In
botany,
Repulsion theory is a
theory that is used to explain how
plants regulate the distance between new
budding leaves on a
stem. 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
concentration of the substance reaches a lower level. Although no inhibitors have yet been discovered, the theory is supported by several surgical and modeling experiments.