The term 'whorl' refers to leaves or flowers, respectively, that are (or appear to be) whorled, i. e. there are more than 2 leaves or flowers per node. In most plant species, it is not whorls in a strict morphological sense, but rather pseudo-whorls which are actually panicles or cymes (e. g. in many Lamiaceae – Nettle family members) (cf. also clusters, whorled phyllotaxy).
