[1] Irving Adler (1913–2012) was known as a peace protester, schoolteacher, and children's science book author[2] before, in 1961, earning a doctorate in abstract algebra.

[1] The theme of Adler's work in this area, in the papers reproduced in this volume, was to find a mathematical model for plant development that would explain these patterns and the occurrence of the Fibonacci numbers and the golden ratio within them.

Among them, the first is the longest, and reviewer Adhemar Bultheel calls it "the most fundamental"; it uses the idea of "contact pressure" to cause plant parts to maximize their distance from each other and maintain a consistent angle of divergence from each other, and makes connections with the mathematical theories of circle packing and space-filling curves.

[1] Reviewer Peter Ruane found the book gripping, writing that it can be read by a mathematically inclined reader with no background knowledge in phyllotaxis.

[1] And Yuri V. Rogovchenko calls its publication "a thoughtful tribute to Dr. Adler’s multi-faceted career as a researcher, educator, political activist, and author".