How do we know there is not common cause?

Just to play devil's advocate, what if many of these branching patterns follow electrical field characteristics?

Ever wondered how a seed knows which way to grow such that shoots will inevitably have the best chance of reaching the sun?

What if plants are actually following field lines and electrical pathways when branching, and sending out roots? It's interesting that when we look at plants branches and roots they tend to follow a very similar pattern to electrical arcs. Perhaps plants simply utilize the weak electrical fields to their advantage? Use them to pattern their growth system?

Even the human body's veins, arteries and capillaries tend to display very similar branching. Heck, "plasma" was so-named because of its distinctly similar look to organic structures.

Like you say. I may be bendingthe limb to the ground. But it's a flexible limb, and I know that. It's just kind of a what-if... What if it's not all so disparate as we once thought. What if it IS all connected by a singular force? In this case electro-magnetism, which we know is scaleable across many orders of magnitude.

I simply put it out there for folks to consider. Someone's gotta' say it, right? Why not me?

And why can't they all have the same cause? I mean what if the river "channels" were cut by branching electrical arcs? What if plants are ordered along branching electromagnetic lines?

Or as a cynic would say, "yeah, and what if Santa's sleigh is electrically powered...?"

Enough said. Interesting line of thought, but not conclusive without more evidence. ;o]