light, starting from about a week after germination. The time interval between images in the movie was 30 min.
Leaves emerge from the apical meristem in a reproducible pattern in plants. In Arabidopsis plants, the pattern of leaf growth varies with developmental age. In young seedlings, the first leaves (cotyledons) and the second set of leaves (primary leaves) emerge opposite to each other. Subsequent leaves emerge in a pattern that results in a spiral arrangement. This change in leaf arrangement is often considered to mark the transition from juvenile to mature growth stages.