Topophysis

Hans Molisch first introduced the term topohysis in 1915 in response to Hermann Vöchting’s 1904 Araucaria excelsa cutting propagation experiment. Vöchting recorded that cuttings from the terminal shoots immediately developed into normal plants with orthotropic growth. Cuttings from the first order lateral branches first developed into plants resembling side branches (plagiotropic growth) before growing orthotropically. Cuttings from the second order lateral branches grew into horizontal shoots with no side branches for the longest time before growing orthotropically. He concluded that the onset of axillary bud growth is mainly affected by the position relative to the ortets axillary bud.