Verticillasters

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of inflorescence characterized by whorled clusters of flowers at the nodes along the stem
2. Referring to the arrangement of floral structures in circular patterns around a stem or branch
3. Describing a botanical feature where flowers grow in tight formations around the axis of the plant

Etymology: "Verticillasters" is the plural of "verticillaster," a botanical term for a cluster of flowers arranged in a tight ring around a stem, with each ring sitting at a joint. The word was built in Modern Latin from "verticillus," meaning a whirl or whorl, and "aster," meaning a star. Its two parts describe the shape: a set of blossoms radiating from one point, like a star spinning around the stalk. The second element is the more surprising one. "Aster" is the same Greek-derived word that gives us the flower name aster and the terms for astronomy and asterisks, so a plant term built on it carries a faint sense of celestial pattern. The first element is the everyday Latin word for a spindle or whorl, which is why the flowers appear stacked in concentric circles rather than spread along a single line.

Synonyms: whorled inflorescences, flower clusters